It uses a timeline to explain the structure in terms of tension and development, and tests understanding and recall of this. Revision Tip Understanding plot and structure. You need to know the plot well in order to comment on the themes and characters. You will remember it more easily if you picture the events in your mind's eye as vividly as possible. You will understand the structure more clearly if you 'stand back' from the novel and try to see the 'big picture' that emerges from the smaller details.
Structure refers to the overall pattern formed by the plot.
Summarised below is the story of Roll of Thunder which centres on the Logans, a black family living in Mississippi in the 1930s. The chapter titles used below are not in the novel itself, but they will help you to focus. Read the summary to refresh your memory, then try the test which follows. They are soon joined by TJ Avery and Claude. When the white students' school bus hurtles past, Little Man is covered in a cloud of red dust from the road.