English II, Academic Fall Final Exam Review 2014
My final exam in English II is on ______
Bring the following items to your English II Final Exam:
1. 2-3 pencils with good erasers
2. A book or magazine to read after the exam
3. Study materials for other final exams to study after the exam
DO NOT BRING your CELL PHONE or OTHER ELECTRONICS to the final!
Your final exam in English II will cover all of the material from the first semester and be a skills-based exam where the reading passages will be new, but you will apply the skills you have developed all semester to answer the multiple-choice questions.
Listed below are the skills you’ve learned, practiced and will be tested on for your final exam:
1. Close and critical reading of a text – annotation, making intellectual inferences about a work based on clues in the text and developing thematic statements and conclusions about a text.
2. Identifying and interpreting archetypes found in major works of literature including myths, epic poems and Greek dramas/tragedies.
3. Identifying and interpreting characterization, symbolism and metaphors in major works of literature including myths, epic poems and Greek dramas/tragedies.
4. Using an elevated vocabulary and using context clues to determine meaning – identifying prefixes and suffixes, effective use of a dictionary, and identifying Greek and Latin roots of words.
5. Writing an effective thesis statement – answering the question and prompt directly, putting your thesis in the form of a statement and eliminating first person pronouns from your writing
6. Writing effective topic sentences – each topic sentence relates to a specific element of your thesis statement and is stated without the use of first person pronouns.
7. Using specific and relevant examples to prove your thesis – utilizing your knowledge from history and other subjects to formulate a wide range of examples to solidify your thesis statement in an essay, considering what examples are most effective and not just easiest to use in a persuasive and analytical essay.
8. Writing a concise yet thorough thematic statement – an effective thematic statement is one sentence that conveys the universal message of a major work of literature without using any names from the text or the author’s name in the statement itself.
Turn this page over to review a specific list of items to review and study for your final exam à
At a minimum, you should study the following items:
1. Archetypes Notes (1st six weeks)
a. Identify and be able to recognize Archetypes in Gilgamesh, Antigone and Oedipus Rex
2. Review the Greek myths of “Persephone”, “Pandora” and “Prometheus” (2nd six weeks)
a. You may Google these online (they’re free and in public domain to have and print)
b. You can come and borrow a copy of the purple book from my classroom, if you’d like
3. Review The Epic of Gilgamesh -- Notes, handouts, assignments, quizzes, etc. (2nd six weeks)
a. Study characters, locations, motifs and background information
b. Study archetypes in Gilgamesh as well as thematic concepts
4. Prefixes (the most recent set); “a-“, “ad-“ and “ab-“, “ante-“
a. Know the multiple meanings of each prefix.
5. Study the uses for colons, semicolons and apostrophes (1st-3rd six weeks)
a. Review all of your warm-ups from the semester; refer the rules at the top of each.
6. Review Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (3rd six weeks)
a. Know the characters, tragic flaws of Oedipus, plot and thematic concepts.
7. Review Antigone by Sophocles (3rd six weeks)
a. Know the characters, tragic flaws of Antigone and Creon, plot, thematic concepts, etc.
8. New passages and genres you will see are:
a. A non-fiction article and a short expository passage
b. An excerpt from a fictional work of literature
c. A political cartoon
Helpful hints for studying for final exams!
1. Be sure to review any and all items in your English binder!
2. Start studying EARLY! Don’t wait until the night before!
3. It is a COMPLETELY ERRONEOUS assumption that you do not have to study for an English final exam because…YOU DO!
4. Study with friends and learn from each other’s interpretation of the major works of literature.
5. Arrive early – study your notes
6. Eat breakfast – no lunch break on final exam days!
7. Bring water and a snack to eat between final exams!
8. Get PLENTY of sleep the night before!