Which of the following is not a necessary component of a short story theme
setting
humor
conflict

Answer : humor

There are five components or elements of a short story. It includes the character, the setting, the plot, the conflict and the theme. Clearly, based on the options provided above, humor is not among the necessary component of a short story because humor is subject. Humor depends on the reader's or listener's reception of the lines and the ideas in the story.  The characters in the short story refers to the cast of the story, the setting refers to the specific time and location the events of the story occurs, the plot is sequence of events in the story, the conflict is the battle or struggle among/ between the characters while is the subject matter or the central idea of the story.