English Review for Final Exam

Unit 1

100

What is the meaning of the word expound?

to explain in detail

200

What are four important literary devices used in writing and speaking?

 

Symbolism, allusion, analogy, and onomatopoeia

300

What are the basic elements of plot structure? 

exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution

400

Which option provides an accurate definition of the terms implicit meaning and explicit meaning?

• Implicit meaning is unclear even though it is directly stated. Explicit meaning is confusing due to being indirectly stated.
• Implicit meaning is incomprehensible even though it is stated directly. Explicit meaning is expressed indirectly and is purposely vague.
• Implicit meaning is clear due to being directly stated. Explicit meaning is on point even though it is indirectly expressed.
• Implicit meaning is comprehensible even though it is not directly stated. Explicit meaning is clear and is expressed directly without vagueness.

Implicit meaning is comprehensible even though it is not directly stated. Explicit meaning is clear and is expressed directly without vagueness.

500

Which response most accurately explains the purpose of parallel plots within a work of fiction?

• to present two or more character narratives that are independent of one another 
• to present two or more plots or subplots that are usually connected by a character or a theme 
• to present two or more plots or subplots that are usually developed by other authors or characters 
• to present two or more character narratives that are identical to one another

to present two or more plots or subplots that are usually connected by a character or a theme

 

Unit 2

100

 What is the definition of assuage?

to make less intense; reduce the severity of

200

What is the difference between denotation and connotation?

Denotation is the dictionary definition of a word, whereas connotation refers to the emotional feelings or ideas that are associated with a word and that make a reader respond either positively or negatively.

300

What are some examples of genres? 

comedy, tragedy, satire, epic, and romance 

400

Read the passage from The Faerie Queene.

He cried, as raging seas are wont to roar,
When wintry storm his wrathful wreck does threat
The roaring billows beat the ragged shore,
As they the earth would shoulder from her seat,
And greedy gulf does gape, as he would eat
His neighbor element in his revenge:

Which response correctly identifies the type of figurative language used to describe the sound of the dragon’s cry?

• a simile, comparing the dragon’s cry to an ocean’s roar 
• onomatopoeia, incorporating words about the ocean’s roar that sound like the dragon’s cry 
• a metaphor, describing the ocean’s roar so the reader will infer the sound of the dragon’s cry 
• an idiom, using a common colloquial phrase about the ocean’s roar to emphasize the dragon’s cry

a simile, comparing the dragon’s cry to an ocean’s roar

 

500

Which response clearly explains how the author uses tone as the plot of The Faerie Queene progresses?

• He progresses from a sincere tone to a cynical tone as he includes events that are a metaphor for real-life questions about goodness and corruption in the world. 
• He alternates between serious tones and cynical tones as he alternately depicts the actions of Lady Una and the dragon, to emphasize the difference between pure good and pure evil. 
• He alternates between violent, intense tones and tones of divine peace and strength as the Redcrosse Knight and the dragon repeatedly fight one another. 
• He progresses from a scared and timid tone to a tone of confidence and victory as the Redcrosse Knight defeats the dragon in three battles over a series of days.

He alternates between violent, intense tones and tones of divine peace and strength as the Redcrosse Knight and the dragon repeatedly fight one another.

Unit 3

100

What is the meaning of satire? 

Satire is the use of literary techniques, such as humor or irony, to expose the foolishness of others.

200

What are the narrative elements? 

plot, characterization, setting, tone

300

What are some common narrative techniques?  

dialogue, description, multiple plot lines

400

Which option most accurately demonstrates how poet William Blake views the practice of forced child labor in “The Chimney Sweeper” (Songs of Experience)?

• Blake agrees with families that as long as the child workers seem happy, nothing is wrong with child labor.
• Blake mocks the ignorance of the child workers and their inability to recognize their own situations.
• Blake is outraged by the fact that families allow and encourage child labor. 
• Blake feels pity for the child workers but believes the work is necessary to support their families.

Blake is outraged by the fact that families allow and encourage child labor.

500

What option most accurately describes the impact of structuring the narrative of Robinson Crusoe in the form of a journal?

• Relating the action of the story in the form of a journal helps emphasize the interactions between characters.
• Relating the action of the story in the form of a journal removes the need to develop a plot.
• Relating Crusoe’s thoughts in the form of a journal helps the reader see an objective summary of events.
• Relating Crusoe’s thoughts in the form of a journal helps the reader see both exterior (physical) and interior (psychological) events.

Relating Crusoe’s thoughts in the form of a journal helps the reader see both exterior (physical) and interior (psychological) events.

Unit 4

100

What is the meaning of the word impromptu? 

at the spur of the moment or without any advance notice or preparation

200

What does the author's choice of words provide? 

An author’s choice of words can provide clues that help readers make determinations about perspective.

300

Why do authors use anaphora?

Authors use anaphora to add a certain rhythm to their writing and to emphasize words the readers should pay attention to and remember. 

400

Read the excerpt from “Dulce et Decorum Est.”

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

Which response most clearly explains why the narrator uses the phrase “The old Lie”?

• Through this phrase, the narrator makes clear that the well-established sentiment that it is sweet and glorious to die for your country is not true, even though it has been told many times.
• Through this phrase, the narrator implies that while it used to be sweet and glorious to die for your country, modern warfare techniques like poison gas have turned that phrase into a lie.
• The phrase creates a way for the narrator to disagree that there is any honor in dying for your country, implying instead that honor through war can come only from living to see your country’s victory.
• The phrase helps the narrator subtly express that the idea of glory or honor within a violent conflict is a false construct, because violence for any reason is a sin and makes you just as wrong as your enemy.

Through this phrase, the narrator makes clear that the well-established sentiment that it is sweet and glorious to die for your country is not true, even though it has been told many times.

500

Read the lines from “Up-Hill.”

May not the darkness hide it from my face?
   You cannot miss that inn.

Which response accurately identifies the literary technique used in the lines?

• Irony, because comparing the church to an “inn” is a political criticism of the church’s grandiose spending and excess.
• Sarcasm, because although everyone eventually dies, many people do not make it to the “inn,” which offers eternal peace.
• Satire, because “May not the darkness hide it from my face?” is the first speaker’s way of asking whether temptation will keep the speaker out of heaven.
• Understatement, because “You cannot miss that inn” is a very mild and subtle way to say that everyone can reach heaven.

Understatement, because “You cannot miss that inn” is a very mild and subtle way to say that everyone can reach heaven.

Unit 5

100

What is the definition of waylay?

to trap or approach by surprise; intercept

200

What is the difference between flashback and framing in a narrative ?

Flashback concerns information from previous events, whereas framing concerns the order of how the story is related.

300

What do textual structures used in many narratives include?

 those that manipulate time or that order events in a certain way

400

Which option most clearly describes how the rising action in The Fellowship of the Ring is used to help establish tone?

• Strider asks for his reward, which contributes to a mood of mystery and surprise.Strider asks for his reward, which contributes to a mood of mystery and surprise.
• Frodo and his friends learn Strider’s true identity, which concludes the conflict and provides a sense of resolution.
• Frodo and his friends are being followed by one or more mysterious strangers, which creates suspense and heightens tension.
• The content of Gandalf’s letter is revealed, which creates a feeling of sentimentality and nostalgia.

Frodo and his friends are being followed by one or more mysterious strangers, which creates suspense and heightens tension.

500

The poem “Piano” begins in the present, flashes back to the past, and ends in the present again.

Which option most effectively clarifies how the structure of the poem affects its meaning?

• The contrast between past and present emphasizes the speaker’s previous relationships and current independence.
• The contrast between past and present reveals how the speaker has embraced adulthood.
• The shift between present and past highlights the speaker’s corresponding shift between sorrow and bittersweet remembrance.
• The shift between present and past illustrates the speaker’s inability to remember pain.

The shift between present and past highlights the speaker’s corresponding shift between sorrow and bittersweet remembrance.