English 11 – American Literature
Semester 1 Exam Review
The following will be covered on the semester exam.
Literary Periods/Movements (Early American/Puritan, Romantic, Transcendentalist, Realist)
 Listing authors according to period
o Early American/Puritan: Bradford, Taylor, Mather, Bradstreet (Franklin, Colla,
Richardson)
o Romantic: Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville
o Transcendentalist: Emerson, Thoreau, Dickinson
o Realist: Twain (Crane, London, Bierce)
 Matching characteristics of a period with the period
 Multiple choice and short answer questions about specific works
o Bradstreet poetry
o Irving – “Rip Van Winkle”
o Poe – “The Raven,” “Annabel Lee,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Fall of the
House of Usher”
o Hawthorne – “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” “Young Goodman Brown,” The Scarlet
Letter
o Melville – “Bartleby, the Scrivener”
o Emerson – “Self-Reliance”
o Thoreau – “Civil Disobedience”
o Dickinson poetry
Mark Twain
 True/False and multiple choice questions about Mark Twain’s life, including his given
name, wife’s name, number of children, where he was born.
Essays – all three will be required
 Essay #1: Why is Washington Irving known as the Father of American Literature?
Rubric:
Introduction & Conclusion – 1 pt.
Clear organization – 1 pt.
Minimum three historically accurate reasons – 8 pts.

Essay #2: Describe the evolution of American literature from the beginning to the
Realists. Where did it start, what phases has it gone through, and to where has it
progressed? (Be sure to mention all movements/ periods in order!) How is this early
literature of our nation still relevant to us today?
Rubric:
Introduction & Conclusion – 1 pt.
Clear organization – 1 pt.
Four periods in correct chronological order – 2 pts.
Each period accurately described with minimum three characteristics each – 6 pts.

Essay #3: Analyze Bartleby’s character and his importance in the story “Bartleby, the
Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville. Consider the following:
o Bartleby seems stubborn, self-absorbed, rebellious, and insubordinate, yet the
boss and many readers sympathize with him. Explain why.
o Why does Bartleby use the word “prefer” when refusing to work rather than
saying he “will not” do something? What is the significance of the word?
o Why does Bartleby stare at blank walls so much?
o Why does Bartleby die at the end of the story? What does it mean?
o What does Bartleby’s previous job in the dead letters office suggest about his
character?
Rubric:
Introduction & Conclusion – 1 pt.
Clear organization – 1 pt.
Clear explanation of why readers sympathize with Bartleby – 2 pts.
Clear explanation of what blank walls, death, and the dead letters job suggest about Bartleby’s character – 3
pts.
Clear explanation of Bartleby’s importance in the story (what is a theme of the story?) – 3 pts.