World Literature I1
Final Exam Review Guide
Test Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Time: 7:55 a.m.
Room: ______
The final exam will be 100 minutes (1 hour and 40 minutes) in length; if you have 50% extra time, you will have up to 150 minutes (2 and a half hours) to complete the exam.
It will consist of three parts:
1. Short story: read a short story and answer questions based on the story
2. Poetry: read two poems and answer questions based on the poems
3. Essay: write an essay using one or more works of literature we have read during the year.
You should be familiar with the setting, plot, themes, characters, and authors of the pieces you choose to write about for your essay. When preparing for the exam, pick two or three texts that have greatly impacted you during the year. Make sure to know those pieces well enough to write about them.
You may choose from, but are not limited to:
Kaffir Boy
Romeo and Juliet
Princess
The Kite Runner
“Master Harold”…and the boys
Farewell to Manzanar
This review guide will help you prepare for the final exam. You should also review your class notes on the literature we have read during the year, how to write a formal essay, and any literary terms.
GOOD LUCK!
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Here are some literary terms to know for the exam. Some may be used in both short stories and poetry.
-Alliteration
-Allusion (as any reference to history or previous literature, direct as well as indirect)
-Apostrophe
-Assonance
-Caesura
-Conflict and Resolution
-Consonance
-Figurative Language
-Hyperbole
-Imagery (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, taste/gustatory)
-Inference
-Irony
-Metaphor
-Mood
-Narrative structure (1st person, etc.)
-Personification
-Repetition
-Simile
-Speaker
-Symbol
-Tone
For the poetry portion of the exam, you will be asked to read and analyze a poem and answer questions related to that poem.
When you read the poems, read them twice for understanding and break them down line by line. You will be asked to identify some of the following:
- Theme
- Setting
- Speaker
- Mood
- What is happening
- Poetic devices (such as alliteration, metaphor, simile, apostrophe, consonance, personification, assonance, mood, tone, and imagery)
Here are some practice poems and questions:
SONNET 130
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
SONNET 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
Directions: Read each sonnet at least twice. Read each questions and all the answers carefully before making your choices. Feel free to take notes on the sonnets and on this sheet. Choose the letter of the BEST answer for each question.
1. What does the speaker mean when he says that he “mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”?
a. That she is blind
b. That she has blue eyes
c. That her eyes are dull
d. That her eyes shine brightly
2. What does the speaker say about his mistress’ hair?
a. That it is thin
b. That it is blonde
c. That it is rubbery
d. That it is curly
3. Sonnet 130 is about:
a. a man who’s love is not physically beautiful, but is a beautiful person
b. a man who loves a woman’s beauty, but not her personality
c. an ugly, horrible woman
d. a beautiful, caring woman
4. “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is an example of what literary device?
a. metaphor
b. theme
c. simile
d. personification
5. What does the speaker mean when he says, “I have seen roses damasked, red and white, / But no such roses see I in her cheeks”?
a. That she has roses for cheeks
b. That her cheeks are full of color
c. That her cheeks are pale
d. That her lips are not red
6. What is the tone of Sonnet 130?
a. honest
b. sarcastic
c. bitter
d. joyful
7. All of the following are true about the woman in sonnet 130 EXCEPT
a. her breath stinks
b. her voice is obnoxious
c. she has a heavy step
d. her teeth are brown
8. How does sonnet 130 differ from sonnet 18?
a. the woman in sonnet 18 is beautiful, where the one in 130 is not
b. the woman in sonnet 18 is loved, where the one in 130 is not
c. the woman in sonnet 18 is not loves, but the one in 130 is
d. the woman in sonnet 18 has been immortalized through words, but the one in 130 has been immortalized in stone
9. “I grant I never saw a goddess go” is an example of what literary device?
a. alliteration
b. allusion
c. assonance
d. personification
10. What is the rhyme scheme of both sonnet 130 and sonnet 18?
a. abbcabbcdedeff
b. ababcdcdefefgg
c. abbaabbacdecde
d. abcdabcdefefgg
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For the Essay portion of the exam, you will be asked to compare and contrast texts you have read during the year.
Read the essay question carefully and spend at least 5 minutes brainstorming ideas and planning out your essay.
Make sure to proofread your work and make corrections as needed.
The next few pages include:
- A formal essay planner
- A formal essay checklist
Formal Essay Planner
Introduction:
- Hook: ______
- Mention the Title, Author, and Protagonist (Main Character)
- Short Summary of the Book
- Thesis Statement:______
1st Body Paragraph:
- Topic sentence:
______
- Example from the book:
______
- Details
2nd Body Paragraph:
- Topic sentence:
______
- Example from the book:
______
- Details
3rd Body Paragraph:
- Topic sentence:
______
- Example from the book:
______
- Details
Conclusion:
- Restate Thesis Statement
- Closing Statement – leave the reader with a general thought about your topic
Formal Essay Writing Checklist
Whenever you are writing a formal essay on literature, follow the format below and check off each item after you have completed it.
Introductory/First Paragraph:
I use a hook to start the introduction
I identify the title and the author (Italicize the title of a book. If the piece is handwritten, underline the title. The title of a short story or poem is in quotes.)
I concisely explain the book
I provide a plan for the essay
I end with the thesis statement
I have at least five sentences
Body Paragraphs:
I begin with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph
I use three pieces of evidence to support my argument (quotes, describe an incident or incidents, use examples, etc.) and elaborate on the main idea
When I use a quote: (1) I introduce it; (2) I use it in the paragraph; and (3) I explain how it is relevant
I have at least five sentences
Concluding Paragraph:
I restate the introduction
I restate the thesis statement
I leave the reader with an idea, thought, or impression
Throughout the Essay:
I use present tense
I use third person (avoid I, you, me, our, etc.)
I cite quotes correctly
I have revised my essay
I have edited my essay for correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation and grammar
Finally, here are some overviews of three pieces of literature we have read this year: Kaffir Boy, “Master Harold”…and the boys, and Romeo and Juliet.
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Plot Summary: The author Mark Mathabane, was born and raised in Alexandra, South Africa during a time when the South African system was under Apartheid. The book deals with Johannes' struggle to overcome devastating poverty, unemployment, police raids in the middle of the night, hunger and starvation, daily beatings by schoolteachers, and bloody gang wars. Johannes' life in Alexandra was horrible. The alleyways were rat infested and his parents could not find employment. Johannes, his brother and five sisters could not eat and would go hungry for days. During one of the police raids, his father was beaten and imprisoned for not having his papers in order. His mother had to go out and find work to feed her children. Their shack was raided so many times by police, that it became a common event.
After his father was released from prison, he began to drink. He tried to be a Good father, but he was destroyed by Apartheid. Johannes' went to school, against father's wishes, but with the encouragement of his Granny and mother. He went to get an education. He did very well in school, but suffered beatings from the teachers for not having his books and uniform. The books and uniforms cost money and his family could not afford these items. Johannes could not understand how he could be punished when it was something he had no control over. Johannes was the smartest in his class.
Granny worked for Mrs. Smith in Johannesburg, which is a city where many wealthy people live. During one of his visits, Johannes was encouraged by Mrs. Smith to play tennis. Johannes started practicing and became good. Through Johannes' meeting and friendship with Stan Smith, a famous tennis player, he competed in tennis tournaments and received a scholarship to an AmericanUniversity in South Carolina, which would pay his full tuition and allow him to play tennis on the college level. This opportunity enabled Johannes to break free from Apartheid and go to America.
Setting: Alexandra and various locations throughout South Africa.
Main Characters: Johannes, Papa, Mama, Granny, Mrs. Smith, Stan Smith, Flora and George.
Conflict(s): black vs. white
Johannes vs. street gangs Johannes vs. his father
Resolution of Conflicts: Johannes overcame his conflicts by getting an education, which kept him off the streets and away from gangs. He also took an interest in tennis and received a scholarship which enabled him to break free from Apartheid and move to America. Johannes also made his father proud by receiving an education and becoming a tennis star.
Theme(s): Racism and overcoming adversities (problems).
"Master Harold... & the Boys" by Athol Fugard
Plot Summary: (See Plot Summary attached hereto)
Setting: St. George's Park Tea Room in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Main Characters:
Sam: a black man who works as a waiter in the Tea Room.
Willie: a black man who works in the Tea Room. He also enters a Ballroom Dance Contest.
Master Harold:a seventeen year old boy; parents own the Tea Room; goes to a private school; looks after Tea Room when his parents cannot and is called Hally by Sam.
Conflict: Apartheid damages Sam and Hally's relationship. Hally starts to treat Sam like a worker and not a friend.
Resolution of Conflict: Sam reaches out to Hally to try to save their friendship, but Apartheid makes it difficult for blacks and whites to be equal.
Theme(s) Apartheid and Racism
Romeo and Julietby William Shakespeare
Plot Summary: Romeo, a Montague, meets Juliet, a Capulet and they fall in love. The Capulets and Montagues families are feuding. Romeo and Juliet secretly get married by Friar Lawrence. Juliet takes a sleeping potion that will make her look dead. Friar Lawrence sends a messenger to Romeo to tell him of this plan, but it never gets to him. Instead Romeo goes to Juliet's tomb and finds her and he thinks that she is dead. Romeo is devastated and kills himself. Juliet then awakens and sees Romeo dead and kills herself. Both lovers are dead and the family feud comes to an end.
Characters: Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, Mercutio, Tybalt, Friar Lawrence, Nurse, Capulets and Montagues.
Setting: Verona, Italy in the 14th Century.
Conflict: The Capulets and Montagues are feuding and Romeo and Juliet have fallen in love, but cannot be together because of their families.
Resolution: Romeo and Juliet devise a plan to be together, but it back fires and they both die in the end.