World Literature Honors Final Examination Study Guide
Fall 2013
Mrs. Tumanyan
Part I: Multiple Choice and True/False Questions. (80 questions, 1 point each)
Please answer each question by filling in the appropriate box on your Scantron.
1.
What are the ideas behind the term “The Angel of the House”?
2.
What are themes in The Awakening?
3.
Which of the following statements is not true about Bildungsroman
4.
5.
Kunstlerroman is
In its literary usage, the term _______ is often defined as a method or form in fiction
that provides a "slice of life," an "accurate representation of reality."
Questions about The Awakening
6.
Who said, "She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the Unfortunate
blunder of taking you seriously."?
7.
In what decade is the novel most likely set?
a. The 1790s
b. The 1920s
c. The 1890s
d. The 1850s
e. The 1990s
8.
Kate Chopin wrote The Awakening with the intention to take a feminist stand as a
woman writer.
a. True
b. False
9.
Who said, "The years that are gone seem like dreams--if one might go on sleeping
and dreaming--but to wake up and find--oh! Well! Perhaps it is better to wake up
after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life."?
10.
Who said, "She isn’t a musician, and I’m not a painter. It isn’t on account of painting
that I let things go."?
Who said, "Has she been associating of late with a circle of pseudo-intellectual
women--super-spiritual superior beings?"?
11.
12.
The Awakening was scorned and critiqued for its open discussion of the emotional
and sexual needs of women.
a. True
b. False
13.
This novel is about what kind of crisis?
14.
The restrictions imposed on Edna are based on her
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15.
What is a barrier to happiness?
16.
_________ is truly an illusion.
a. Freedom
b. Hope
c. Fulfillment
d. Love
e. Education
17.
The Awakening features that age-old conflict between
18.
At the start of the book, what shrieks?
19.
What could be a symbol of empowerment?
20.
Where are Edna and her family vacationing?
21.
When The Awakening was written, women were no longer considered the property of
their husband.
a. True
b. False
22.
What obstructs Edna and Robert’s relationship?
23.
Where do Edna and her family live?
24.
How does Edna feel about Alcee?
25.
Earlier in the novel, what does Edna feel is missing from her life?
26.
What type of art does Edna pursue?
27.
Why does Edna move out?
28.
What does Robert do when he returns?
29.
After Robert leaves her the second time, Edna no longer believes in ________
30.
How does Edna commit suicide at the end of the book?
31.
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to
develop and inform the text’s major themes. All of the following are motifs Chopin
uses in The Awakening except:
32.
The lady in black represents the conventional Victorian ideal of the widowed woman.
Instead of pursuing a life of freedom, independence, and artistic or physical passions,
she devotes herself to the memory of her husband and, through religion, to his
departed soul. If Léonce were to die, a widowed Edna would be expected to lead her
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life in such a socially acceptable manner. Edna longs for independence from her
husband, but the lady in black embodies the only kind of independence that society
accepts in women: the patient, self-effacing, solitary image of a widow.
a. True
b. False
33.
The Awakening explores the themes of
34.
All of the following are true about Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73” except:
a. A Shakespearean sonnet consists of 14 lines
b. It is written in iambic pentameter (a common meter in poetry consisting of an
unaccented syllable and an accented syllable)
c. Contains three quatrains (4 lines each) followed by a couplet (2 lines)
d. The final couplet (last two lines) of a Shakespearean sonnet usually contains the
theme or thesis of the poem
e. The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABA ABC ABA ABC ZZ
35.
“This thou perceives, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.”
Which one of the choices below best captures the message of the couplet (above) in
Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73”?
a. The speaker implies that the realization of impending death makes the beloved’s
love for the speaker even stronger.
b. Love is the greatest teacher of all.
c. Death is inevitable.
d. The speaker wants to be loved out of pity.
e. We should only express our love when our beloved is on his/her deathbed.
36.
In poetry, it is the voice assumed by the poet
37.
Word choice or the words a writer or speaker chooses to communicate his/her ideas
38.
A time, place, or landscape feature that has similar meaning for many different
cultures
39.
Conversation between characters
40.
The order in which events happen in time
41.
Biblical authors state an idea in the first half of a verse and then, using a similar
grammatical structure, repeat, negate, complete, or otherwise elaborate on it in the
second half.
42.
Central idea that a literary work reveals or explores
43.
Using hints in the surrounding passage to determine the meanings of unfamiliar
words
44.
The use of language that appeals to one or more of the five senses—sight, hearing,
taste, smell, and touch
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45.
Folk tales are stories that have been passed down by word of mouth from generation
to generation
a. True
b. False
46.
The use of strongly contrasting language, images, or ideas
47.
Teaches lessons on ethics, or principles regarding right and wrong conduct, and it
often reflects the values of the society that produces it. This literature presents
specific situations or details from which a more general lesson or moral may be
drawn.
48.
A short, pointed statement expressing a truth about human experience
49.
A technique that gives human qualities to non-human things
50.
An epic journey is a key element of the epic and the epic cycle.
a. True
b. False
51.
Which of the following statements is not true about epic poems?
52.
Which of the following statements about epic heroes is false?
53.
Which of the following is not one of the five elements of the epic journey?
54.
The general characteristics of the epic poem are that initially epics were intended to
be sung or recited
a. True
b. False
55.
Why do didactic stories such as “The Counsels of the Bird” often use
personification?
56.
Which of these is not an aphorism.
a. “I came like Water, and like Wind I go.”
b. “The Moving finger writes; and having writ, moves on.”
c. “Believe not foolish assertions of anyone!”
d. “Do not grieve for what is past.”
e. All of the above (a-d) are aphorisms.
57.
The story of Ruth is an effective lesson against prejudice because it shows the
benefits of welcoming strangers like Ruth into a community
a. True
b. False
58.
Many scholars believe that Omar Khayyam wrote The Rubaiyat as a quiet protest
against Seljuk rule when the Seljuk Turks, after taking over the Persian Empire tried
to impose authoritarian government and strict religious practices on the population.
a. True
b. False
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59.
Which of the following statements is not true about Hinduism?
a. Hinduism is the dominant religion of India
b. The word Hindu comes from sindhu, a word in the ancient Indian language
Sanskrit that means “river” or “the Indus River”
c. The word Hindu refers to both a religion and a social caste system
d. The Hindu religion recognizes many gods, but central to its belief is a final
reality known as Shiva, the Destroyer
e. The Hindu religion recognizes many gods, but central to its belief is a final
reality known as brahman
60.
The term brahman means….
61.
The collection of hymns known as Rig Veda is the earliest surviving record of Indian
religious thoughts, and the basis of Hinduism. Although these hymns do not set forth
religious ideas in a systematic manner, they set a tone of devotion and piety as they
pay homage to the gods of nature.
a. True
b. False
62.
All of the following are true about the Rig Veda, except:
a. The poets portray natural phenomena—the sun, the moon, rain, night, wind,
storms—as godlike beings.
b. The authors praise these gods for their power and beauty and for the benefits they
bring to humankind.
c. The Rig Veda describes a world in which the forces of nature are both benevolent
and threatening.
d. The hymns place emphasis on the after-life and advise against doing good for its
own sake in this lifetime.
e. The hymns reflect the concerns of an agricultural people who needed rain or their
crops, protection from storms, and a feeling of security in the night.
63.
The Rig Veda, which consists of hymns about the forces of nature, is the oldest and
most important text of the Indian religion of Hinduism.
a. True
b. False
64.
A hymn is a poem or song of praise. __________ emphasize the importance of gods
and nature in Indian life and ponder timeless questions, such a the origin of the
universe.
65.
All of the following are true about the “Creation Hymn” except:
66.
All of the following are true about “Night” except:
67.
Which of the following is not true about the Mahabharata?
68.
One’s duty or set of obligations is called _______. To perform one’s duty, no matter
how humble, is to contribute to the well-being of the whole universe.
69.
The term _______ is closely related to the term “soul,” “essence,” or “eternal spirit.”
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70.
________ is a Hindu idea that calls for carrying out one’s ethical obligations without
undue concern or anxiety about the outcome of one’s actions.
71.
______ is the totality of one’s acts in each state of one’s existence; the ethical
consequences of one’s acts determine the nature of one’s next existence.
72.
King Sibi’s dharma is to protect all of his subjects, including the dove, because
according to the law of karma, the type of body that an atman incarnates into is
determined by its past deeds or misdeeds.
a. True
b. False
73.
When the hawk says he needs warm flesh, King Sibi responds: “Yes, but I must
consider which part of my body will yield the flesh you want without destroying my
life. Give me a little time. Bear your hunger for a moment. A ruler has no liberty to
die. Many depend on him.” In explaining why he must stay alive, what belief does
Sibi reveal regarding a ruler’s responsibilities?
a. He wants to select a part of his body that, if sacrificed, will still allow him to live.
b. Sibi believes that a ruler cannot make the choice to die because his people are
dependent on him.
c. The ruler’s duty is to live and protect his subjects.
d. All of the above
e. B and C only
74.
The famished hawk says to King Sibi: “If I die here of hunger, they (his wife and
chicks) will keep peeping out for my return home until they perish of the same
hunger. And the sin of ending six lives will be on you…consider well whether you
want to save one doubtful life, which is probably half gone already, or six lives. Let
not the performance of what seems to you a rightful act conflict with bigger issues.”
What inferences can be made here?
75.
The Bhagavad-Gita translates to
76.
“One of the main themes of the Bhagavad-Gita is the concept of nonattached work,
or the performance of one’s duty without concern for the results.
a. True
b. False
77.
Indian society was divided into social classes, or castes, each of which had its own
special duties. in the excerpt read in class, Krishna reminds Arjuna that as a member
of the warrior caste, he is obligated to fight.
a. True
b. False
When Arjuna is hesitant about killing his own kinsmen, Krishna reminds him that the
Atman, or soul, is eternal, and that it can be reborn into countless bodies.
a. True
b. False
78.
79.
The term meditate in the Bhagavad-Gita means to
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“The uncontrolled mind
Does not guest ha the Atman is present:
How can it meditate?
Without meditation, where is peace?
Without peace, where is happiness”
80.
In the passage above, Krishna implies that without meditation, peace and happiness
are unattainable. What Indian values does this passage convey?
a. The importance of acknowledging the eternal soul in order to achieve meditation,
peace, and happiness.
b. The unattainability of peace and happiness.
c. Happiness and peace are illusions humans can only dream of attaining.
d. The mind cannot be controlled.
e. Only Buddha meditates.
Part II: Short Answer (18 points): Select ONE of the topics below and write a 5-7 sentence
detailed paragraph (or two) with a topic sentence, which serves as your thesis, answering all
parts of the question. Use supporting examples, details, and quotes from the book to
support your answer. Be sure to answer all parts of the question. Make sure to introduce
the quote, “
,” and cite the page number (Chopin 25). Respond objectively: no “I” or
“you.” There should be no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors in your writing.
Please skip lines and print clearly. See Grading Rubric on page 16.
81.
82.
Edna says in Chapter Sixteen: "I would give up the unessential; I would give my
money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make
it more clear; it's only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is
revealing itself to me." What is she talking about?



The Awakening features that age-old conflict between the individual and society.
Is it more important to conform or to be oneself?
Was Edna right in choosing to break with society’s conventions and live the kind of
life she wanted to live?
To what extent is society to blame for Edna’s suicide? Explain using supporting
evidence from the novel.
83.
83. What is the symbolic meaning of Edna’s first successful attempt to swim? Early
in The Awakening, the sea is described as “seductive; never ceasing, whispering,
clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude;
to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation.
84.
In The Awakening, producing real art requires holding a position outside the societal
mainstream. The lives of the two artists we see in The Awakening, Mademoiselle
Reisz and Edna Pontellier, suggest that art requires a singular devotion that is
impossible to have if also married. The Awakening thus paints a conflict between the
pursuit of art and acceptance by society. Mademoiselle Reisz and Edna are both
willing to pay the price to be real artists.
Why does Mademoiselle Reisz tell Edna that it takes great courage to be an artist?
By her own criteria, is Mademoiselle Reisz an artist?


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
85.


What’s the difference between when Mademoiselle Reisz plays the piano and when
Adele plays the piano?
In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier challenges her role as a mother while Adele
Ratignolle fulfills it with grace and pride. Motherhood is not a dynamic concept in
The Awakening, but rather an idealized image that all women should aspire to. This
image functions as an ideal while at the same time holding women to an impossible
standard. Edna refuses to play this game as she considers her children to be perfectly
secure and happy without involvement on her part.
 What exactly is a "good mother" in Edna’s society?
 Why does Edna have trouble following that model?
Is Edna a good mother by the standards of her society? By the standards of our society?
How important is motherhood to Edna? Why did she have children in the first place?
86.
Early in The Awakening, the narrator remarks that Léonce thinks of Edna as “the sole
object of his existence.” What evidence does the novel provide to support this
declaration?
87.
Compare and/or contrast the philosophy of carpe diem expressed in Shakespeare’s
“Sonnet 73,” Khayyam’s The Rubaiyat, and the film Dead Poets Society.
88.
Analyse the following passage from The Bhagavad-Gita. (Krishna is speaking to
Arjuna). Then, apply his message to your own life.
Thinking about sense-objects
Will attach you to sense-objects;
Grow attached, and you become addicted;
Thwart your addition, it turns to anger;
Be angry; and you confuse your mind;
Confuse your mind, you forget the lesson of experience;
Forget experience, you lose discrimination;
Lose discrimination, and you miss life’s only purpose.
Part III: Extra Credit (5 points): Analyze one of the following passages from The
Awakening or from The Bagavad-Gita provided. Or, select a passage that you like from
either literary work and discuss its significance and its relationship to the entire novel.
89.
“In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a
human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and
about her. This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the
soul of a young woman of twenty-eight—perhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost
is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman. But the beginning of things, of a world
especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. How
few of us ever emerge from such beginning! How many souls perish in its tumult!
The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring,
inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of
inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is
sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace” (Chapter VI).
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90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
“She perceived that her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant. She could not at
that moment have done other than denied and resisted. She wondered if her husband
had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command. Of
course she had; she remembered that she had. But she could not realize why or how
she should have yielded, feeling as she then did” (Chapter XI).
“How many years have I slept?” she inquired. “The whole island seems changed. A
new race of beings must have sprung up, leaving only you and me as past relics. How
many ages ago did Madame Antoine and Tonie die? And when did our people from
Grand Isle disappear from the earth?” (Chapter XIII).
“The pigeon-house pleased her. It at once assumed the intimate character of a home,
while she herself invested it with a charm, which it reflected like a warm glow. There
was with her a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding
sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving
herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She
began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of
life. No longer was she content to “feed upon opinion” when her own soul had
invited her” (Chapter XXXII).
“The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had
overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul’s slavery for the rest of her days.
But she knew a way to elude them. She was not thinking of these things when she
walked down to the beach” (Chapter XXXIX).
Select any passage that appeals to you from the Bhagavad-Gita (pages 182-189 in
your textbook) and analyze it. Use proper terminology to explain concepts unique
to Indian beliefs. Write out the passage (or parts of it) and analyze it using
textual evidence.
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3=excellent
1=poor
Literary Analysis Paragraph Rubric
2.5=strong
2=adequate
1.5=needs work
TOPIC SENTENCE expresses your point in relation to the prompt. (Should
include author and title if not previously stated.)
3
2.5
2 1.5
1
QUOTES and/or SUPPORTING DETAILS from the text are appropriately
used to support your point. Quotes/details are introduced and explained.
3
2.5
2 1.5
1
ORGANIZATION AND TRANSITIONS: ideas are introduced in a logical,
coherent order and the transitions between ideas are smooth.
3
2.5
2 1.5
1
STYLE and TONE: paragraph contains appropriate tone, sentence variety,
precise word choice, and is written objectively (no “I” or “You”)
3
2.5
2 1.5
1
CONCLUDING SENTENCE summarizes your thoughts and/or makes a realworld connection.
3
2.5
2 1.5
1
MECHANICS AND MLA CITATIONS: writing is free of punctuation,
mechanical, and grammatical errors, including consistent verb tense.
All quotes and cited in MLA style (Author page #).
3
2.5
2 1.5
1
Total ______
18
Your text should be double-spaced and your in-text citation should include the
page number in parentheses after the quote with the period at the end, like this:
“She backed out of the room, stunned, as if she were blowing away like a small brown
leaf, thin, brittle, lifeless” (Smith 98).
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