State Test Prep – English II
First and foremost, you got this. I’m proud of you, and I know you are going to do great. Take a deep breath and just look over the guide and examples.
Terms
· Subjective - opinions
· Objective – facts
· Paraphrase – write in your own words
· Synopsis – summary
· Infer – read in between the lines; take what you read and come up with a logical theory that could hypothetically be supported by the text
· Formulate – make a plan
· Summary – restate exactly what the text is about but in a shorter version
· Analyze – break down to its simplest form; what is the author trying to convey; you MUST be able to read in between the lines
· Symbolize – represents
· Illustrate – demonstrates/shows
· Imply - suggest
· Synthesize – take what you learned, take what you know; then develop a new project/idea
Writing
Tips for Persuasive and Analytical
· Only write in 3rd person – no me, my, you, I, we; 3rd is considered formal writing
· If you can cut out words, do so; you don’t want to be redundant or boring
· Longer words aren’t necessarily always the best; if you aren’t sure what a word means, don’t use it.
· Explain thoroughly – this is probably the most important part; don’t skimp out. Show them what you are made of…in writing.
· Use a variety of sentence types
· PLAN, PLAN, PLAN your writing - spend five minutes devising a plan; I suggest you go ahead and write your thesis and choose the evidence you want to use
· ALWAYS use an author’s last name; you are not on first name basis with the author…especially if he’s dead
· Underline BIG works: books, albums, magazines, etc.
· Put small works in “quotation marks”: articles, chapter in books, songs, etc.
· Citing: direct quote or paraphrase
o Direct quote – use quotations and include line, page, or paragraph number at the end: “The patrols did not matter, however. Only the Thought Police mattered” (6).
o Paraphrase – write in your own words; you MUST include the line, paragraph, or page number at the end of the sentence: In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston is more concerned about Thought Police than the patrols (6).
· Tips for conclusions
o Include a brief summary of the paper's main points
o Ask a provocative question
o Use a quotation
o Evoke a vivid image
o Call for some sort of action
o End with a warning
o Universalize (compare to other situations)
o Suggest results or consequences
Persuasive Writing – Arguing for or against a question or statement; picking a side (subjective)
· Introduction with thesis (4-5 sentences)
o Be sure to start with a lead-in sentence and a few other sentences. End with thesis which is where you can restate the prompt and your reasons
· Body (6-7 sentences for EACH paragraph)
o Restate reason
o Transition/introduce evidence
o Use evidence from text – quote directly or paraphrase; REMEMBER to include page, line, or paragraph number
o Explain – HOW does the evidence connect back to your reason?
· ******Counterclaim (1-3 Sentences)
o Most likely the evaluators WILL be looking for a counterclaim since it’s a 10th grade standard
o Insert a counterclaim that acknowledges the other side of the issue; you MUST refute the statement to reinforce your original claim.
· Conclusion (3-4 sentences)
o In a somewhat new way, restate your originally thesis; don’t be redundant
o Leave the reader with a final thought. Remember you want your essay to stand out and be remembered.
Analytical/Information/Explanatory Writing – breaking down the text and reading between the lines: inferring (do NOT use anything that cannot be supported; you can’t make up facts; you are NOT picking a side
· Introduction with thesis (4-5 sentences)
o Be sure to start with a lead-in sentence and a few other sentences. End with thesis which is where you can restate the prompt and your reasons
· Body (6-7 sentences)
o Restate reason
o Transition/introduce evidence
o Use evidence from text – quote directly or paraphrase; REMEMBER to include page, line, or paragraph number
o Explain – HOW does the evidence connect back to your reason?
· Conclusion (3-4 sentences)
o In a somewhat new way, restate your originally thesis; don’t be redundant
o Leave the reader with a final thought. Remember you want your essay to stand out and be remembered.
Narrative – tells a story
Tips for a narrative
· There are a few ways to begin a narrative:
o At the beginning of the story
o In the middle of the story – drop it right in the action
o At the end where you use a flashback: start with present; go to past
· Use imagery/descriptive language/sensory details
· Use dialogue
· Use a variety of sentence types
· 1st and 3rd CAN be used
· Be SURE to use transitions! Otherwise, the reader will not be able to follow your thoughts
· Instead of writing for a longer period of time, just write about an event that happened in a short times span like ten minutes. By focusing on a shorter time span, you stay focused, and it’s easier to write about.
Skills
· Making Inferences
· Author’s Purpose
· Point of view: 1st, 2nd, 3rd (objective, limited, and omniscient)
· Tone
· Mood
· Selecting evidence to support claims
· Vocabulary – determining words in context
· Characterization – indirect and direct
· Theme
· Main/Central ideas
· Reading rigorous/complex/college-level texts: narrative, informational
· Comparing/Contrast different types of mediums: play vs. story, image vs. story, etc.
· Parallelism
Þ Sample from Questar: https://ms-practice.nextera.questarai.com/student/Webclient/wwwroot/Mississippi/documents/printedTest/MS1604_EngII_Sampler.pdf
Þ Or you can Google MS State Test English II Questar
Þ Examples for citing and quoting: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/
Þ Sample essays; scroll down until you see English II: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/student-assessment/ms_writing_teacher_guide.pdf?sfvrsn=2