What is the rising action in a literature piece?

The rising action is all of the events leading up to the climax, or turning point, of the story (excluding the exposition). Parallel episodes are popular examples of rising action in literature. To illustrate, in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," the rising action would be the events in which Goldilocks eats the porridge, sits on the chairs, and rests on the beds. (The exposition would be her mother sending her off on her way and her stumbling upon the cottage.)