English 9 Study Guide
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.