FSA CERTIFICATION EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ persuade. Answer: to influence someone's thoughts or
actions/behavior; to convince. (You are not only giving facts. You are
giving your own opinion on a subject.)
◉ inform. Answer: to give INFORMation or facts
◉ entertain. Answer: to amuse, entertain and engage readers and keep
them reading
◉ The purpose of most nonfiction is.... Answer: to inform (and
sometimes persuade)
◉ The purpose of most fiction is.... Answer: to entertain
◉ Writing that entertains includes.... Answer: books, novels, short
stories, poems, and comic books.
◉ Writing that informs includes.... Answer: newspaper/magazine
articles, textbooks, and cookbooks.
,◉ Writing that persuades includes.... Answer: speeches, editorials, and
advertisements.
◉ main Idea/central idea. Answer: the overarching, big picture idea in a
story/article that gets repeated and supported by other facts. In other
words, this is what the story/article is really about. It's the topic+the
author's point about the topic.
◉ supporting details. Answer: statements which support your topic by
giving information about it through facts, examples, etc.
◉ plot. Answer: the events in a story
◉ setting. Answer: the time and place of story / usually established in
the beginning but can change throughout the plot
◉ exposition. Answer: the beginning part of a story; characters, setting
and problem/conflict usually introduced in this part
◉ rising action. Answer: events leading up to climax
◉ climax. Answer: high point/ high action in story; point of most intense
action
, ◉ falling action. Answer: events after the climax
◉ resolution. Answer: end of the story where things are wrapped up
◉ episode. Answer: an event, incident, or scene in a narrative plot;
usually is part of the story
◉ theme. Answer: the message of a story. (As opposed to a topic, this
should not just be one word but should actually be a sentence since it's
THE MEssage)
◉ topic. Answer: the subject treated in a paragraph or work
◉ point of view (POV). Answer: Perspective - who is telling the story
and how the story is being told.
◉ three points of view. Answer: first person, second person, third person
◉ first person. Answer: -uses "I" language. The narrator is a character in
the story. One of the benefits of this POV is that the reader, in turn, starts
to care more for the narrator since he/she is a character in the story.
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ persuade. Answer: to influence someone's thoughts or
actions/behavior; to convince. (You are not only giving facts. You are
giving your own opinion on a subject.)
◉ inform. Answer: to give INFORMation or facts
◉ entertain. Answer: to amuse, entertain and engage readers and keep
them reading
◉ The purpose of most nonfiction is.... Answer: to inform (and
sometimes persuade)
◉ The purpose of most fiction is.... Answer: to entertain
◉ Writing that entertains includes.... Answer: books, novels, short
stories, poems, and comic books.
◉ Writing that informs includes.... Answer: newspaper/magazine
articles, textbooks, and cookbooks.
,◉ Writing that persuades includes.... Answer: speeches, editorials, and
advertisements.
◉ main Idea/central idea. Answer: the overarching, big picture idea in a
story/article that gets repeated and supported by other facts. In other
words, this is what the story/article is really about. It's the topic+the
author's point about the topic.
◉ supporting details. Answer: statements which support your topic by
giving information about it through facts, examples, etc.
◉ plot. Answer: the events in a story
◉ setting. Answer: the time and place of story / usually established in
the beginning but can change throughout the plot
◉ exposition. Answer: the beginning part of a story; characters, setting
and problem/conflict usually introduced in this part
◉ rising action. Answer: events leading up to climax
◉ climax. Answer: high point/ high action in story; point of most intense
action
, ◉ falling action. Answer: events after the climax
◉ resolution. Answer: end of the story where things are wrapped up
◉ episode. Answer: an event, incident, or scene in a narrative plot;
usually is part of the story
◉ theme. Answer: the message of a story. (As opposed to a topic, this
should not just be one word but should actually be a sentence since it's
THE MEssage)
◉ topic. Answer: the subject treated in a paragraph or work
◉ point of view (POV). Answer: Perspective - who is telling the story
and how the story is being told.
◉ three points of view. Answer: first person, second person, third person
◉ first person. Answer: -uses "I" language. The narrator is a character in
the story. One of the benefits of this POV is that the reader, in turn, starts
to care more for the narrator since he/she is a character in the story.
