Literary Analysis
What to know
Literary analysis questions ask you to explain how a passage works, not just what happens. Know the core elements: theme (the insight about life the text develops), plot (conflict, rising action, climax, resolution), characterization (direct statement vs. indirect revelation through action, dialogue, and others' reactions), setting, point of view (first person, third-person limited, omniscient), tone (the speaker's attitude), and figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery). Also track structure: shifts in time, repeated images, and contrasts the author builds.
Traps
The most common trap is choosing a plot summary or a topic word ("friendship") instead of a defensible theme statement. Another is taking figurative language literally or treating a narrator's opinion as the author's. Watch for answer choices that are true about the passage but do not answer the question asked. Extreme wording ("always," "never," "proves") is often wrong.
Rule of thumb
Build every answer as claim + evidence + interpretation. Say what the text suggests, point to the specific detail, then explain how that detail creates the effect.
Worked example: A character repeatedly refuses help, and the narrator notes she "carried her own boxes up four flights." A weak answer says "she is strong." A stronger answer says the author uses the small act of refusing assistance to reveal pride masking vulnerability-an interpretation tied to a concrete detail rather than a label.