Study Guide for English 10 Mid-Term
Unit 1 – Early American Literature
1. Define the following academic vocabulary words:
Document – to support with written references or citations
Illustrate – to clarify, or make clear, with examples
Interpret – explain the meaning or significance of something
Promote – to help the growth of, urge the adoption of, or attempt to popularize something
Reveal – to make known; to show
2. What is a creation myth?
A specific kind of myth that typically describes how the universe, earth, and life began;
explains the working of the natural world; supports and validates social customs and
values; guides people through the trials of living
3. How did the arrival of the Europeans affect the preservation of Native American
literature? Much of the literature did not survive after so many Native Americans fell to
European diseases
4. What is oral tradition? Why is it more vulnerable to loss than preservation through
written works?
Oral tradition is the way by which Native Americans passed their history, legends and
myth from generation to generation; oral tradition is more vulnerable to loss because the
stories die with those people who have passed them down
5. Review the main characters and storyline of the Native American Creation Myth The
World on the Turtle’s Back.
6. Who are the Puritans? Why did they travel to the New World?
Puritans refers to a number of protestant groups who wanted to “purify” the Church of
England. They were persecuted in England for their beliefs.
7. What were some of the major Puritan beliefs?
Most of humanity is damned for all eternity. A person is either saved (the elect) or
damned (the unregenerate).
8. What are some characteristics of Puritan writing?
plain style; clarity of expression; avoided complicated figures of speech
9. Summarize what happened in each of the five sections of William Bradford’s Of
Plymouth Plantation:
a. Their safe arrival at Cape Cod – (Winter) After a long ocean voyage, the
Pilgrims land safely on Cape Cod, then face the challenges of starting their new
lives in an unfamiliar, uncivilized wilderness in the dead of winter.
b. The First Encounter – (Winter) While exploring Cape Cod, the Pilgrims visit a
vacant Native American settlement from which they take corn and beans. They
later encounter hostile Native Americans and engage in a brief skirmish with
them, but none of the Pilgrims suffer injury.
c. The Starving Time – (Winter) During their first winter, half of the one hundred
Pilgrims who have settled on Cape Cod die from diseases. Of those remaining,
only seven are fit enough to care for the sick.
d. Indian Relations – (late winter/early spring) The Native Americans eventually
befriend the Pilgrims. Samoset provides them with valuable information about the
land. Chief Massasoit forges a peace treaty with them, and Squanto, their
interpreter, teaches them how to plant corn and where to fish.
e. First Thanksgiving – (Fall) During the fall the Pilgrims make preparations for
winter by repairing their homes, harvesting crops, fishing and hunting to ensure
that they have enough food to eat during the winter.
10. What were some of the cultural characteristics of the Puritans?
Self-reliance; industriousness; temperance; simplicity
11. Define the following examples of figurative language:
a. Metaphor – a direct comparison of two unlike things using like or as
b. Extended Metaphor – a drawn out comparison that compares two things at
length and in many ways
c. Personification – a figure of speech in which an object, animal, or idea is given
human characteristics
d. Hyperbole – a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis
12. Be able to identify an example of each of the above listed figures of speech in Puritan
poetry by Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor.
13. What was the purpose of Jonathan Edwards’ Sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God”?
Edwards felt that his listeners had grown complacent in their Puritan heritage. The terror
in his message probably reflects his deep concern for them and his desire to grab their
attention.
14. According to Edwards, whom is God prepared to send to Hell?
sinners
15. According to Edwards, is God angrier at sinners in Hell or the sinner still living on Earth?
sinners on Earth
16. Edwards tells his listeners that God holds them over the fiery pit. What does Edwards
compare this to?
holding a spider over the fire
17. How does Jonathan Edwards describe God?
A vengeful, wrathful man
The Crucible
***Review your study guides for each Act, and your study guides for the tests on Acts I
and II and Acts III and IV. There will be questions on the exam taken from these study
guides.
Ethan Frome
18. What is the setting of this novel?
bleak, barren landscape of New England, specifically Starkfield, Massachusetts
19. From what point of view is this story told?
the prologue and epilogue are told from the first-person point of view; when Chapter 1
begins, the point of view shifts to the third-person limited
20. What is a frame story?
a story within a story; the “frame” is an outer story that precedes and follows a more
important inner story
21. Who are the major characters in the novel?
the narrator, Ethan Frome, Zenobia Frome, Mattie Silver
22. What is irony? Name some examples of irony present in this novel.
Irony is the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the
opposite. For example, when Zeena says that Mattie took from her the one thing she
cared for most, in reference to the pickle dish; Irony is also an event that seems opposite
to what one expects; for example, when Mattie and Ethan attempt suicide but end up
injured and miserable together forever
***Review your chapter study guides, reading checks and test study guide as questions
from these materials may appear on the mid-term.
Unit 2 – American Romanticism
“The Devil and Tom Walker”
23. What are some characteristics of the Early Romantics?
-aimed to capture the energy and character of their growing country
-saw the limits of reason and instead celebrated the individual spirit, the emotions and
imagination
-splendor of nature inspired them more than the fear of God
24. What is Satire? How did Washington Irving use Satire in “The Devil and Tom Walker”?
a literary technique that ridicules people, customs, or institutions with the purpose of
improving society; Washington Irving uses Satire to criticize women, the Puritan attitude,
the slave trade and moneylenders
25. Where does Tom Walker meet the devil?
in the forest
26. What business does Tom run?
a moneylending business
27. How does Tom behave when he is older and nearing death?
He prays and reads the Bible but continues his immoral lending practices
28. What happens to Tom’s wealth?
all of his wealth becomes dust and ashes
29. What was Washington Irving trying to warn his readers of?
Washington Irving was trying to warn his readers not to be stingy and greedy or to do bad
things while pretending to be virtuous.
The Fireside Poets
30. What are some characteristics of The Fireside Poets?
-a group of New England poets
-morally uplifting and romantically engaging
-stressed individualism and an appreciation of nature
-used poetry to bring about social reform
31. Define rhyme scheme and tone.
Rhyme scheme is the pattern of end rhyme in a stanza or an entire poem.
Tone is the author’s attitude on a subject.
32. In Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life” how does the rhyme scheme contribute to the poem’s
tone?
The rhyme scheme reinforces the idea of the recurring tides.
33. What record does the traveler leave behind in “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”? What
happens to this record and to the traveler?
The traveler leaves behind footprints in the sand. The footprints are washed away by the
waves, and the traveler never returns to the shore.
34. Define allusion.
a reference to another published work
35. What event involving Old Ironsides took place during the war?
The ship was victorious in battle.
36. According to the speaker, what should be the ship’s fate?
The speaker says it would be better for the ship to sink in a storm rather than be
demolished.
37. What was Oliver Wendell Holmes’ purpose in writing “Old Ironsides”?
This poem was written to protest the planned destruction of a ship that fought in the War
of 1812.
38. Define imagery.
Descriptive words and phrases a writer uses to re-create sensory experiences
39. In “The First Snowfall,” what has happened to the family?
The family has suffered the death of a daughter.
40. What parallel does James Russell Lowell draw in “The First Snowfall”?
The Transcendentalists
41. Define transcendentalism.
An intellectual movement of the mid-1800s that emphasized the individual and living a
simple life.
42. Write down the three key ideas of the transcendentalist writers.
-faith in the inherent goodness of people
-belief that people, nature, and God are interconnected
-stress on individualism and self-reliance
-belief that intuition can lead to knowledge
-celebration of emotions and the imagination
43. What is the theme of “Self-reliance”?
the importance of being an individual and trusting one’s own instincts and judgment
44. Emerson thinks you should trust thyself because…
we can discover truth through intuition
45. According to Emerson, what is one way a visit to the woods can affect a person?
The woods can create a sense of calm.
46. Define nonconformist.
a person who does not follow the mainstream
47. Define essay.
a piece of writing that expresses the writer’s personal views
48. What was Thoreau’s main goal in moving to the woods?
to live simply and learn from nature
49. Why did Thoreau leave Walden Pond?
He didn’t want to get in a rut.
50. In “Civil Disobedience” what reason does Thoreau give for his having been put in jail?
Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay his poll taxes, which went to support both
the Mexican War and slavery, both of which he disapproved.
51. What does Thoreau believe men must follow, if not the government?
their conscience
52. In “Woman in the Nineteenth Century” what does Miranda believe has kept women from
developing self-respect?
Women have been taught that they should not have originality of thought or character;
they have been raised to doubt their capabilities.
53. Which elements of transcendentalism do you see in Fuller’s writing?
The elements of transcendentalism that Fuller uses in her writing are: every individual is
capable of discovering a “transcendent” form of truth on his or her own, through
intuition; and a conviction that people are inherently good and should follow their own
beliefs, however controversial they may be.