Name ____________________________
Date __________________ Period _____
English I
Midterm Exam Study Guide
Mrs. Arguello
Literary and Informational Texts
Directions: Use your Florida Connections textbook to help you identify details that will support your
responses to the following questions. Where appropriate, line numbers are provided to help you focus
your study efforts. You will find the text of “Cask of Amontillado” online. Use copies of Animal Farm
in the classroom or obtain your own copy from the public library to help you answer the Animal Farm
questions. Study your thorough responses to these questions to help you prepare for the midterm exam.
In addition to traditional multiple choice questions, the test will contain the following types of special
questions modeled after the Florida Standards Assessment which you will take later this year.

Multiple Choices: Some questions will require more than one correct answer from those listed.
These questions are marked with a box around them. Directions in the question will tell you how
many answers to choose. Bubble each correct answer on the same line next to the appropriate
number on your scantron.

Paired items: Sometimes, you will find two questions boxed together with a star (*) next to the
first item. The answer to the second item in the pair is based on the first item.
“A Quilt of a Country” by Anna Quindlen
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What does Quindlen mean when she refers to America as a “mongrel nation”?
Read the quote from Daniel Boorstin that Quindlen includes in the first paragraph of the passage:
“Of all the nations in the world, the United States was built in nobody’s image.”
How does this quote help to support the author’s claim that “America is an improbable idea”?
Quindlen discusses “slavery and sweatshops, the burning of crosses” in line 13 to illustrate America’s
____________________________________________________________________________________.
What point does Quindlen make starting on line 28 by comparing present-day New York with Philadelphia in
her father’s time?
Reread lines 40-47 in the selection. What technique does the author use to emphasize her point in this
selection?
What point does she emphasize in this selection?
One of Quindlen’s claims is that Americans unite in times of crisis. Find quotes from the text that support this
claim.
“Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer
8.
In the introduction to the fairy tale (lines 1-48), how does Gordimer compare herself to other white people in
South Africa?
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Read lines 46-53. How does the shift in structure from an autobiographical tale to a “bedtime story” affect the
reader?
What is the mother and father’s point of view toward their security systems?
Because the burglar alarms are often set off by pet cats, what do people in the neighborhood do?
Contrast the attitudes of the housemaid and the wife toward the unemployed people in lines 114-130.
What point of view about South African society does Gordimer express through these differing attitudes of the
housemaid and the wife?
What theme does Gordimer communicate through the ending of the fairy tale?
Another theme of this story is that fear results in a desire to protect oneself from danger. Which lines from the
selection support this theme?
“Rituals of Memory” by Kimberly M. Blaeser
16. Blaeser tells the story of her friend Mary’’ hair in lines 1-8 in order to ___________.
17. According to Blaeser, storytelling and ceremonies are important because they __________.
18. Identify quotes from “Rituals of Memory” that provide the best evidence that Blaeser’s mixed ancestry shaped
her ideas about memory?
19. What theme or central idea does Blaeser express in lines 10 – 13 of “Rituals of Memory?”
20. In lines 71-75, Blaeser mentions “borders being nullified.” What borders was she referring to?
21. Which quote from the text explains Blaeser’s value for her Memorial Day experience?
22. What does Blaeser mean when she says, “As children, we were never so much taught as storied”?
23. In lines 104-112, which one of the following is one result of Blaeser's “practical and spiritual” education?
“The Censors” by Luisa Valenzuela
24. What can you infer about the reason Mariana moved to Paris?
25. When the narrator says in lines 29-30 that “you’ve got to beat them to the punch” and “sabotage the
machinery,” it means that Juan must
26. After reporting a coworker, Juan thinks, “You don’t form a habit by doing something once” (line 58). What
does this reveal about the Juan’s character?
27. After Juan is promoted to Section E, the narrator says that “his noble mission blurred in his mind” (lines 67-68).
This means that Juan
28. *Juan is shocked at “the subtle and conniving ways employed by people to pass on subversive messages” (lines
70-71). What can you infer about the letters Juan is reading?
29. Which of the following quotes from the story supports your inference about Juan?
30. When the author says that Juan’s “basket for censored letters became the best fed as well as the most cunning
basket in the whole Censorship Division,” she means that __________.
31. In what ways does Valenzuela use the character Juan to develop the central theme that those who devote
themselves to getting ahead in their careers compromise their own beliefs and happiness?
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
32. What does Montressor mean when he says he must “not only punish, but punish with impunity”?
Read the first exchange between Fortunato and Montressor when they meet on the street during Carnival.
33. What two details does this exchange reveal about Fortunato’s character?
34. During Fortunato’s coughing fit, Montresor insists they return to the festival, as he is worried about the cold and
damp surroundings making Fortunato ill. Fortunato responds by saying, “Enough...the cough is a mere nothing;
it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.” Elaborate on the use of irony in these lines?
35. Which lines from the text help the reader to understand how intoxicated Fortunato is?
36. In what ways do the catacombs help to contribute to the sinister mood of the story?
37. Read the selection from “Cask of Amontillado” where Fortunato and Montressor talk about the Montressor
family coat of arms. What is the mood created by this dialogue?
38. How does this line—“the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are embedded in the heel”— symbolize
Montressor’s feelings toward Fortunato?
39. Read the final exchange between Montressor and Fortunato. What mood does Fortunato convey through his last
lines?
40. What mood does Montressor convey by echoing back Fortunato’s words?
Animal Farm by George Orwell
41. George Orwell believed that totalitarianism was inevitable. Which two of the following events from the novel
foreshadows the pigs’ eventual rise to total power on the farm?
42. Choose quotes from Old Major’s speech that demonstrate the need for animals to overthrow humans.
43. In his speech, Old Major warns the animals to avoid all of the following:
44. Immediately following the rebellion and expulsion of Jones, the pigs take a leadership role and introduce the
Seven Commandments to the other animals. Which one of the commandments shows why it is ironic that the
pigs become leaders?
45. In what ways is the character Snowball like the historical figure Leon Trotsky?
46. In what ways does the character Moses represent the church in Communist Russia?
47. Why do the animals never speak of Mollie again?
48. Which details from chapter 10 show how Napoleon has become like Mr. Jones?
49. How do the changes in Napoleon help develop the novel’s theme about power?
Read this paragraph from the text.
“But he was wounded,” said Boxer. “We all saw him running with blood.”
“That was part of the arrangement!” cried Squealer. “Jones’s shot only grazed him. I could show you this
in his own writing, if only you were able to read it. The plot was for Snowball, at the critical moment, to give the
signal for flight and leave the field to the enemy. And he very nearly succeeded—I will even say, comrades, he
would have succeeded if it had not been for our heroic leader, Comrade Napoleon. Do you not remember how, just
at the moment when Jones and his men got inside the year, Snowball suddenly turned and fled, and many animals
followed him. And do you not remember, too, that it was just at that moment, when panic was spreading and all
seemed lost, that Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of ‘Death to Humanity!’ and sank his teeth into
Jones’s leg? Surely you remember that, comrades?” exclaimed Squealer, frisking from side to side.
Now when Squealer described the scene so graphically, it seemed to the animals that they did remember it.
At any rate, they remembered that at the critical moment of the battle Snowball had turned to flee.
50. This paragraph emphasizes which of the following themes of the novel?
51. Which of the following details from the paragraph supports the theme in the previous question?
52. Orwell describes Snowball as “quicker in speech and more inventive,” and he describes Napoleon as “not much
of a talker, but with a reputation for getting his own way.” How do these descriptions of their personality affect
how each pig interacts with the other animals on the farm?
Read this sentence from the novel:
“Nevertheless, the sight of Napoleon, on all fours, delivering orders to Whymper, who stood on two legs, roused
their pride, and partly reconciled them to the new arrangement.” (page 68)
53. What does the phrase “partly reconciled them to their new arrangement” mean?
54. Which are characteristics of a fable incorporated into Animal Farm?
55. How does the author’s choice to make a story about the Russian Revolution into a fable affect the development
of the story?
56. Which scene from Animal Farm shows that all of the animals were at one point equal?
57. Why is Boxer’s death the climax of the story?
58. On Animal Farm, importance is placed on educating the animals. Which quotes best support the importance of
education on the farm?
59. Select quotes from Squealer’s speeches that show how he used fear to control the animals.
60. During the battle of Cowshed, Snowball led the animals into battle. Later, the animals are led to believe that
Snowball was actually in league with Jones during this battle. This is an example of __________.
61. During the debates, the lesser animals always find themselves agreeing with the animal speaking at the time.
This shows that the lesser animals are
62. An adage states that “power corrupts.” What is the first event that shows that the pigs are becoming corrupted
by their power over the other animals?
63. When the pigs say that reading and writing lessons are a success, this is ironic because
64. All of the following are fallacies put forth by the pigs:
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
Read this sentence about the novel: Benjamin the donkey responds to questions about his happiness on Animal
Farm by saying, “Donkeys live a long time.”
What can you infer that he means by this phrase?
What does this response reveal about his character?
Reread the text of Minimus’s poem “Comrade Napoleon” on p. 90-91. This poem characterizes Napoleon as
__________
Choose lines from the poem that convey this characterization (cite textual evidence)
At the end of the novel, the author chooses to have the pigs rename the farm from Animal Farm to Manor Farm.
This is significant because
Vocabulary: tumult, tyranny, apathy, controversy, retinue, conciliatory, superannuated, posthumous,
impending, inebriated , filial, impromptu, ignominious
Grammar Proofreading: Know the rules about and how to correct errors in the following:
 subject-verb agreement
 usage of irregular verbs
 switching of verb tense
 formation of possessive nouns
 use of apostrophes with contractions
 use of nominative, objective, and possessive pronouns
 pronoun-antecedent agreement
You will also be asked to identify different types of phrases—prepositional, participial, and infinitive—and to
determine whether the phrase is acting as an adjective or adverb.
The following are grammar notes to study. They include rules and examples to help you.
Possessive Nouns
Apostrophes are used with possessive nouns to show ownership or possession.
If you have…
Do this to make it
Examples
possessive…
Most singular nouns
Add an apostrophe and – The role of the parent becomes the parent’s role.
s
The color of an iris becomes the iris’s color.
Plural nouns ending is – Add an apostrophe
The mother of the bears becomes the bears’ mother.
s or -es
The belief of the multitudes becomes the multitudes’ belief.
Plural nouns that do not
end in –s or -es
two or more people
owning the same thing
Add an apostrophe and –
s
add apostrophe and –s
after the name of the last
person.
The trek of the men becomes the men’s trek.
Pam and Fred’s house is over there.
two or more people
owning different things
add apostrophe and –s
after each person’s
name.
Pam’s and Fred’s cars are parked in the other lot.
Pronouns
A pronoun is a group of words that takes the place of a noun. The antecedent is the noun for which the pronoun
stands.
Pronoun Cases:
Nominative
Singular
Plural
I
we
you
you
he, she, it
they
Object
Singular
me
you
him, her, it
Possessive
Singular
Plural
my, mine
our, ours
your, yours
your, yours
his, her, hers
their, theirs
its
Plural
us
you
them
Use nominative pronouns as the subject of a sentence or the predicate pronoun.
Use object pronouns as the direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.
Use possessive pronouns to show ownership.
Special cases to consider:
After a linking verb, use a subject pronoun.
It is he.
The winner is she.
Test—turn the sentence around. I was the hero.
The hero was I.
Compounds with pronouns
She and I are late. Sally and I are late. (subject case)
Did you beat him and me yesterday? Did you beat Bob and me yesterday? (object case)
They beat us boys in baseball. (object case)
We girls are the winners. (subject case)
Test— get rid of the other part of the compound. We are the winners.
Indefinite pronouns refer to people, places, or things without specifying which ones.
Singular
-- use with a singular verb
One
anyone
everyone
no one
someone anybody everybody nobody
somebody anything
everything
something nothing
each
much
either
little
neither
Plural
-- use with a plural verb
both
few
many
several
others
ones
Singular (can’t be counted) or
Plural (can be counted)
all
any
most
none
some
more
When using indefinite pronouns in a sentence, the indefinite pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent.
This is especially important when the antecedent is another pronoun.
Generally, use a singular personal pronoun when its antecedent is a singular indefinite pronoun. Use a plural
personal pronoun when its antecedent is a plural indefinite pronoun.
Incorrect:
Neither of the EMTs had completed their training.
(neither is singular, but their is plural)
Correct: Neither of the EMTs had completed her training.
(neither is singular, and so is her)
Incorrect:
Anyone wishing to retake the test should study their notes tonight.
Correct: Anyone wishing to retake the test should study his notes tonight.
Incorrect:
Put each of the instruments in their place.
Correct: Put each of the instruments in its place
Traditionally, the masculine pronouns he and his have been used to stand for both males and females. Now, using
he or she and him or her is preferred. If those seem awkward, rewrite the sentence.
Traditional:
Each of the crew members checked his equipment.
Preferred:
Each of the crew members checked his or her equipment.
Rewritten Sentence:
All of the crew members checked their equipment.
Verb Tenses
In verbs, the tense shows the time of action or state of being.
Use the principal parts of verbs to form the six basic tenses.
The Basic Verb Tenses
Present
I eat pizza often.
I always order from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action that happens over and over.
Principal part: present
Uses no helping verbs.
Past
I ate pizza last night.
I ordered from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action that happened in the past.
Principal part: past
Uses no helping verbs
The Perfect Verb Tenses: indicate that an action has
been completed.
Present Perfect
I have eaten pizza many times.
He has ordered from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action completed often.
Principal part: past participle
Uses helping verbs have or has
Past Perfect
I had eaten pizza before you called.
He had ordered from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action completed in the past.
Principal part: past participle
Uses helping verb had
Future
I will eat pizza tonight.
I will order from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action that will happen in the future.
Principal part: present
Uses helping verb will
Future Perfect
I will have eaten pizza many times by the end of the
year.
Indicates action that will be completed in the future.
Principal part: past participle
Uses helping verbs will and have
The Progressive Forms: indicate an action that is in
progress.
The Progressive Perfect Forms: indicate completion of
an ongoing action.
Present Progressive
I am eating pizza.
He is ordering from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action in process of being completed.
Principal part: present participle
Uses helping verbs am, is, are
Present Perfect Progressive
I have been eating pizza since I was little.
Indicates action often in the process of being completed.
Principal part: present participle
Uses helping verbs have and been
Past Progressive
I was eating pizza when you called.
You were ordering from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action that was in the process of being
completed in the past.
Principal part: present participle
Uses helping verb was or were
Future Progressive
I will be eating pizza for dinner tonight.
Indicates action that will be in process in the future.
Principal part: present participle
Uses helping verbs will and be
Past Perfect Progressive
I had been eating pizza, but I stopped
Indicates action was in process, but now is completed.
Principal part: present participle
Uses helping verb had and been
Future Perfect Progressive
On my net birthday, I will have been eating pizza for
eleven years.
Indicates action that has been completed before but will
be in progress in the future.
Principal part: present participle
Uses helping verbs will, have, and been
Rules of Verb Tenses
Do not change needlessly from one tense to another.
To describe events that occur at the same time, use verbs in the same tense.
Past Tense: Sara peeked over the fence and saw a cornfield.
Present Tense: Sara peeks over the fence and sees a cornfield.
For events that occur at different times, use verbs of different tenses to show the sequence of events.
Yesterday, Nina told us that her brother works every week at the senior center.
The action of telling occurred at a specific time in the past. The action of working occurs now.
Subject and Verb Agreement
A verb must agree with its subject in number. A singular subject must have a singular verb; a plural subject must
have a plural verb.
Singular and Plural Verbs in the Present Tense
Singular
Singular
First and Second Person
Third Person
(I, you) send
(he, she, it) sends
(I, you) go
(he, she, it) goes
Plural
First, Second, and Third Person
(we, you, they) send
(we, you, they) go
A prepositional phrase that comes between a subject and its verb does not affect the subject-verb agreement.
Incorrect:
The poster of combat planes fill the wall.
Correct:
The poster of combat planes fills the wall.
A compound subject joined by and is usually plural and must have a plural verb.
Incorrect:
The boy and girl is playing.
Correct:
The boy and girl are playing.
Compound subjects taken together are thought of as a single unit and require a singular verb. Also, when the word
each or every is used before the compound subject, a singular verb is required.
Incorrect:
Macaroni and cheese are my favorite.
Correct:
Macaroni and cheese is my favorite.
Incorrect:
Every student and teacher anxiously await the first day of school.
Correct: Every student and teacher anxiously awaits the first day of school.
When two or more subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the closest subject.
Incorrect:
Either Alice or Mike are going to help us study.
Correct: Either Alice or Mike is going to help us study.
(One or the other will help, but not both of them)
Incorrect:
Neither the boys nor the girls is here.
Correct: Neither the boys nor the girls are here.
When the subject comes after the verb, the subject and verb must still agree in number.
Incorrect:
Waiting along the shore is many nervous soldiers.
Correct: Waiting along the shore are many nervous soldiers.
Sentences beginning with there or here are nearly always in inverted word order (verb before subject). Many
questions are in inverted word order also. The subject must still agree with the verb in number.
Incorrect:
There are the boy.
Correct: There is the boy.
Incorrect:
Where are the newspaper?
Correct: Where is the newspaper?
Either a singular verb or a plural verb can agree with an indefinite pronoun depending on the pronoun’s form and
meaning.
Always Singular: One of the submarines is equipped with radar.
Everybody on the submarine was frightened by the attack.
Neither of the strategies seems workable.
Always Plural:
Many of the soldiers are fighting on the war’s front lines.
Others are working to supply them with food and ammunition.
Several contribute by working as code breakers.
Either Singular or Plural: Most of the war was fought long ago.
Most of the battles were fought in the first year.
Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives modify…
Nouns
beautiful girl
Pronouns
despicable me
Adverbs modify…
Verbs
move cautiously
Adjectives
unusually rich
Other adverbs
traveled less slowly
Adjectives answer the questions…
Which one?
that judge
What kind?
brick house
How many?
one daffodil
How much?
no time
Adverbs answer the questions…
Where?
stay nearby
When?
report later
How?
smiled happily
To what extent?
nearly won
Prepositions
A preposition combines with a noun or pronoun to form a phrase. A prepositional phrase acts as a modifier.
Frequently Used Prepositions
aboard
behind
about
below
above
beneath
according to
beside (next to)
across
besides (in addition to)
after
between (2)
against
beyond
along
but (except)
among (more than 2)
by
around
down
aside from
during
at
except
as
except for
because
for
before
from
in
in back of
in front of
in place of
in spite of
Inside
Instead
Into
Like
Near
next to
Of
Off
On
on account of
Onto
Out
out of
outside
over
past
since
through
throughout
till
to
toward
under
underneath
until
up
upon
with
within
without
Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (called the object of the
preposition).
I am going (to the mall).
prep. object
Prepositional phrases will not contain a sentence’s subject, predicate, direct object, indirect object, predicate noun,
or predicate adjective.
Prepositional Phases Used as Adjectives or Adverbs
An adjective phrase modifies a noun or pronoun.
It answers the questions Which one? What kind? How many? or How Much?
The adjective phrase must follow the noun or pronoun.
Example: One (of the lifeguards) (from town) will be there.
An adverb phrase modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb.
It answers the question Where? When? How? or To what extent?
The adverb phrase is placed as close as possible to the word it modifies or at the beginning of the sentence.
Example: She walked (along the beach).
Participles
A participle is a form of a verb that acts as an adjective.
Present participles end in –ing.
Past participles end in –ed, although those formed from irregular verbs will have different endings.
Present Participle
The blinding storm left us stranded.
A growing baby needs much food and sleep.
Those remaining finished the project.
Past Participle
The trained guide expertly led the expedition.
His forgotten homework was left on the table.
Troubled, she asked for advice.
Participial Phrases
A participial phrase is a present or past participle that is modified by an adverb or an adverb phrase or that has a
complement. The entire phrase acts as an adjective in a sentence.
Sitting in the office, he read the paper.
Struck by joy, Ellen laughed.
Edison, experimenting with different materials in his lab, improved the light bulb.
Fearing failure, the scientist stopped his work.
Then, steadily gaining confidence, he succeeded.
The crowd was watching the inventor testing his new creation.
Infinitives as Adjectives and Adverbs
Infinitives answer the same questions as adjectives and adverbs.
Infinitive as Adjective
Now is the time to leave.
Which time? To leave
She is someone to follow.
Which someone? To follow
Infinitive used as Adverb
To leave, use the back door.
How do we use the back door? To leave
This is easy to do.
Easy in what manner? To do
He is well enough to travel.
Well enough in what manner? To travel