English 9 Mid-term Exam Review

Exam Format: 1. Multiple Choice – I’ll draw some of theses questions from previous tests. These questions will deal primarily with the basics: literary terms; and basics elements of plot, character, setting. Most of your grammar questions will be in this section. 2. Short Answer – I’ll draw some of these questions from previous tests. Think, too, about how you might compare and contrast certain elements of different works. 3. Quote Identification – I’ll draw some of these quotes from previous tests. If you have a nice understanding of the work itself, you should be able to tell from which work a quote comes. 4. Essay – This will be a “big picture” question, and you’ll need to be able to draw on several of the words we’ve read to answer it. To prepare for this question, think about the connections between works. What do they have in common? Which characters face similar challenges of conflicts?

How I, your teacher and the creator of the exam, would study: 1. Gather all the texts we’ve covered this semester. 2. Look over this review sheet and gather all of the resources listed. 3. Get organized. Start a “Grammar” stack/ folder, a “Bean Trees” stack, etc. 4. Create a basic outline or jot list for each unit. a. I’ve already created a Grammar jot list for you here. b. For each literary work, jot down what you remember first: basic plot points, character names and descriptions, key symbols, etc. 5. Use the resources you’ve gathered to enhance your basic outline. Add important details you may have forgotten, list literary terms associated with each work, etc. 6. Once you feel comfortable with the material, get together with a few classmates to discuss and compare outlines/ jot lists. You’ll probably be able to add to your friends’ outlines and vice versa. 7. See Mrs.Ash with any questions that arise.

Watership Down by Richard Adams Resources: class discussion notes, Hero’s Journey chart, Summer Reading Quiz

Only a small percentage of exam questions will come from Watership Down. Review your Summer Reading Quiz to refamiliarize yourself with the basic elements of the plot, and think about how our first novel relates to the other works we’ve read since then.

Grammar References: Grammar Smart handbook and exercises, online quizzes posted on our class website, class handouts, class discussion notes, Grammar Review Test

Parts of Speech – Know what they are and what they do. (Nouns, for example, name people, places and things; nouns may act as the subject, the direct object, the indirect object, etc.) noun verb adjective adverb pronoun conjunction preposition interjection

Parts of a Sentence – Know what they are and be able to identify them in a given sentence. subject/ verb parts of the predicate direct object indirect object predicate nominative predicate adjective

Phrases – Be able to identify examples of phrase types and to tell what role the phrase is playing in the sentence. (Is it a gerund phrase acting as the subject? A participial phrase modifying the subject?) verbal phrases: 1. infinitive phrases (infinitive = to + verb, infinitive phrase = infinitive + its object) a. may act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs 2. gerund phrases (gerund = ends in -ing, gerund phrase = gerund + its object) a. ALWAYS act as nouns 3. participial phrases (participle = an “incomplete” verb – verb without “had/have” or “is/are”, participial phrase = participle phrase + its object) a. ALWAYS act as adjectives

non-verbal phrases: 1. prepositional phrases (preposition = expresses relationship between words, prepositional phrase = preposition + object) a. may act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs b. common prepositions (This is not a complete list.): as in off to at into on up by like onto with down near out for next over from of past

Clauses – Be able to identify the following clause types. clause = a group of words with both a subject and its verb independent clause = expresses a complete thought and can stand alone dependent clause = does not express a complete thought; cannot stand alone 1. adjective clause 2. adverb clause 3. noun clause

Parallel Structure – Be able to recognize and correct errors in parallel structure.

Major Sentence Errors – Be able to identify and correct the following major errors: 1. subject/ verb agreement 2. pronoun/ antecedent agreement (What’s an antecedent?) 3. sentence fragment 4. comma splice 5. run-on sentence

Short Stories Resources: class discussion notes, class handouts, Short Story Test Review Sheet, Short Story Test

Yes, you should know the author of each story.

“Flowers” by Alice Walker “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver

Be able to identify the basic elements of plot, setting, and character for each story. Review your discussion notes, and see the list of literary terms at the end of this sheet – which ones apply to which story?

Can you express the theme(s) of each story? (The Short Story Review Sheet – posted on the web a few months back – is a great resource. There will be quotes on the test, so review the passages you’ve highlighted.)

A Separate Peace by John Knowles Resources: class discussion notes, class handouts, A Separate Peace reading guide (posted on our class website in October), A Separate Peace Test

Review your discussion notes – which elements of the novel did we focus on in class? What is the theme of A Separate Peace?

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Resources: class discussion notes, class handouts and daily assignments

There is no test to review for Bean Trees, so you’ll need to rely heavily on your notes for this one. Think about the extended metaphor that developed over the course of the book and about the topic of your in-class essay.

MAUS by Art Spiegelman Resources: Scott McCloud packet, class discussion notes, chapter discussion questions

General Literary Terms Resources: class discussion notes, Unit Tests

Be able to define and discuss the following literary terms as they apply to a given work. allusion exposition metaphor situational irony antagonist extended metaphor mood static character bleed falling action motif symbol climax first-person P.O.V. panel theme conflict (4 types) flashback paradox third-person limited connotation foreshadowing protagonist third-person omniscient denotation gutter resolution verbal irony dramatic irony icon rising action dynamic character imagery setting