Final Exam Study Guide English 9 Spring 2013

Final Exam Study Guide—English 9 Spring 2013

Test Type: pencil/pen and paper only; no laptop, closed notes, closed neighbor ;-) Materials needed: two pens or pencils, eraser or white-out Test Date: 8:30 to 10:30 on Friday, May 31 in the AISG gym (be there 15 min early) Length of the Test: you have up to 2 hours, but you may leave after 90 minutes Value of the Final Exam: 20% of your overall semester grade Format of the Test:

1. Part One—Vocab (30%): Fill in the blank with the correct word from units 7 to 12. In some cases, you will need to modify the word in order for it to fit grammatically into the sentence. There will be a word bank provided. 2. Part Two—Quotation Analysis (i.e. mini-commentary) (30%): You will be given six short passages, three from Antigone and three from Romeo & Juliet. You will have to choose three of these passages, and for each passage write a well-developed paragraph where you discuss the significance of the quotation, the context in which it appears, the type of language and/or figurative devices used, AND how it relates to larger themes in the play as a whole and/or contributes to character development. 3. Part Four—Essay (40%): Choose one essay prompt out of the four you are given. Choose the one that you are most interested in and do your pre-writing before the final exam. You may brainstorm, conduct research, find support from the play or the Internet, write an outline, or even write a first draft beforehand; however, you will not be able to bring with you or use any of your pre-writing notes, outlines, or drafts during the final exam. We expect your final exam essay to be polished and persuasive. We will use a modified WrAP rubric to evaluate the overall quality of your essay. (find the prompts located on page two of this study guide) Resources to help you study for the test: 1. Antigone play: Two etexts of the play are still available on Moodle, the first one “Antigone E- text” is the same version as the book we used in class. The second, “Antigone Etext- Traditional Structure” organizes the play into its original parts: prologue, parados, scenes (with their elements), paean, and exodos. 2. Your notes from the mini-lecture on Antigone and Greek Drama 3. The play Romeo and Juliet (Note: Mr. Webster will collect your Romeo & Juliet books on the day of the final exam)

What skills the Final Exam is assessing: 1. Vocabulary usage: your ability to use a particular word from units 7-12 in a specific sentence. To do this, you need to know the following elements of each word: its definition; its part of speech along with any additional grammatical information like whether it’s transitive/intransitive or countable/uncountable; any connotations it has; and any collocations that often accompany the word (e.g. “grand” in grand larceny, biased “against”, etc.)  Reading comprehension: your ability to read and understand a passage from a text  Literary Analysis: your ability to identify and explain the use of plot devices and figurative devices found in a passage  Writing: your ability to write well-formed and organized sentences, paragraphs, and even an essay using Standard English grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.  Essay Writing: How to organize and write an effective essay that has the following components: 1) an introduction that grabs the reader’s attention, introduces the topic, and ends with a thesis statement; 2) has two to four body paragraphs that are not only logically sequenced but also state their main points in topic sentences and use convincing evidence from the text (and may even include a refutation depending on which type of essay you choose to

Mr. Webster Spring 2013 AISG Final Exam Study Guide—English 9 Spring 2013

write on); and 3) ends with an effective conclusion that restates the thesis statement, summarizes your main points, and leaves the reader with something to think about.

What you should know from Greek Drama & Antigone: 1. The story of Oedipus Rex (along with the Riddle of the Sphinx) 2. What happened immediately before the beginning of the play Antigone 3. The basic bio of Sophocles 4. The setting, plot, and characters in Antigone 5. The character flaws of Creon and Antigone (i.e. hamartia) 6. the traditional structure of a Greek tragedy, which divides the play into five parts: 1) Prologue, 2) Parados, 3) Scenes (each ending with a choral Ode that is comprised of strophe, antistrophe, and epode), 4) Paean, and 5) Exodos. 7. Important terms: catharsis, hubris, hamartia, peripeteia, stichomythia 8. Be able to identify and write about important quotations from the play: the significance of the quotation, the context in which it appears, the type of language and/or figurative devices used, AND how it relates to larger themes in the play as a whole and/or contributes to character development. 9. The important moral lessons found in the play.

What you should know about Romeo and Juliet: 1. A basic biography of William Shakespeare 2. A basic understanding of Elizabethan drama and theater as it existed in the time of Shakespeare 3. Know approximately what year Shakespeare wrote and performed R&J 4. The plot, setting, and characters of Romeo & Juliet 5. Know the structure of a sonnet: its rhyme scheme, meter, and how its organized 6. Be familiar with the language and meaning of three sonnets in R & J: the Act I prologue, the sonnet in I.v when Romeo and Juliet first meet, the Act II prologue 7. Be able to identify the three types of language that Shakespeare used when writing R&J (blank verse, verse, and prose) AND explain why and when each type is used 8. Be able to define and identify iambic pentameter meter 9. Be able to define and identify the following terms being used: sonnet, metaphor, simile, personification, pun, extended metaphor, oxymoron, malapropism, equivocation, foreshadowing, dramatic irony 10. Be able to identify and write about important quotations from the play: the significance of the quotation, the context in which it appears, the type of language and/or figurative devices used, AND how it relates to larger themes in the play as a whole and/or contributes to character development. 11. Be able to discuss and identify these opposites that occur in R&J: darkness & light; old vs young. 12. Be able to identify and describe how Shakespeare incorporates comedy in R&J and what purpose it serves.

ESSAY PROMPTS: (Reminder: You will write on only one essay prompt on the final exam.) Antigone: 1. Analyze either Creon or Antigone as a tragic figure. 2. In his heated debate with Haemon, King Creon makes this controversial statement: “I am king, and accountable only to myself...why does not every state belong to its ruler?” Argue for or against this statement, connecting your argument to the events in Antigone, but you should also discuss it as it relates to modern society. Some suggested sources to help you do this are provided here: www.judicialwatch.org, www.ombwatch.org, www.whistleblower.org

Mr. Webster Spring 2013 AISG Final Exam Study Guide—English 9 Spring 2013

R&J: 3. Though primarily a tragedy, R&J contains a great deal of comedy. Analyze the use of comedy in the play and explain what it adds to the story. 4. Argue for or against the following statement, supporting your answer by referring to specific events in the play: The blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet ultimately rests with Friar Lawrence.

Mr. Webster Spring 2013 AISG