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Storytelling Purpose and Power

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Storytelling Purpose and Power

Read the original story below, then explore how storytelling can entertain, preserve knowledge, shape perspectives and influence people. Use evidence from the story in your answers. For open-ended questions, the answer provided is one possible response.

The Last Bus to Kōwhai Bay

When the last bus groaned away from the stop, Mara heard a sharp whistle from the dark end of the road. Her little brother, Finn, had gone back for the red kete they had left beside the dairy. Their aunt had told them not to take the shortcut through the reserve after sunset. Mara had laughed then. Now the wet trees seemed to lean over the track. She could wait for the next bus, but it would not come for an hour. She could run into the reserve alone, or ask the dairy owner for help. Mara swallowed her pride and knocked on the lit window. Mr Patel came outside with a torch. Together they found Finn beside the gate, clutching the kete and pretending he had not been frightened. On the ride home, Finn asked why their aunt had warned them about the shortcut. Mara started to say, “Because she worries,” but stopped. She remembered the story their aunt had once told: years ago, a flood had swept across that track before anyone could see the rising water. Their aunt had been a child then. She had escaped only because a neighbour knew the reserve and led everyone to higher ground. “She wasn’t trying to spoil our fun,” Mara said. “She wanted us to understand what could happen.” Finn looked out at the rain-blurred window. The story had not made the reserve frightening forever. It had made the warning mean something.

Read closely

Answer using details from the story. For questions asking for your view, explain your reasoning.

1.Which option best describes the main purpose of the aunt’s story within the events?

To prove that every shortcut is dangerous
To explain the reason behind a safety warning
To make Finn feel guilty for losing the kete
To entertain Mara with an unrelated adventure

2.Select the two choices that best describe what Mara’s experience shows about stories.

A story can help someone understand another person’s actions.
A story always removes fear completely.
A personal story can make a warning feel meaningful.
A story is only useful if it is fictional.

3.True or false? The aunt’s story changes the characters’ understanding, but it does not make the reserve frightening forever. Support your answer with one detail.

TrueFalse

4.Find one detail that creates tension at the start of the story. Explain how it makes the reader feel or wonder.

5.Why does Mara stop herself from saying, “Because she worries”? What does this moment reveal about her thinking?

6.Match each storytelling feature to its effect in this story.

The story begins with a missed bus and a whistle
The aunt’s memory of the flood
Mara explains the warning to Finn

Explains the warning through personal experience
Builds suspense and gives the characters an immediate problem
Shows understanding passing from one person to another

7.Complete the idea: In this story, storytelling has power because it can .

8.The flood story is told indirectly through Mara’s memory rather than as a full flashback. What is one effect of this choice?

9.Stories can build understanding, but they can also mislead or reinforce unfair ideas. Give one example of how a story might cause harm, and suggest one way a listener or reader could respond thoughtfully.

10.Write a short story idea (two or three sentences) that could help a Year 9 reader understand an experience different from their own. State the perspective the story would show and the understanding you hope readers gain.