Can someone explain what these parts of plots means?

Question

I have to do a book report on "Go Ask Alice" I read the book twice so I don't need help with anything about it. I have to do a book report and it says to explain this:

Initiating incident (plus any other backgroundd information necessary)

Development action (identify important events that lead to the climax)

Climax (defend your answer)

Denouement

Conclusion

Can you please explain to me what all this means?

Thank you! =)

Answer 1

Your teacher didn't give you these terms and their definitions??  Hmm...

Initiating incident:  new term to me, but I'd imagine it's the point at which the book opens and/or the plot begins to roll.

Development action:  also called "rising action," these are the events that move the plot toward its climax.

Climax:  the high point, or turning point, of the book.

Denouement:  literally, "the untying of the knot."  Following a climactic scene, the plot begins to "unravel," where previous situations get explained, conflicts become addressed, and/or details emerge to help bring the reader down from the climax.

Conclusion:  where everything comes to an end.

Now, apply these terms to your book!  (You didn't think I was gonna do it for you, did you?)  ;)

Answer 2

Stories are based on conflicts, from huge wars across the universe to personal struggles.  

The initiating incident is whatever starts that conflict.  At the initiating incident, things take some sort of change and cause disorder for the protagonist.  This could be when Luke comes back to find his Uncle killed in Star Wars, when Harry Potter gets his first letter from Hogwarts, where Lucy finds the wardrope in Narnia... etc.

After the initiating incident where order is disrupted there are following events (actions taken by the protagonist, antagonist, nature, society, friends, any character, anything that happened by chance, etc.) that increase the tension and the conflict of the book.  Luke meets Han Solo, learns about Darth Vader, battles enemies from the Falcon learns about the rebellion...

the climax is the turning point of the novel where the conflict changes course.  The ring gets thrown into the fires of Mordor, Luke destroys the Death Star

Denouement are events that lessen the tension and bring the story to an end.  Harry Potter tells Ron and Hermoine about his encounter with Quirrel-Voldermort, Lucy heals everyone on the battlefield

the conclusion ties up all the loose ends.  Harry potter goes to another year at school, Lucy, Edmund, and whoever the other two Narnia kids are have a conversation with their uncle after coming out of the wardrobe.

hope that helps

Answer 3

The climax is the "big moment" in the story, the place where the events change direction.  The development actions are the things that lead up to the main event (maybe the conflicts).  The denouement is the resolution of the conflict, or the events that follow the climax.  It looks like the initiating incident is the event that begins the conflict.

Try searching the words on search engines for better explanations..