English 9 Study Guide

December 2010

PART 1—Multiple-choice questions of concepts and works studied during 1st semester

Literary/Poetic Terminology

Indirect characterization

Mood

Protagonists

Foreshadow

Direct characterization

Setting

Suspense

Simile

Tone

Theme (directly stated, implied, universal)

Symbol

Pun

Allegory

Flashback

Inference

Imagery

Metaphor

Point of view (see Narrator)

1st person

3rd person limited

3rd person omniscient

Irony

Situational irony

Conflict (4 types)

Literal vs. figurative meanings

Plot line (6 parts) Voice

Diction

Reading Selections

“The Most Dangerous Game”

“Cask of Amontillado”

“The Birds”

“Checkouts”

“The Interlopers”

“The Gift of the Magi”

“The Necklace”

“The Red-Headed League”

Touching Spirit Bear

Writing/Grammar Skills

Sentence structure

Sentence fluency

Fragments and run-ons

Recognizing errors

Commas

Semicolons

Quotes vs. Underlining

Capitalization

Parts of Speech

Context clues

Author’s purpose

Essay Writing

  • 5-paragraph essay structure, terms, and requirements (see POWERPOINT)
  • Introduction—attention getter, bridge, thesis (formula for thesis, writing one)
  • Body paragraphs—topic sentences, support, concluding sentences
  • Conclusion—restated thesis, brief summary of ideas, extension of thought (real world or “zinger”)
  • MLA formatting and style
  • Creating an MLA outline (Roman numerals to capital letters to Arabic numbers to lowercase letters, spacing, alignment, etc.)

Vocabulary—All words from quarters 1 and 2 are fair game.

  • Definitions
  • Correct usage in sentences/paragraph

PART 2—Application of concepts learned to an unfamiliar text

Critical Reading

You will read a brief selection and answer grade-level appropriate questions about the text that incorporate the literary analysis skills that we have developed during the first semester.

PART 3—Application of knowledge of essay components to an unfamiliar prompt

-- Application of writing skills

Writing Section

You will write a 5-paragraph essay using 3 reasons to support your thesis statement. You will not know your prompt ahead of time, but it will be a prompt about one of the stories we read in our short story unit. Your first step will be to write a thesis statement. The rest of your essay must prove your thesis. Your essay will have 5 paragraphs and incorporate all concepts of a 5-paragraph essay.

Example prompt: Discuss three short stories in which the author uses the literary device of suspense and to what purpose each author uses it in his/her story.

*Be sure to dedicate a paragraph to each short story and its example of suspense.