In plot theory combining Aristotle and Freytag, which element marks the turning point where rising action becomes falling action?

• A. Unity of Action
• B. Desis
• C. Lusis
• D. Climax

Answer: (D)

The turning point between rising action and falling action is the climax. This moment represents the peak of tension, where the protagonist faces the greatest challenge and the story’s events pivot toward resolution. In Freytag’s model, the rising action builds toward this peak, and what happens at the climax determines how fortunes shift, after which the plot moves into the falling action leading to the ending. Desis describes the buildup of complications that leads up to that peak, but it isn’t the turning point itself. Unity of Action focuses on keeping the story to one main thread, not on where the action reverses. So the climax best fits the idea of the point at which rising action becomes falling action.