Senior English Final Exam Review Sheet—Fall Semester
Texts to review for final:
For each of the following texts, review allusions, setting, important characters and themes, as well
as central literary elements. It is also important to review historical background.
Beowulf
Grendel
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Hamlet
On the essay and some short answer questions, you will also have the opportunity to write about
the summer reading books if you choose:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Maltese Falcon
Rebecca
This is a list of important literary terms and concepts that we have studied. This is not a
comprehensive list, but it is a good start. You should also review all notes and handouts that you
have received.
Christ figure
Point of view
Tragic Hero
Kenning
Satire
Caesura
Allusion
Epic
Foil
Oral Tradition
Iambic pentameter
Alliteration
Fertility imagery
Fatalism
Great chain of being
Plato’s Cave Parable
Momento mori
Existentialism
History of the English language:
Nihilism
Old, Middle, and Modern English
The final will be organized into the following sections:
Match of authors and genres: 10 pts.
Match of texts with literary devices and themes: 10 pts.
Multiple choice: assesses both reading comprehension and interpretive understanding of the works that we
have read: 25 pts.
Short answer: 25 pts. assesses insight into the literary concepts and themes from the literary works that we
have read; assessment is also based on writing skills.
Essay: 50 pts. Assessment is based on understanding of the texts, analysis, and quality of the writing. You
will be asked to trace a theme or literary concept through several different works. The strongest essays will
be those that provide a clear synthesis of works studied across the semester.
Total Exam Value: 120 pts.