I. Short Stories
i. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
1. What is Louise Mallard’s illness?
2. Why does she whisper “free, free” after learning of her husband’s death?
3. What is ironic about Mrs. Mallard’s death?
ii. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”
1. How does Emily’s relationship with her father influence her development as a character?
2. In what ways are Emily’s actions foreshadowed in the story?
3. What is the significance of the gray hair found on the pillow at the end of the story?
iii. James Thurber’s “Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
1. What does Walter Mitty fantasize about?
2. Why does Mitty live a fantasy life?
3. In what way is Walter Mitty a typical Thurber character?
iv.Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”
1. Why does Mrs. Crater invite Mr. Shiftlet to stay and work on her place?
2. Why does Mr. Shiftlet marry Mrs. Shiftlet’s daughter?
3. What is ironic about Mr. Shiftlet looking for hitchhikers after leaving Lucynell at the diner?
4. What is ironic about Mr. Shiftlet’s prayer at the end of the story?
II. Poetry – The Harlem Renaissance
i. Background
1. What doe s renaissance mean?
2. What was the Harlem Renaissance?
3. Why did the Harlem Renaissance end?
ii. Langston Hughes’ “I Too Sing America”
1. What lines depict the speaker’s frustration with life in America?
2. What lines indicate the speaker’s hopefulness about the future?
3. What is “eating in the kitchen” a metaphor for?
iii. Langston Hughes’ “Harlem -- A Dream Deferred”
1. In what way have the African Americans in Harlem had their dreams deferred?
2. What are three similes Hughes uses to illustrate the impact of deferring a dream?
3. What does the last line of the poem indicate about the possible result of deferring a dream?
iv.Langston Hughes’ “The Weary Blues”
1. What are three examples of alliteration?
2. What are three examples of assonance?
3. How does Hughes create rhythm in the poem?
v. James Weldon Johnson’s “My City”
1. What does the speaker think he will not miss after death?
2. What does the speaker think he will miss the most after death?
3. What is this poem’s rhyme scheme? What are the first 8 lines called? The second 6 lines? The last 2 lines?
4. Is this an Italian or a Shakespearian sonnet?
vi. Claude McKay’s “America”
1. What are two ways is America personified?
2. What two phrases that suggest America’s cruelty?
3. What are two images that suggest America’s power?
v. Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die”
1. In the poem’s opening lines, to what does the speaker compare racial assaults on blacks?
2. What kind of death does the speaker envision for African Americans?
3. How will the deaths of African Americans affect their tormentors?
III. Novels
i. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1.Give examples of Twain’s use of satire:
a. feuding
b. romantic literature
c. superstition
d. mob mentality/violence
e. hypocrisy
f. greed
2. What does the river symbolize in the novel?
3. What makes this a picaquesesque novel?
4. How has Huck’s conscience been deformed by society?
5. How does Huck resolve his moral conflict regarding Jim?
ii.The Great Gatsby
1. In what ways is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life echoed in his novel?
2. Describe the following characters and their relationships to one another
a.Jay Gatsby
b. Daisy and Tom Buchanan
c. Jordan Baker
d. Nick Carraway
e. Meyer Wolfsheim
f. Myrtle and Tom Wilson
3. What do the following symbols stand for?
a. East and West Egg
b.The Valley of the Ashes
c. The Eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg
d. The Green Light
4. How are the following themes conveyed in the novel?
a. corruption of the American dream
b. reality vs. illusion
c. possessiveness and jealousy
5. What is the significance of the following events in the novel?
a. Daisy and Gatsby’s reunion
b. Gatsby’s party
c. The hotel fight between Tom and Gatsby
d. Myrtle’s death
iii. The Catcher in the Rye
1. Describe the following characters and their relationships to one another
a. Holdeng. Sonny
b. Phoebeh. Maurice
c. D.B.i. Allie
d. Mr. Spencerj. Jane Gallagher
e. Stradlaterk. Mr. Antolini
f. Ackley
2. What do the following symbols stand for?
a. red hunting cap
b. ducks
c. the baseball mitt
d. the museum
e. the catcher in the rye
3. How are the following themes conveyed in the novel?
a. adolescence and the pain of growing up
b. loneliness
c. corruption of innocence
V. Literary Terms:
alliteration metaphor personification symbolforeshadowing
assonance rhythm point of view theme irony
character allusion simile parodystream of consciousness
The test also includes three short answer questions related to The Catcher in the Rye.
Go to my web page to find handouts and power points for everything we have studied this semester.