Study Guide for Midterm 9Th Grade Literature
Study Guide for 9th Grade Literature
Winter, 2014
1. (ELA9-10RL1 and RI1) Cite strong textual evidence to support your claim.
● Give specific details from the story to answer the question.
● If I have to prove that Montresor was plotting to kill Fortunato, I would use quotes from the story that supports these things: Fortunato insulted Montresor, Montresor vowed revenge, Montresor tricks Fortunato, Fortunato goes into the catacombs
● The reader first begins to understand Montresor’s plot against Fortunato because he states, “he had no idea that my smile was at the thought of his immolation.” (EXAMPLE)
2. (ELA9-10RL2 and RI2) Determine the theme of a literary work.
● Underlying or hidden meaning in a piece of literature
● Connect the dots…this happened…so this happened…so this happened…to teach me______.
● Theme helps to teach a lesson, find a meaning etc...
3. (ELA9-10RL3 and RI3) Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of time.
● How did Odysseus change from the beginning of the story to the end?
● By the end of the story, Odysseus has to put his pride on a shelf to be victorious in the end.
● Doodle’s brother changes by the end of the story. He starts off wishing his brother was normal and ends up very upset that he dies.
● Eleizer has an incredibly strong faith in God in the beginning of Night and then by the end, he is questioning God and his beliefs in him.
4. (ELA9-10RL4 and RI4) Determine the meaning of phrases or words in context.
● Connotation (context clues) and
● Denotation(dictionary definition)
● Words mean different things in different settings (you must be able to read and understand the meaning of the word based on the information surrounding the word(s).
5. (ELA9-10RL5 and RI5) Analyze how an author’s choices determine the shape of a work.
● Why did they do what they did?
● Setting, Point of View, Characters
● What kind of work (genre)? Poem, short story, novel, play
● Diction and dialogue
● Style, Syntax
6. (ELA9-10RL6) Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience in a literary work.
● First person (“I”)
● 3rd person- limited (only personal thoughts of one character), omniscient (all characters thoughts)
● (Example) The book Night is written in first person. Would you have had a different experience with the memoir if it had not been written in 1st person? How would it have changed the dynamics of the story?
7. (ELA9-10L1) Demonstrates command of the English language when written or spoken:
● Parallel Structure
o When writing a sentence, it is imperative for all actions to match….
▪ (Example) I am going to the store, to the gym, and to the gas-station.
● Incorrect: I am going to the store, gym, and to get gas.
▪ (Example) Marty is a good employee because he greets customers, arrives on time, and dresses appropriately.
o (Incorrect) Marty is a good employee because he always greets customers, he gets to work on time, and dresses nicely.
8. (ELA9-10L2) Demonstrates command of the English language in punctuation, capitalization, spelling etc…
● Spells correctly
9. (ELA9-10L4) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases.
● Overall meaning of a sentence or word (connotation and denotation).
10. (ELA9-10W1) Writes arguments to support claims
● Your writing support Brother or Doodle (court-room scene)
11. (ELA9-10W2) Writes informative/explanatory texts
● Who is Mrs. Davis? (shoes)
● Your Brown-Bag about you.
● Explanations about pieces we have read.
● Questions answered about your reading assignments.
12. (ELA9-10W3) Writes narratives to develop real or imagined pieces using sequence of events, good tone, and exceptional details to support writing.
● Endings to your short-stories
● Short stories, or Six-Word Memoirs, Writing to Elie Wiesel
Questions you need to be familiar with:
● What is an epic?
○ What makes it an epic? Epic hero, muses, begins with an invocation (prayer)
○ Long narrative poem….about gods, goddesses and heroes….there is a tragic-flaw in the epic hero.
○ The epic hero has a need to get home, and take care of things
● What is a myth?
○ a story that explains a natural phenomenon.
● What is a memoir?
○ A “Slice of life” (short section of someone’s life to tell a story about them…
○ Elie Wiesel changes his father’s name.
■ You read Night.
● What makes something a short story?
○ They are always FICTION!
● Figurative Language:
○ Metaphors, Similes, Hyperboles, Personification
● Plot Structure:
○ Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution
● Theme (how to determine it)
● Denotation (Dictionary definition) and Connotation (context clues to tell you the meaning of a word)
● MLA Citations
○ Alphabetical Order (by author or title if there is not an author), Title is in ITALICS, you need to say whether it came from print or web, double-spaced, the second line is indented,