Question

And Lancelot knelt down and took the king’s beloved hand in both of his and kissed it. “Good night, my liege lord, my liege friend,” he said, and then stumbled blindly from the room and felt his way down the curving stone steps past the arrow slits.
As he came to the level of the next landing, Guinevere issued silently from a darkened entrance. He could see her in the thin light from the arrow slit. She took his arm and led him to her dark chamber and closed the oaken door.

“A strange thing happened,” she said softly.

Source: Steinbeck, John. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. New York: Penguin, 2009. Google Books. Web. 7 July 2011.



All of the following suggest that the passage above is fiction except __________.

the inclusion of characters
the use of both long and short sentences
the perceived conflict between Lancelot and the king
the setting of the “dark chamber”

Answer 1

the use of both long and short sentences

Long and short sentences can be used in any form of literature. It doesn't matter whether or not it's fiction. The characters, perceived conflict, and setting are all fictional elements. The setting is not specific enough to indicate a real place. The characters are not people who actually lived. The perceived conflict also must be fictional if the characters having the conflict are fictional.

Answer 2

All of the following suggest that the passage above is fiction except "the use of both long and short sentences" since these sentences can be used in any setting.