The New York State English 11
Regents Examination
Before we begin…How will my test be
scored?
• Your correct multiple choice answers will be added to the
following:
• Part 3 Constructed Response (2 Paragraphs)
• Paragraphs can score between 0 and 2
• Part 4 Critical Lens Essay
• The Minimum 5-Paragraph Essay
can score between 1 and 6
• A score conversion chart is then used to determine the final
grade (We Don’t Have That From The State Yet)
• Don’t underestimate the multiple choice questions! Take
your time, go back and look for the answers--the multiple
choice can ‘make you or break you’!
Task 1-Listening
• Part 1 tests your Listening Skills
• You will Stay Awake and Listen to a Speech
• Take notes during the First Read
• AFTER THE FIRST READ
• You will be allowed to look at the multiple choice
questions
• If you know an answer, just mark it in the test booklet
• Figure out the questions you DO NOT KNOW and
LISTEN FOR THOSE ANSWERS DURING THE
SECOND READ --- STAY WITH THE READER!
The Multiple Choice
• Do Not underestimate the importance of the multiple
choice questions.
• If they ask a question with line numbers GO BACK and
reread that line, the line before it, and the line after it. Put
the question in context.
• Look for and find the answers in the text!
• They may use synonyms for a word in the text.
• The answers are designed to go in Chronological
Order
• Interact with the text – Underline, Mark Passages,
Discover the Information that for which the Multiple
Choice Questions are Asking
• NEVER RUSH THROUGH THE MULTIPLE
CHOICE!
PRACTICE: Childhood Memories
At first I used to dream of Mai Ling every night. I know
that I dreamed about her and that it was her, it was Mai Ling,
with her almond eyes in her pale face, her plait1 hanging before
her as she bent over me, and her smile. Above all it was her
smile that I used to see, and her bending over me and talking to
me….And I would wake up….
During the winter nights, when the cold threatened our
warmth, Mai Ling would get up from time to time to add more
dung2; as she did so the brazier3 would emit a startling flash of
light, the fire seemed to come alive and the crimson of the
carpets ignited for an instant, then fell swiftly into shadow again
as the flame died down into the bottom of the pan. Then the air
filled with that sharp smell I knew well, a mixture
of burnt hay and earth and with the thin smoke….
1 plait
~ braid
2 dung
~ dried manure used for fuel
3 brazier
~ a pan for holding burning fuel/coals
Just a dream or
pleasant
memories?
Warmth and
caring, feeling
safe and warm,
rich with smells,
sights, and
description
Be careful to read
the definitions
provided!
PRACTICE: A section of the
poem
Ironing Their Clothes
With a hot glide up, then down, his shirts,
I ironed out my father’s back, cramped
And worried with work. I stroked the yoke,
And breast pocket, collar and cuffs,
Until the rumpled heap relaxed into the shape
Of my father’s broad chest, the shoulders shrugged off
The world, the collapsed arms spread for a hug.
And if there’d been a face above the button-down neck,
I would have pressed the forehead out, I would
Have made a boy again out of that tired man!
-Julia Alvarez
From The Renewal of The Vision:
Voices of Latin American Women
Poets 1940-80, 1987
Spectacular Diseases
Dad works hard to
take care of family
Feeling safe, loved
Appreciation
Types of multiple
choice
Some questions will be
straightforward:
According to the narrator, Mai ling’s
responsibility was to
(1) Keep the fire burning
(2) Attend to the guests’ needs
(3) Teach the children manners
(4) Protect the family’s valuables
Some questions will based on your
prior knowledge
The narrator’s story is told primarily through
(1) contrast
(3) simile
(2) flashback
(4) analogy
So study your literary terms!
Others will be inferred
(using information to draw a probable conclusion that has
not been directly stated by the narrator)
The narrator most probably views Mai Ling as a
(1) teacher
(2) tribal leader
(3) playmate
(4) mother figure
Part 3: Constructed Response
• You Will Write Two Paragraphs
• Question 26 – Make a thesis about BOTH passages and prove it true using
specific examples from both texts
• Question 27: Pick one (1) Literary Element from (1) one of the passages
and explain how it relates to the given Theme
• TIPS
• Read both passages
• Underline important details about the topic
• Write your ideas and notes in the margin
• Refer to the multiple choice questions
• Go back and reread the section for each question (especially if they give line numbers)
• The multiple choice questions may give you some ideas for literary elements or
techniques
What are you expected to do?
• Question 26:
• Read two passages (may be an excerpt from a novel
and a poem)
• The unifying topic will be given to you
(“Possessions”)
• Decide what BOTH authors are saying about the
topic given
• Use ideas from both passages to develop your
controlling idea (THESIS STATEMENT)
• Use evidence from BOTH passages to develop your
Thesis
Part 3: Constructed Response
• Rubric for Question 26 (used for 2-credit
responses that refer to two texts)
• Score Point 2
• presents a well-developed paragraph
• demonstrates a basic understanding of the
texts
• establishes an appropriate controlling idea
• supports the controlling idea with clear and
appropriate details from both texts
• uses language that is appropriate
• may exhibit errors in conventions that do not
hinder comprehension
Part 3: Constructed Response (#26) USE
BOTH PASSAGES
• 1st Sentence: TS-Controlling Idea
• 2nd Sentence: CD-According to Passage I, … (Be
sure to use at least one (1) specific quote and
Line #)
• 3rd-4th Sentence: CM-Commentaries
• 5th Sentence: CD-According to- Passage II, …
(Be sure to use at least one (1) specific quote and
Line #)
• 6th-7th Sentence: CM-Commentaries
• 8th Sentence: CS-Summary
Part 3: Constructed Response
• Score Point 2
• presents a well-developed paragraph
• provides an appropriate explanation of the
literary element or technique chosen
• supports the explanation with clear and
appropriate evidence from the text
• uses language that is appropriate
• may exhibit errors in conventions that do
not hinder comprehension
#27: 1 Literary Element – 1 Passage
• 1st sentence: TS-Introduction to Literary Element
as it relates to the topic
• 2nd-CD(quote/line #)
• 3rd-4th Sentence-CM-Commentaries
• 5th CD (quote/line #)
• 6th-7th Sentence –CM-Commentaries
• 8th Sentence – CS-Conclusion
Task 4: THE CRITICAL
LENS
Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis
There are NO multiple-choice for this
section so take your time on the
writing.
The Critical Lens
• What is your task?
• Write a critical essay in which you discuss two
works of literature
• In your essay, provide a valid interpretation of
the Critical lens
• Agree or disagree with the statement as you
have interpreted it
• Support your opinion using specific references
to appropriate literary elements from the two
works.
Development
• The ideas are elaborated using SPECIFIC and RELEVANT
evidence
•
•
•
•
•
Did you use specific details from the text?
Did they support your main idea?
Did you AVOID plot summary?
Did you include at least 5 (five) paragraphs?
Do those paragraphs explain the relevance of Literary
Elements as Related to Your Thesis?
Meaning
• The response shows:
• Sound understanding of the task
• Did you know what they asked?
• Interpretation
• Did you SHOW you understood… AND
AVOIDED PERSONAL PRONOUNS?
• Analysis
• Did you DISCUSS BOTH texts, not just
SUMMARIZE?
Such as……..
TAG for Each Work You Study
Major Literary Elements such as:
Characterization
Theme
Conflict
Symbolism
Go On Spark Notes to Review ANALYSIS Sections
Here is a chart that you could fill out for review:
title
author
The
Arthur
Crucible Miller
The
Great
Gatsby
F. Scott
Fitzgerald
characters
& setting
summary &
symbols
theme
Proctor
Elizabeth
Abigail
Parris
Putnam
Hale
Danforth
Rebecca
Giles
Mary Warren
Girls dance in woods
& get caught; confess
for self-preservation;
Girls become
empowered; mass
hysteria ensues;
Private vengeance
walks in Salem; the
innocent die and the
guilty go free
Authority; hysteria;
greed; power
Gatsby
Nick
Tom
Daisy
Jordan
symbols:
Gatsby car= wealth
Green light=ambition;
desire
Eyes of Dr. TJE=God
symbols:
Witch trials=
McCarthy Trials
Disillusionment of the
American Dream
Social Stratification
Hollowness of the
Upper class
So first, read the quote..
“…the strongest man upon earth is he who stands
most alone.”
-Henrik Ibsen
“An Enemy of the People”
From Ghosts: An Enemy of the People: The Wild Duck, 1890
Then ask yourself, what do I think this means?
Take your time. Think about it. Write down some
thoughts on your scrap paper. BRAINSTORM!
“…the strongest man upon earth is he who stands
most alone.”
-Henrik Ibsen
“An Enemy of the People”
From Ghosts: An Enemy of the People: The Wild Duck, 1890
So what do you think?
(student sample): Those who are isolated in their lives
develop an inner strength that cannot be rivaled by the
more engaged in society.
Now either agree or disagree with what you have decided
it means. You cannot do BOTH!
Decide what works of literature you can use to support
your opinion.
“…the strongest man upon earth is he who stands most
alone.”
-Henrik Ibsen
“An Enemy of the People”
From Ghosts: An Enemy of the People: The Wild Duck, 1890
Select your titles and make some notes.
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Character of Ralph
• wants to keep order
• isolated in sense and
wisdom
• strength to resist
• ends up standing
alone
Character of Hester Prynne
* ostracized by society
ᇫ Symbol of Letter
* redemption through
sacrifice
* required great inner
strength
How to begin….
According to Henrik Ibsen, “The
strongest man upon earth is he who stands
most alone.” In other words, those who are
isolated in their lives develop an inner
strength that cannot be rivaled by those more
engaged in society. Loneliness can challenge
the human spirit to triumph over adversity.
This idea is clearly evident in the novels The
Lord of the Flies by William Golding and The
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In both
of these works of literature, the protagonists
find a tremendous degree of inner strength
and power as they drift farther away from
being considered accepted members of
society.
Restate the Critical Lens
Interpret the quote:
State what you think
the quote is saying
BUT No Personal
Pronouns
Name and TAG
the two books
you are going to
use and their
authors
Make Thesis Statement
that includes both works.
Statement must be Specific,
Provable and Arguable.
Student Body Paragraph
In The Lord of Flies, William Golding depicts a
character in Ralph whose strength develops as he is
further ostracized from society. On an island inhabited by a
large group of young children, Ralph attempts to establish a
civil form of life for the duration of their stay. Ralph is
characterized as a strong leader who establishes order on
the island, but as more and more children begin to follow
Jack, Ralph’s nemesis and antagonist, chaos erupts. Jack
and his savages wander the island, hunting pigs, setting up
forts, and ultimately ensuing the lives of true barbarians. As
fear of the symbolic “beastie” mounts, tensions on the island
elevate, and Jack’s followers increase in numbers due to a
desire for protection from what lies atop the island’s hills.
Ralph, on the other hand, finds himself isolated in his wisdom
and sensibility, both major themes in the novel. While all
other boys lose their senses of humanity, Ralph realizes that
fear, the true monster, exists within all of them.
Introduce title and
author, link to Critical
Lens
Specific details
about Ralph’s
Characterization –
Plus Theme and
Symbolism
Good language:
ostracized,
nemesis,
espouses a more
savage form of life
Tyranny
Link to the
Interpretation to
the Critical Lens