Foreshadowing in Literature

Foreshadowing in Literature

Read each question carefully and follow the instructions. This worksheet will help you understand foreshadowing, a literary device where authors give hints or clues about future events in a story.

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

The old lighthouse keeper, Mr. Abernathy, always said the sea had a memory. He'd seen more storms than he could count, and each one seemed to carry a whisper of the last. "Never trust a calm sea too much, lad," he'd warned young Thomas, his eyes scanning the horizon. "She's a fickle mistress, and she can turn on ye faster than a blink." Thomas, eager for adventure, often dismissed the old man's warnings as mere superstition. But as the sky began to darken with an unnatural speed, and the gulls cried out a frantic, unfamiliar tune, a shiver ran down his spine. He remembered Mr. Abernathy's words, and for the first time, truly understood the weight of them.

1. Which of the following lines from the passage is an example of foreshadowing?

2. What event does the foreshadowing in the passage hint at?

3. Foreshadowing is a literary device that gives   or clues about future events in a story.

4. Authors use foreshadowing to build   and create anticipation for the reader.

5. Foreshadowing always makes a story's ending obvious.

6. A character having a bad dream about an upcoming event is an example of foreshadowing.

7. Explain in your own words why an author might choose to use foreshadowing in a story.

8. Write a short paragraph (3-5 sentences) that uses foreshadowing to hint at a positive future event for a character. Underline the sentence(s) that contain the foreshadowing.