Literature Mid-Term Review (7Th Grade)

Literature Mid-Term Review (7th Grade)

The literary works you need to be familiar with have all been read in class; if you were absent, it is your responsibility to read these short pieces. Be able to discuss them intelligently. For example, if you try to tell me that The Moustache is about a man who is trying to disguise himself, I will know that you have not read the story. You must also be able to answer questions about your summer reading novel, Call of the Wild, by Jack London.

For the novels and short stories, just be able to identify literary concepts in passages that are excerpted from the texts. For example, if I ask what “dead as a doornail” (A Christmas Carol) means, you might reply that it is a simile (or an idiomatic expression) and that it refers to Jacob Marley. If I ask what the color “red” symbolizes in The Giver, you must be able to make an assertion and support it reasonably (i.e., discuss that Fiona’s hair was red, that it was the first color Jonas saw, etc…).

Short Story/Drama Characters/Ideas to Know

The Moustache (Cormier) Mike, Grandmother, symbols, theme

The Treasure of Lemon Brown (Myers) Lemon Brown, Greg Ridley, symbols, mood, theme

Old Man at the Bridge (Hemingway) The old man  (mood, tone)

Upon the Waters (Greenberg) Cephas Ribble (protagonist), mood, tone

The Tell-Tale Heart (Poe) Narrator (the madman), mood, tone

Rain, Rain, Go Away (Asimov) Lillian and George Wright, son Tommie Mr. and Mrs. Sakkaro, son (aliens), plot

Nonfiction

A Celebration of Grandfathers (Anaya) Understand narrator, metaphors, theme

Call of the Wild (London) Comprehension, literary devices, theme The Giver (Lowry) Theme, literary devices, symbols A Christmas Carol (Dickens) Read and mark 3Ds, be able to identify literary devices (Staves I and II only) Literary Terms

Alliteration: repeated consonant sounds Example: he was long, low, lean and lank

Allusion: a reference to something else Example: Dickens uses biblical passages in his works

Characterization: how a character is developed Example: description, dialogue or deeds (behavior)

Connotation: the “sense” or secondary meaning Example: he got owned on the court

Context: the situation that gives meaning to a quote Example: he broke the vase and yelled “Oh, no!”

Denotation: the literal meaning of a term Example: she owned a black Mercedes

Flashback: going back in time Example: The Giver remembers his daughter

Foreshadowing: clues about what will happen Example: Scrooge sees Marley’s face on the door knob

Hyperbole: extreme exaggeration Example: so thirsty he could drink an ocean

Idiom: a “strange” cultural expression Example: dead as a doornail (also a simile)

Imagery: language that appeals to the senses Example: touch, taste, smell, sight, sound

Inference: reasonable interpretation of details/clues Example: black, four-legged, purrs (inference: a cat)

Metaphor: comparison between two unlike things Example: Night is a black hound hunting the stars

Mood: the feeling you get when reading a story Example: frightening, humorous, sad, motivational

Plot: beginning, middle, end (setting, rising action, climax, resolution) Example: the basic story

Setting: time and place in which story occurs Example: 19th century London

Simile: direct comparison between two unlike things using “LIKE” or “AS” Example: she’s as sweet as a sugar cube

Symbol: a person/place/thing that suggests an additional meaning Example: Marley’s chains represent his greed

Theme: the main idea or meaning of a story Example: Generosity is important (always a statement)

Tone: the author’s attitude Example: sarcastic, bitter, humorous, angry, ironic