Name ______________________ Date _____________________ Block ______
Mid-term Exam Review
I. Poetry
Define the following terms:
Simile – comparison of two things using like or as
Metaphor – comparison of two things using being verbs (is, was, etc)
Hyperbole – deliberate exaggeration
Onomatopoeia – words whose sounds mimic the sounds they describe
Lyric poem – a short poem with strong emotions
Blank verse – a poem with meter but no rhyme
Free verse – a poem with no meter or rhyme
Sonnet – poem: 14 lines, 3 quatrains and a couplet, iambic pentameter
Rhythm – a regular pattern of syllables, like a beat
Rhyme – repetition of sounds at the ends of lines of poetry
Meter – a set number of syllables in a line of poetry
Alliteration – words in a row with similar beginning sounds
Imagery – appealing to the 5 senses
Personification – giving a non-human object human qualities
Mood – the emotion evoked by a piece of literature
Tone – the author’s attitude
Read the following poem and answer the questions:
Burning Trash
by John Updike
At night—the light turned off, the filament
Unburdened of its atom-eating charge,
His wife asleep, her breathing dipping low
To touch a swampy source—he thought of death.
Her father's hilltop home allowed him time
To sense the nothing standing like a sheet
Of speckless glass behind his human future.
He had two comforts he could see, just two.
One was the cheerful fullness of most things:
Plump stones and clouds, expectant pods, the soil
Offering up pressure to his knees and hands.
The other was burning the trash each day.
He liked the heat, the imitation danger,
And the way, as he tossed in used-up news,
String, napkins, envelopes, and paper cups,
Hypnotic tongues of order intervened.
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1. Write a 3-5 sentence summary of the poem.
At night, the speaker thinks about his father-in-law’s death. He thinks about the
house his father-in-law lived in. Two things comfort him: thinking about gardening
and thinking about burning trash
2. Write down any examples of figurative language and what type of figurative language
each is (ex. Line 10: “I was so hungry I could eat a horse!” hyperbole).
L. 1-2 “Unburdened of its atom-eating charge” personification
L. 14-15 “And the way…paper cup” imagery
L. 16 “Hypnotic tongues of order intervened” personification
3. Explain the meaning of each example of figurative language (ex: The poet means
that he is very, very hungry).
L. 1-2: a light is turned off
L. 14-15: provides a visual of the trash being burnt
L. 16: flames burning the trash
4. What is the tone of the poem (the author’s attitude towards the subject)? What is the
mood (how the poem makes the reader feel)?
Mood: somber, serious
Tone: melancholy
5. What is the poem’s theme (remember, a theme is NOT a single word)?
Memories can comfort us in times of grief
6. What type of poem is this (free verse, blank verse, sonnet, ode, etc.)?
Blank verse
II. Grammar
Definition: A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate (verb).
There are two types of clauses, independent and subordinate.
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a
sentence.
Examples: Mr. Haloran won twelve dollars last week.
Everybody passed the geometry test.
Mike, Carol, and Stacie all enjoyed the movie.
A subordinate clause CANNOT stand alone as a sentence. It can act as an adjective,
adverb, or noun. It is preceded by an introductory that relates it to another part of the
sentence.
Examples: Julie, who dyed her hair pink and yellow, shocked everyone at the party.
The clause is used as an adjective and is introduced by “who.”
If the rain every stops, we’ll leave for the game.
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The clause is used as an adverb and is introduced by “If.”
After he accidentally blew up the chemistry lab, Herbert thought that he
would be expelled from school.
The first clause is an adverb and is introduced by “After.”
The second clause is a noun and is introduced by the word “that.”
***
As you can see, there are three types of subordinate clauses, nouns, adjectives,
and adverbs. They operate in the same manner as single-word parts of speech, and,
like prepositional and verbal phrases, act as single units. They modify or change other
words or take the place of words.
Adverb clauses are introduced by the subordinating conjunctions after, although, as as
if, as long as, as much as, because, before, even, even though, if, how, in order that,
once, provided (that), since, than, so that, that, unless, until, where, why, while, though,
when.
Adjective clauses are introduced by the relative pronouns that, who, whom, whose,
which.
ADVERB CLAUSES
Remember that adverb clauses are dependent clauses that modify verbs, adjectives, or other
adverbs. In other words, adverb clauses act just like single-word adverbs or adverb phrases!
Like an adverb, the clause also answers the questions when, where, why, how, or to what
degree.
Examples: Hide the candy where you will be able to find it. The clause modifies “hide” as it tells
where.
We left before the rain started. The clause modifies “left” as it tells when.
Since you are here, you may as well stay. The clause modifies “may stay” as it tells
why.
He cried as if his heart would break. The clause modifies “cried” as it tells how.
HINT: A good way to test for most adverb clauses is to see if they can be moved around in the
sentence.
She screamed when she saw the dog. → When she saw the dog, she screamed.
Because he was asked to, he went to the store. → He went to the store because he was
asked to.
**SPECIAL NOTE: “Than” and “as” often introduce clauses with some of their parts understood
and dropped out.
Jack can run faster than I. “than I can run” = dependent clause
He can cook better than she. “than she can cook = dependent clause
Tom finished his quiz as fast as Joe. “as fast as Joe finished” = dependent clause
ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
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Remember that adjective clauses are also called relative clauses. These clauses do what
single-word adjectives or adjectives phrases do: they modify or change nouns or pronouns.
Examples: Everyone whose name was called received one hundred dollars.
The clause modifies “Everyone.”
The girl who had brown eyes selected a deep green dress that was covered in sequins.
The first clause modifies “girl” and the second modifies “dress.”
Cats, who are extremely independent, make terrific pets.
The clause modifies “cats.”
All who attended the film had a terrific time.
The clause modifies “all.”
**NOTE: Sometimes, the relative pronoun is omitted but everyone who knows, knows that the
pronoun is understood to be there!
Example: The boy she hit fell to the ground. “Whom” is left out. “That” = informal
Judith is a person everyone admires. “Whom” is left out. “That” = inormal
Both underlined clauses are still dependent clauses.
See your worksheet for the introductory words to adjective clauses. These clauses are
sometimes introduced by “when” or “where.” Occasionally, the introductory word acts as the
subject of the dependent clause.
Read each sentence and identify the clause in bold as adjective or adverb.
1. When you went into the cellar, did you notice the new shelf? ADV
2. I cleaned the cupboards while Henry washed the woodwork. ADV
3. At the zoo, Susan had to stand on tiptoe so that she could see the animals. ADV
4. He cried because he was lonelier than he could express. ADV
5. Nobody can become an expert golfer unless he really practices. ADV
6. Bring in the clothes before it begins to rain. ADV
7. The murderer in the horror film killed his next victim as I sat breathlessly watching.
ADV
8. While Lancer lay on the office floor, Bat calmly ate her dinner. ADV
9. As much as I like you, I still think you’re a less-than-desirable companion. ADV
10. The coat that Joan is wearing is made of velvet that has been imported from Italy. ADJ
11. Here is the place where the treasure is buried. ADJ
III. Types of Sentences
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A simple sentence consists of one independent clause and no subordinate clauses.
EXAMPLE: Joe likes to hunt.
A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and no subordinate
clauses.
EXAMPLE: Joe works in a manure factory downtown, and his wife Joan works in a
perfume factory nearby.
OR: Joe works downtown in a manure factory; his wife Joan works in a perfume factory
nearby.
A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
EXAMPLE: Mary is the person who dozes off continuously during church.
A compound-complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and one
subordinate clause.
EXAMPLE: John climbed to the top of the tree, but Sue, who was a bit clumsy, fell off
half way up.
Identify each sentence below with S for simple, CD for compound, CX for complex, or CD-CX
for compound-complex.
1. My aunt has joined an investment club that investigates and buys stocks, and she has made
a little profit already. ____CD____
2. The Great Barrier Reef forms a natural breakwater for the coast of northeast Australia and
attracts tourists from all over the world. ____S____
3. Just thinking is not enough; you must think of something. ___CD_____
4. We had gone only a little way into the cave before our flashlight went out. ____CX____
5. Although snow was predicted, the temperature has stayed above freezing, so rain is falling
instead. ____CD-CX____
6. Is the universe expanding, or is it contracting? ___CD_____
7. After the holiday dinner is over, my brother washes dishes and I dry them. ___CD-CX_____
8. The last car of the poky old freight train is just now coming into view. ___S_____
9. Everyone who saw the movie has liked it, so I’m going tonight. ____CD____
10. We tried hard, but the job was harder than we expected. ___CD____
III. Reading Comprehension
Read the passage and use context clues to answer the questions.
Chicago – The Windy, Fast, Murderous City of the Midwest
Chicago, Illinois is nicknamed the Windy City. Michigan Avenue, home to Water Tower
Place, Tiffany’s, and multiple Gap stores, can be a wind tunnel with people clutching bags and
hair as a mighty wind whips down the street. But it did not gain its moniker for the high velocity
of winds – the fact is that back in 1893, during the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago,
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New York Sun editor Charles Dana, dubbed the city the Windy City because he was tired of
hearing Chicagoans boast about the Exposition.
The history of Chicago is full of oddities. For example, the two lions guarding the
entrance to the Art Institute were designed by a dentist turned sculptor, Edward L. Kenrys. The
first automobile race ever seen in the United States was held in Chicago in 1895 – the winner, J.
Frank Duryea, drove an average of 7 ½ miles per hour. On the more macabre side of life, in
rd
1896, Dr. Herman Mudgett built a home at 63 and Wallace that was designed expressly for the
purpose of murder. It was equipped with gas chambers, incinerators, and other horrific devices.
On a happy note, Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901 and lived there until he was four.
Many of us know about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 in which 250 lives were lost, but in 1903,
the Iroquois Theater caught fire during a performance by Eddie Foy – 600 people died that day.
Here’s one last little known fact about Chicago. While it was widely believed that Mrs. O’Leary’s
cow started the Great Chicago fire, on October 7, 1997, the Chicago City Council approved a
resolution exonerating this poor cow of all blame.
1. In the first paragraph, the word moniker means ________name____________.
2. In the first paragraph, the word velocity means ______speed______________.
3. In the first paragraph, the word dubbed means ______given a name______________.
4. In the second paragraph, the word macabre means ______dark and twisted____________.
5. In the second paragraph, the word exonerating means ____proven innocent____________.
IV. Writing a Research Paper
Fill in the outline from the word bank.
I. Music
A. Classical
B. __________Rock___________
C. Hip-hop
II. Classical
A. ___________piano___________
B. violin
C. flute
III. Rock
A. guitar
B. drums
C. _____bass__________________
Word Bank
bass
rock
piano