Answer:
1. set in a real-life, mappable place like a particular city, state, or country.
2. the persons we meet in the story.
3. Conflict in a story is a struggle between opposing forces.
4. by taking Jake to spend time with Alex and his ex-wife. (yan ba yun? Haha)
5. to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader.
6. reflected in the way he writes about a topic.