War & Literature Final Examination InformationJune 2011
When and where will I take the exam?
You will take the War & Literature exam on _Tuesday, June 14__, Bring a #2 pencil and blue/black ink pens.
Time: 10:30AM-12:30PM
Period 2will meet in ___115__.
Period 4 will meet in __ 116____.
Period 8 will meet in ___118___ .
The exam period will be 100 minutes, and the exam grade will count toward 20% of your semester grade. You may not leave early. Please bring something to read- a book, magazine etc., in case you finish early. You may not listen to music or leave the testing room until the test is over and the proctor dismisses you.
What does the exam consist of?
1 essay (65 points)
35 multiple choice questions (35 points total). The questions will be derived from readings on the exam—2 poems and 1 short story.
ESSAY
During the exam period, you will need to write one essay. You will choose from four questions. The questions will relate to one of the following areas of interest:
- Discuss the short story on the exam in terms of its conflict, or crisis, and/or character development.
- Discuss an essential question of this course. You will need to address this question by drawing upon evidence and examples from at least two pieces of literature we studied over the semester, one being a work on the final exam. The other may include any poems, stories, films or plays you read or viewed.
Essay Writing Guidelines/Reminders:
Avoid using first-person voice (no “I” or “me”)
Write for a general audience of educated readers, not just for your teacher.
Your essay should contain a clear, specific, arguable thesis statement.
Body paragraphs should begin with points in support of your thesis.
Weave in quotations and examples in various and effective ways.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
For the poetry-related questions, most questions will direct you to a specific part of the poem, and ask you to interpret the theme or underlying meaning. Some of the question stems will ask you to:
Infer meaning/theme
Focus on how the title and/or epigraph adds to the piece
Identify figurative devices
Infer the time frame/setting for the poem
Infer to whom the speaker addresses the poem
Identify the structure of the poem
For the short story, the questions will judge whether you have adequately comprehended the events/plot and arrive at an overall theme. Some of the question stems will ask you to:
Infer the setting (time and place) of the story from the details provided
Define a word or a phrase in context
Infer meaning/theme
How can I study for this exam?
- To prepare for the exam, you should review your notes from this semester, along with evaluations (tests, quizzes, essays and so on). You will need to be fairly specific in naming works, characters, plots, artistic movements, etc. This review will allow you to call to mind what we’ve covered in class as well as your personal performance on evaluations. Considering both of these aspects is essential for your exam preparation.
- Complete additional practice exercises:Review literary terms. You may need to identify them in a poem and understand how they work/why they are effective.
- Make sure that you consider your timed writing skills and performance. Spend time planning before you begin writing. In your essay state your direct and specific answer to the essay question. Maintain that focus throughout your essay, as you support your thesis with specific points and references to the literary works under discussion. End with a conclusion in which you re-assert your thesis.
Which texts or filmshave we read or viewed this semester? Let’s make a list here:
Text / Themes/Messages we discussed along with this text:LITERARY TERMS
TERM / DEFINITION / Example
alliteration / The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables
consonance / The repetition two or more consonants in a series of words/line of poetry
assonance / The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, especially in stressed syllables- in a sequence of nearby words.
onomatopoeia / Words that sound like their meanings; words that give sound effects
imagery / All the objects and qualities of sense perception referred to in literature. Imagery is any poetic reference or language to the five senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste). Essentially, imagery is a group of words that create a mental image.
metaphor / Comparing two things by using one kind of object or using in place of another to suggest the likeness between them.
simile / A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as
hyperbole / Extreme exaggeration or overstatement; intentional exaggeration to create an effect.
personification / Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, the unseen author of things
apostrophe / A figure of speech wherein the speaker speaks directly to something nonhuman, or the direct address of a person or personified thing, either present or absent.
irony / 1) Situational/universal irony occurs when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate
2) Verbal Irony occurs when the meaning the speaker implies differs sharply from the meaning that is outwardly expressed.
paradox / A statement which seems on its face to be self-contradictory or absurd yet turns out to make good sense.
mood / The emotional tone of a section of or the whole of a literary work.
tone / The expression of a literary speaker's attitude to his/her listener (another character or the reader).
satire / The literary art of criticizing subject by making it ridiculous and evoking toward it attitudes of amusement, contempt, scorn, or indignation. Satire "derides"; it uses laughter as a weapon.
symbol / In terms of literature, a symbol is a word or phrase that signifies something, or has a meaning beyond its "surface" meaning.
epigraph / A phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component.
structure / Very generally, the form or patterns of a literary work.
narration / Point of view from which the story or poem is told; for example, first-person narration (“I”voice) and third-person.
stanza / A grouping of verse lines in a poem, set off by a space in the printed text.
quatrain / A four-line stanza (the most common English versification)
free verse / Poetry that has no rules whatsoever. The lines are irregular and may or may not rhyme. Instead of fitting content to form, the poet allows content to shape the form, changing line length and meter to emphasize words and sounds.
sonnet / a lyric poem consisting of a single stanza of 14 iambic pentameter lines linked by an intricate rhyme scheme.