Name: Teacher: MOUNT PEARL SENIOR HIGH English 1201 Study Guide and Practice Final Exam (2016-17) SECTION I: Media Text (6 marks) QUESTION TYPE # OF QUES. VALUE Selected Response N/A N/A Constructed Response 1 6 marks To prepare for the visual section of your exam, you should be familiar with: Various DESIGN ELEMENTS Various PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES The types of questions you could be asked will likely focus on: How PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES or ELEMENTS OF DESIGN reveal MESSAGE, AUDIENCE, or PURPOSE SAMPLE MEDIA TEXT: CAPTION: A rise of 4 degrees C is enough to change the face of our planet. Join the energy revolution. Fight climate change. PART A: Constructed Response (6 marks) 1. What message is being communicated by this advertisement? Reference TWO persuasive strategies that are used to communicate this message. 2. What is the purpose of this advertisement? Explain with reference to TWO design elements. Note that will you NOT have any choice with regards to the question you respond to on the final exam. The choice here is to indicate what questions you could potentially be asked.
SECTION II: Prose (19 marks) QUESTION TYPE # OF QUES. VALUE Selected Response 7 7 marks Constructed Response 2 12 marks To prepare for the prose section of your exam, you should be familiar with ALL short story terms and ALL essay terms provided at the beginning of the unit. These terms can be accessed through Ms. Hammond s website if you are unable to locate the original handout. The types of questions you could be asked will depend on whether you are responding to a short story or an essay. If you are responding to a short story How has a character been developed through: What that character looks like? What that character says or does? What that character thinks or feels? What other people say about that character? What is the main conflict in this story? What function do various elements serve in supporting your understanding of the story? How effectively are they used? Flashback Foreshadowing Imagery (auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, visual) Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic) Point of view (first, second, third limited / omniscient) Symbolism What is the significance of the title? What is the central theme of the story? How is suspense created in this story? What is the mood of the story? What is the tone of the speaker? If you are responding to an essay What is the thesis of this essay? What main arguments support the thesis of this essay? What methods have been used to introduce this essay? What methods have been used to develop this essay? What methods have been used to conclude this essay? Who is the target audience of this essay? What is the purpose of this essay? What is the style of this essay? How have key points been emphasized within this essay? How is coherence achieved in this essay? How is unity achieved in this essay? PLEASE NOTE that these are not meant to be exhaustive lists; just examples of questions you could get. SAMPLE SHORT STORY/ QUESTIONS: Grace Period by Will Baker You notice first a difference in the quality of space. The sunlight is still golden through the dust hanging in the driveway, where your wife pulled out a few minutes ago in the Celica on a run to the mailbox, and the sky is still a regular blue, but it feels as if for an instant everything stretched just slightly, a few millimeters then contracted again. 1 You shut off the electric hedge trimmers, thinking maybe vibration is affecting your inner ear. Then you are aware that the dog is whining from under the porch. On the other hand you don t head a single bird song. A semi shifts down with a long back trap of exhaust on the state highway a quarter mile away. A few inches above one horizon an invisible jet is drawing a thin white line across the sky. 2 You are about to turn the trimmers on again when you the startling sense that the earth under your feet has taken on a charge. It is not quite a trembling, but something like the deep throb of a very large dynamo at a great distance. Simultaneously there is a fluctuation of light, a tiny pulse, coming from behind the hills. In a moment another, and then another. Again and more strongly you have the absurd sense that everything inflates for a moment, then shrinks. 3 Your heart strikes you in the chest then, and you think instantly aneurysm! You are 135 over 80, and should have had a checkup two months ago. But no, the dog is howling now, and he s not alone. The neighbour s black lab is also in full cry, and in the distance a dozen others have begun yammering. 4 You stride into the house, not hurrying but not dawdling either, and punch in the number of a friend who lives in the city on the other side of the hils, the county seat. After the tone dance a long pause, then a busy signal. You consider for a moment, then dial the local volunteer fire chief, whom you know. Also busy. 5 Stretching the twenty-foot cord, you peer out the window. This time the pulse is unmistakable, a definite brightening of the sky to the west, and along with it a timber somewhere in the house creaks. You punch the Sheriff. Busy. Highway Patrol. Busy. 911. Busy. A recorded voice erupts, strident and edged with static, telling you all circuits are busy. 6 You look outside again and now there is a faint shimmering in the air. One the windowsill outside, against the glass, a few flakes of ash have settled. KVTX. Busy. The Courier. Busy. On some inexplicable frantic whim you dial out of state, to your father-in-law (Where is your wife, she should have the mail by now?) who happens to be a professor of geology on a distinguished faculty. The ringing signal this time. Once. Twice. Three times. A click. 7
Physical plant. 8 Doctor Abendsachs, you babble, you wanted Doctor Abendsachs. 9 This is physical plant, buddy. We can t connect you here. 10 What s going on, you should, what is happening with the atmosphere 11 He doesn t know. They are in a windowless basement. Everything fine there. It s lunchtime and they are making up the weekly football pool. 12 It is snowing lightly now outside, on the driveway and lawn and garage. You can see your clippers proper pathetically against the hedge. Once more, at top speed, you punch your father-in-law s number. Again a ringing. A click. 13 This time a recording tells you that all operators are busy and your call will be answered by the first available. The voice track ends and a burst of music begins. It is a large studio orchestra, heavy on violins, playing a version of Hard Day s Night. At the point where the lyrics would sleeping like a log, the sound skips, wobbles, and skips again as if an oldfashioned needle has been bumped from a record groove. 14 You look out the window once more, as the house begins to shudder, and see that it is growing brighter and brighter and brighter. 15 PART A: Selected Response (7 marks) 1. From what point of view is this story told? A. First person B. Second person C. Third person limited D. Third person omniscient 2. Which of the following is the most likely explanation of the event described in the story? A. Earthquake B. Forest fire C. Hurricane D. Nuclear explosion 3. What emphatic device is used in the lines, You punch the Sheriff. Busy. Highway Patrol. Busy. 911. Busy (6)? A. Punctuation marks B. Repetition C. Rhetorical questions D. Sentence brevity 4. The protagonist is described as [striding] into the house, not hurrying but not dawdling either (5). What does this seem to suggest about his emotional state? A. He is concerned but tries to remain calm B. He is oblivious and continues going about his normal routine C. He is not bothered and easily maintains his composure D. He is panic-stricken and makes no effort to hide his distress 5. What figurative device has been used in the line, A few inches above one horizon an invisible jet is drawing a thin white line across the sky? (2) A. Allusion B. Hyperbole C. Irony D. Personification 6. What is the best meaning of the bolded word in the following line: A recorded voice erupts, strident and edged with static, telling you all circuits are busy (6)? A. Calm B. Faint C. Loud D. Shrill
7. What emphatic device is used in the line, You look out the window once more, as the house begins to shudder, and see that it is growing brighter and brighter and brighter (15)? A. Parallel Structure B. Repetition C. Rhetorical questions D. Sentence fragments PART B: Constructed Response (12 marks) 1. What is the significance of the title? Explain with TWO specific references to the text. 2. What mood is created in this short story? Explain with TWO specific references to the text. 3. Locate one strong example of figurative language used in this short story. Explain what two things are being compared, how they are alike, and how this comparison is effective. 4. What central theme is developed throughout this short story? Explain your choice with TWO specific references to the text. PLEASE NOTE that while questions focusing on point of view, imagery, conflict and suspense would also be appropriate for this story, these particular elements will be discussed within the analytical essay. SECTION III: Analytical Essay (20 marks) This essay will require you to analyze the prose piece that appears on your exam. For this practice exam, that piece would be the short story titled Grace Period by Will Baker. The nature of this essay will be very similar to the essays you ve already written on The Giver and To Kill a Mockingbird; you will need to discuss how THREE narrative elements function to develop a FOURTH narrative element. To prepare for this essay, you should be familiar with a variety of different literary elements, including: allegory genre relationships / consequences author s purpose imagery satire character / characterization irony 1 setting conflict 2 juxtaposition stereotypes / bias diction language style 3 subplot dialogue methods of development suspense emphasis 4 methods of introduction / conclusion symbolism epiphany mood theme figurative language 5 motif tone flashback paradox unity / coherence foreshadowing point of view 6 voice Furthermore, you should be able to discuss the connections between these elements and explain how they influence the development of each other. ALSO, since you will have access to the story that the essay will be based on, it is expected that you use DIRECT QUOTES in supplying evidence for each body paragraph. In completing the practice essay below, you should consider referencing the analytical essay guides that were provided throughout the year. These guides outline what should be included in your introduction, conclusion, as well as each body paragraph. You should also reference a copy of the analytical essay rubric to get a sense of how your examples and explanations will be weighted. The guides and the essay rubric can both be located from Ms. Hammond s website. Again, notice that there will only be TWO constructed response questions on your exam. The four questions included here should indicate what kinds of questions you could be expected to respond to. 1 Includes verbal, situational and dramatic 2 Includes internal and external 3 Includes jargon, colloquialism, dialect, euphemism, informal, formal, slang 4 Includes listing, font, punctuation, repetition, parallel structure, sentence fragment, varying sentence lengths, etc. 5 Includes extended metaphor, metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc. 6 Includes first person, second person, third person limited, third person omniscient
SAMPLE QUESTION: 1. Discuss how POINT OF VIEW, IMAGERY, and CONFLICT all create SUSPENSE in the short story Grace Period by Will Baker. SECTION IV: Personal Response Essay (10 marks) This essay will require you to respond personally to a NARRATIVE, DESCRIPTIVE, or EXPOSITORY prompt: A NARRATIVE essay should: Adhere to basic narrative structure (EXPOSITION, RISING ACTION, CLIMAX, FALLING ACTION, RESOLUTION) Have a clearly defined SETTING Feature various CHARACTERS / CHARACTER TYPES Involve at least one central CONFLICT that may or may not be resolved Include DIALGOUE Use vivid WORD CHOICE Create strong examples of IMAGERY through use of FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE A DESCRIPTIVE essay should: Focus on describing a single object, item, experience, event, person, etc. Rely heavily on various types of IMAGERY and FIGUARTIVE LANGUAGE to create strong images in the reader s mind Use vivid WORD CHOICE to evoke a specific MOOD PLEASE NOTE that your responses to a narrative or descriptive prompt will likely vary in terms of the number of paragraphs you choose to write. An EXPOSITORY essay response should: Contain a strong THESIS STATEMENT Reference TWO points to be made or examples to be referenced Be organized into TWO paragraphs Feature a CONCLUDING STATEMENT at the end. Be organized on the basis of the prompt that has been given: - Cause and effect - Compare and contrast - Example and illustration - Problem and solution - Process analysis SAMPLE PROMPTS: 1. I don t pay attention to the world ending. It has ended for me many times and began again in the morning. Nayyirah Waheed Use this quote to write a narrative essay about a similar experience you have had in your life; a time when you felt, figuratively, that your world was ending, only to find that things eventually worked out in the end. 2. Imagine a world without people a future that has been completely overtaken by nature. Choose a physical location that you are familiar with and describe how it might look, feel, smell, sound or even taste in this future world, completely devoid of human beings. 3. Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. Indian Proverb Explain the meaning of this quote in a two-paragraph expository personal response essay. Again, notice that there will only be ONE personal response prompt on your exam. The three prompts included here should indicate what kinds of prompts you could be expected to respond to.