Honors English I – Final Exam Study Guide Basic Exam Information • The exam is on Tuesday, May 30th from 1:00-3:00 in a location TBA (likely Worsham). You will have assigned seats, so look for your name on one of the desks when you arrive; you will be seated alphabetically by last name. You will not be given extra time if you arrive late. • Students with accommodations for extra time must use that time immediately after the exam. You will be able to take a quick break and then reconvene in my classroom up to 15-20 minutes later for your extra time. Please advise me ahead of time if you plan to use your extra time. • You will need to bring your iPad, outline, pen/pencil, and notebook paper/blue book. • Ms. Pojasek is available in Extra Help on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday of exam review week as well as during Tuesday’s colloquium period. • Students are expected to adhere strictly to the Honor Code during this exam. Any student found using unauthorized sources will be immediately dismissed from the exam, reported to the Honor Court, and likely assigned a zero for the exam. Exam Sections To be completed section by section on the day of the exam; once you’ve completed a section, you may not go back to work on other sections of the exam. 1. Grammar (15 points, handwritten) The grammar section will be like a mini-GAP. There will be sentences you’ll need to correct and multiple choice sentences based on a passage. 2. Literature Review Short Answer (25 points, handwritten) This section of the exam may ask a few fill-in-the-blank questions about titles, authors, characters, or basic plot points. However, most questions will focus on major themes of individual works and thematic overlap between texts. 3. Long Essay: The Cove Analysis (35 points, typed) You may prepare an outline in advance for this essay, the prompt for which will be posted to Moodle at the start of review week. You are expected to use your notes, book, and brain but no other sources for this essay; using other outside sources will be considered plagiarism. During the exam, you may use your outline and your book to write this essay but may not consult your notes or other sources—so be sure to plan ahead! 4. Short Essay: Freshman Year at Baylor (25 points, typed) This essay prompt will ask you about your freshman year at Baylor. You will not see the prompt before the exam. In order to prepare, spend some time thinking about what you’ve learned academically, socially, and personally this year as well as what successes and challenges you’ve had since the start of the year. Study Suggestions • Review the grammar concepts we covered for the GAP; the grammar review document on Moodle will help you ensure that you’re reviewing all the right concepts. • Review the major texts we’ve read together. You may be asked about titles, authors, characters, basic plot, major themes, or connections between texts. The exam may address any of the following texts: o Ernest Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying o Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 o Edmund Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac o Shakespearean sonnets (analysis of one—you don’t need to memorize them all!) o Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis o Mary Shelley, Frankenstein o William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night o Ron Rash, The Cove • Prepare a thoughtful outline for your essay. You may NOT write the essay in advance, but you should gather quotations, draft a thesis statement, and plan out your topic sentences for each paragraph. • Review the major writing concepts we’ve covered: o Basic organization: thesis statement, introductory and concluding paragraphs, focused and well organized body paragraphs o Idea development: use of specific examples, full elaboration on ideas o Expression of ideas: clear and purposeful diction, varied sentence structure o Conventions of writing about literature: use title and author when introducing a text; stick to third person; use present tense when discussing events of a literary text; provide citations for quoted material • Use Moodle as a resource—I’ve made available all relevant handouts, in-class material, and notes I’ve posted throughout the semester.
