Title: U01
Course: Creative Writing Through D & D

Q: Read this passage: "The cobblestones were slick with crushed fruit pulp, and somewhere in the crowd, a child shrieked with laughter." Which of the following best describes how this sentence uses sensory detail?
- It uses only visual details to describe the marketplace
- It combines tactile, visual, and auditory details to make the scene feel immediate
- It uses figurative language to compare the marketplace to something else
- It focuses on the emotional reactions of the characters
A: It combines tactile, visual, and auditory details to make the scene feel immediate

Q: A writer describes a castle using words like "crumbling," "shadow-choked," and "bone-cold." These word choices primarily serve to:
- Show the castle is very old
- Establish a mood of dread and decay
- Describe the castle's exact physical appearance
- Introduce the main character who lives there
A: Establish a mood of dread and decay

Q: According to the 3-2-1 rule for setting descriptions, a strong passage should include:
- 3 characters, 2 conflicts, and 1 setting detail
- 3 paragraphs, 2 transitions, and 1 conclusion
- 3 visual details, 2 non-visual sensory details, and 1 emotional or cultural detail
- 3 settings, 2 points of view, and 1 theme
A: 3 visual details, 2 non-visual sensory details, and 1 emotional or cultural detail

Q: A fantasy mapmaker places a city at the junction of two rivers. This placement most likely suggests that the city:
- Was built by magic users who needed water for spells
- Is a center of trade, travel, and cultural exchange
- Is frequently flooded and dangerous to live in
- Was the first settlement built in the region
A: Is a center of trade, travel, and cultural exchange

Q: A student writes: "The trading post was nice. There were many stalls selling different things. People were haggling and trading stories." What is the most significant craft problem with this description?
- It's too short to be effective
- The grammar needs improvement
- The details are generic and could describe any trading post — nothing specific creates mood or identity
- It doesn't include enough characters
A: The details are generic and could describe any trading post — nothing specific creates mood or identity

Q: Which of the following is an example of a cultural world-building detail in a setting description?
- The sun was setting behind the mountains.
- Every doorway was hung with dried herbs — lavender for welcome, sage for protection, and rue for remembrance of the dead.
- The road stretched on for miles and miles.
- It was a dark and stormy night.
A: Every doorway was hung with dried herbs — lavender for welcome, sage for protection, and rue for remembrance of the dead.

Q: An author writes setting details that appeal mostly to the sense of smell. This choice is most likely effective because:
- Smell is the easiest sense to describe in writing
- Smell is strongly connected to memory and emotion, making the setting feel personally real to the reader
- All good writing focuses primarily on one sense at a time
- Visual details are overused and should be avoided entirely
A: Smell is strongly connected to memory and emotion, making the setting feel personally real to the reader

Read these two sentences describing the same forest:

Sentence A: "The forest was dark and quiet."

Sentence B: "Moss swallowed the path three steps in, and the canopy was so thick that the only light came in coins — small, bright, and quickly spent."

In 3-4 sentences, explain why Sentence B is more effective. Name at least two specific craft techniques the author uses.

You are designing a fantasy region where two cultures live on opposite sides of a mountain range. In 3-4 sentences, explain how this geographic feature would shape the cultures differently. Consider: resources, climate, trade, and isolation.

The essential question for this unit is: "How do the places we create reveal who we are as storytellers?" In 4-5 sentences, answer this question using specific examples from your own world-building work in this unit.