Page 102 - RMBC Student Catalog 2016-2017

2. The Body

1. Begin with a short, concise summary (synopsis) of the book, including only the main points or
key events. Limit this synopsis to several sentences.

1. For a fiction book, write a summary of the plot.

The plot is the sequences of actions that make up a story. The plot begins with a
conflict involving main characters. Sometimes, the conflict involves two people.
Other times, the conflict involves the main character and a variety of people and
circumstances. In some stories, conflict may be at work with the character.

Example: In the story Little Women, each of the March sisters faces her
own conflict with self as she tries to “be good.”

After you have stated the conflict, recount the events that develop the conflict to
the point at which one of the opposing forces is about to prevail over the other. This
is called the climax. Following the climax, relate the events that resolve the
conflict.

2. For a biography, relate the chief incidents in the subject’s life.

3. For a nonfiction book, write a summary.

2. In the succeeding paragraphs of the body, use incidents, details, and quotations that support the
opinion you stated in the introduction. Prove your point.

Example: In the opening scene, the March sisters are bemoaning their poverty
when Beth gently reminds them how rich they really are: “We’ve got
father and mother and each other.” Though lacking in material
comforts, the girls gradually learn to appreciate the treasure they have
in a loving home. Mother’s gentle words and Father’s letters from the
battlefront remind them of the things that matter in life: relationships,
kind words and loving deeds, and personal growth and maturity. Meg
learns about the emptiness of material wealth when she visits Annie
Moffat and tries to fit in with her frivolous and worldly friends. Jo
learns to forgive when Amy burns her precious books. Beth teaches
them all about selfless giving when she reaches out to help a poor widow
and her children and is stricken with a deadly fever. As each girl
struggles with her personal weaknesses, she learns to appreciate more
fully the family that God has given her and the values they share.

RMBC Catalog Appendix A A-9