Author's Craft at Grade 6
This worksheet helps sixth-grade students understand and identify various elements of author's craft, including word choice, imagery, and figurative language.
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Author's Craft Worksheet
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Pay close attention to how authors use language to create meaning and impact.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
The old house stood on a hill, its windows like vacant eyes staring out at the stormy sea. The wind howled a mournful tune through the broken panes, and the rain hammered against the decaying walls like a thousand tiny drums. Inside, shadows danced with ghostly grace, making familiar objects appear strange and menacing. A lone, flickering candle cast long, wavering fingers of light across the dusty floor, battling bravely against the encroaching darkness. Every creak and groan of the house echoed the passage of time, a whispered story of forgotten lives.
1. Which phrase from the passage is an example of personification?
vacant eyes
howled a mournful tune
decaying walls
flickering candle
2. The author uses the simile "rain hammered against the decaying walls like a thousand tiny drums" to emphasize:
the gentle sound of the rain.
the softness of the walls.
the intensity and force of the rain.
the musical quality of the storm.
3. Identify one example of imagery from the passage and explain what sense it appeals to.
4. How does the author's word choice (e.g., "vacant," "mournful," "decaying," "ghostly") contribute to the overall mood or atmosphere of the passage?
5. When an author gives human qualities or actions to inanimate objects or animals, it is called .
6. A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as" is known as a .
7. Descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses is called .
8. An author's craft refers only to the plot of a story.
True
False
9. Figurative language helps readers visualize and understand the text more deeply.
True
False
10. Write a short paragraph (4-6 sentences) describing a different setting (e.g., a bustling city street, a quiet forest, a futuristic spaceship). Use at least one example of personification, one simile, and vivid imagery to create a strong mood.