English/Schwartz/Spring 2010

Semester Final Exam STUDY GUIDE

The semester final will be 25 multiple choice/matching/identification questions (worth 25 points), and 1 in-class essay (worth 25 points), for a total of 50 points.  We will review in class, and you should prepare on your own/with classmates as well. 

I.           Grammar (5 points)

Know…

·         The difference between active and passive voice, and how to rewrite passive into active.

·         How to properly use pronouns to agree with antecedents, including using singular or plural pronouns (such as her, his, their, etc.), pronouns such as I, me, and myself, and reflexive pronouns in general.

·         Know how to identify and correct dangling and misplaced modifiers.

·         Know how to identify and correct faulty parallelism.

Study Resource:  Grammar handouts on active and passive voice, and pronouns and antecedents.

Practice:

Mark if the following sentences are active or passive, and rewrite any passive sentences in active voice.

“Romeo is depressed by love.”

“Juliet drinks the potion.”

“Mercutio is killed.”

Choose the correct pronoun to fill in the blank, to agree with the antecedent.

“Both of the families lost ____ children.” (its, their)

“All of the students studied for _____ finals.” (his, their)

“Each of the trees lost _____ leaves.” (its, their)

“Neither of the girls brought ____ uniform.” (her, their)

Identify any sentences with dangling or misplaced modifiers, and rewrite those sentences.

“Throwing the ball, the bat made a loud cracking noise.”

“Worrying about her final, she sat down to study for an hour straight.”

“Frightened by a shape in the darkness, the house was very spooky.”

“She went up to the house and knocked on the door with the red roof.”

Identify any sentences with faulty parallelism and rewrite those sentences.

“She likes to run, read, and playing in the sand.”

“The teacher recommended reviewing the handouts and to complete the practice questions.”

“The students studied, read, and succeeded.”

II.         MLA and Essay Format and Organization (4 points)

Know…

·         How to properly format the heading (top part of the first page) for an MLA style essay (name, teacher, class and date—in MLA formal—on left hand side, title centered)

·         Quotation introduction, integration, presentation, and citation

·         How to properly format page numbers for an MLA style essay (last name and page number in upper righthand corner)

·         What a great thesis statement looks like!  It should clearly assert the main claim/argument of the essay; it should not be plot summary, quotations, a cliché, a question, or a hook-style statement.

Study Resource: MLA guidelines handout (for quotations), my website and linked websites on MLA formatting; old essay handouts explaining what a thesis should be

Practice:

Write out a sample essay heading below:

Write out sample page numbering below:

Write out a perfect introduction, integration, presentation, and citation of any pretend quotation below:

III.       Literary Terms (15 points)

Know the definitions for and how to identify the following terms:

·         onomatopoeia

·         alliteration

·         allegory

·         theme

·         situational irony

·         dramatic irony

·         simile

·         metaphor

·         hyperbole

·         repetition

·         diction (and how it helps to establish the tone)

·         oxymoron

·         imagery

·         motif

·         Conflict (internal and external)

Study Resource: Handouts from the whole semester!  Literary Term notes from our short story unit, Figurative Language Hunt handout from LOTF, Garden of Eden handout from LOTF, Figurative Language and Allusion handout and Irony notes from R&J, and just notes and discussions from the whole semester…

Practice:

PLAY WORD WALL!

IV.       In-Class Essay (50 points)

Guidelines:

v  You may use an outline prepared ahead of time on one or both sides of a 4x6” note card or smaller.  This must only contain notes for you to use for your essay; you may not use it during the rest of the test.

v  Be sure to plan your writing ahead of time.  Develop a clear, focused thesis and unified body paragraphs.  You don’t need to include direct quotations, but you should have good examples to illustrate all of your ideas.  And remember to demonstrate your very best writing skills.  I will also be looking for your best critical thinking, connections, and insights (that is, argument/analysis).

Prompt (Essay Topic Assignment): In a well-organized, fully-developed essay, explain how the literature we have read this year (see list below; you may write about one or more of the texts) can help you answer one or more of the following questions:

Ø  How does society affect individuals?

Ø  How do individuals affect society? 

Ø  What happens when society and individuals have a conflict?

Ø  As individuals, what are our obligations to society? 

Ø  As individuals, when can/should we act out against society?

In your conclusion, please share your personal opinion about what you have learned about individuals and society. 

English 9 Literature:

·         Short stories, including…

o    “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant”

o    “The Scarlet Ibis”

o    “Powder”

·         Lord of the Flies by William Golding

·         The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

·         Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

·         Various poems, essays, articles, et cetera, including…

o     “On Being 17, Bright, and Unable to Read” by David Reynolds

o    “if feeling is first” by e e cummings

o    “I am a Rock” by Simon and Garfunkle

o    “A Noiseless, Patient Spider” by Walt Whitman

·         You may also write about one of your SSR books, as long as you also write about one of the texts we read as a class.

You will be given the above prompt and instructions again with the final.

Notes: (You may want to brainstorm what “society” can mean here, discuss with Mrs. S and classmates…. Or otherwise brainstorm for your essay!)