English 3 – Final Semester Exam Fall 2010
Do NOT write on this exam.
Please mark all of your answers neatly on the scantron sheet provided. Make sure your name and class period also appear
on the scantron.
Level 2- Basic
Part I – Literary Terms
Directions: For the definition given, mark the letter of the correct literary term.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
central idea or insight about human life revealed by a work of literature
the voice telling a story
the voice that is talking to us in a poem
character or force that blocks the main character
figure of speech that makes comparison between two unlike things without using like, as, than, or resembles (it
uses “be” verbs)
figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things by using a connective word such
as like, as, than, or resembles
language that appeals to the senses
part of the story where all of the problems are brought to a close
struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions
contrast between expectations and reality
the first part of a plot which presents the setting, the main characters, and the conflicts
main character in fiction or drama
most intense moment in the plot (high point or turning point of the story)
individual in a story, poem, or play
time and place of a story or play
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
antagonist
character
climax
conflict
exposition
6.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
imagery
irony
metaphor
narrator
protagonist
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
resolution
setting
simile
speaker
theme
Level 2- Basic
Part II – Character and Author Matching
Directions: Mark the letter of the character or person that correctly corresponds with the description given. Some could
be used more than once.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Is a doctor in Grover’s Corners
Emily’s younger brother
She gets married in Our Town
This person directs the choir in Grover’s Corners
Works for the newspaper in Grover’s Corners
Talked through an entire wedding
Author of Our Town
Author of Hiroshima.
A tailor’s widow
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Dr. Gibbs
Emily Webb
George Gibbs
Mrs. Gibbs
Mrs. Soames
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Mrs. Webb
Mr. Webb
Rebecca Gibbs
Simon Stimson
Thornton Wilder
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Clerk at a tin works factory
Surgeon at the Red Cross
German Jesuit priest
Family fights over his possessions after his
death
29. Spent days under a “lean-to”
30. Educated in America
31. Teacher in the Freedom Writers Diary
Wally Webb
Dr. Fuji
Dr. Sasaki
Father Kleinsorge
Mr. Tanimoto
A.
B.
C.
D.
Miss Sasaki
Mrs. Nakamura
Erin Gruwell
John Hersey
Complete the matching section for the culture novel you read as well:
American Born Chinese
32. Worked hard to fit in
33. Embodied many Chinese stereotypes
34. Was not allowed in a party because
he didn’t have shoes
35. Chink-ee’s cousin
A.
B.
C.
D.
Monkey King
Jin
Danny
Chink-ee
Buried Onions
32. His truck is stolen
33. Main character’s cousin
34. The cousin’s friend
35. Paints house numbers
House on Mango Street
32. Main characters little sister
33. Buys a bike with the main character
34. Name means “hope” in
Spanish
35. Refuses to learn English
A.
B.
C.
D.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Angel
Mr. Stiles
Eddie
Jose
Esperanza
Nenny
Mamacita
Rachel
(Level 3 – Proficient)
Part III – Multiple Choice
Directions: Use the following poems and passages to respond to the following questions. On your answer
sheet, mark the letter of the best response to each question.
Grape Sherbet – Rita Dove
Freedom Writers Diary
The day? Memorial.
After the grill
Dad appeasr with his masterpiece –
swirled down, gelled light.
We cheer. The recipe’s
a secret and he fights
a smile, his cap turned up
so the bib resembles a duck.
1. “I came to school one time and
found my usual friends, and
someone was telling the others
about how they just got away with
shoplifting… They always said
that I’m such a ‘goodie two
shoes.’ One this particular day, I
felt like I should prove them
wrong. Later that night, my
family and I went shopping, and
that’s when my nightmare
started.”
Eating Together – Li-Young Lee
In the steamer is the trout
seasoned with slivers of ginger,
two sprigs of green onion, and sesame oil.
We shall eat it with rice for lunch,
brothers, sister, my mother who will
taste the sweetest meat of the head,
holding it between her fingers
deftly, the way my father did
weeks ago. Then he lay down
to sleep like a snow-covered road
winding through pines older than him,
without any travelers, and lonely for no
one.
Hiroshima – John Hersey
1.
“There, in the tin factory, in the
first moment of the atomic age, a
human being was crushed by
books.”
2.
“His [Mr. Tanimoto’s] memory,
like the rest of the world’s, was
getting spotty.”
Our Town – Thornton Wilder
“Good-by, Good-by world. Good-by,
Grover’s Corners… Mama and Papa.
Good-by to clocks ticking… and Mama’s
sunflowers. And food and coffee. And
new-ironed dresses and hot baths… and
sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re
That morning we galloped
through the grassed-over mounds
and named each stone
for a lost milk tooth. Each dallop
of sherbet, later,
is like a miracle,
like salt on a melon that makes it
sweeter.
Everyone agrees – it’s wonderful!
It’s just how we imagined lavender
would taste. The diabetic grandmother
stares from the porch.
a toruch
of pure refusal.
We thought no one was lying
there under our feet,
we thought it
was a joke. I’ve been trying
to rembmer the taste,
but it does exist.
Now I see why
you bothered
father.
2. “My father gets angry when I
spend time with her. He says,
‘Why don’t you have any black
friends?’ or ‘ So, you’re going
over to those honky’s house
again?’ Come on, who uses those
words anymore? He warned me
to watch my back because those
while people always stab you in
the back.”
3. “Throughout my life I’ve
always heard the same thing: ‘You
can’t go against your own people,
your own blood.’ It got so
engraved in my head that even as I
sat on the witness stand, I kept
thinking those same words. ‘You
can’t go against your own…’ Yet,
my so-called familia, my so-called
people, had put me in the worst
too wonderful for anybody to realize you.”
position of my life.”
36. In the poem “Eating Together” by Li-Young Lee, what does the simile in lines 9-12 tell the reader about
the speaker’s father?
a. The father passed away
b. The father left the family
c. The father is away on a business trip
d. The line is not about the speaker’s father
37. Who is the speaker of “Grape Sherbet”?
a. A young girl who is upset with her father
b. A young boy who is upset with his father
c. A person recalling childhood memories
d. A person at a family reunion with her father and sister
38. Which of the following is a metaphor from “Grape Sherbet”?
a. “Dad appears with his masterpiece – swirled snow, gelled light”
b. “Each dollop of sherbet, later, is a miracle”
c. “The diabetic grandmother stares from the porch, a torch of pure refusal”
d. “Now I see why you bothered, father”
39. In Act III of Our Town, Emily delivers the famous line from above. What things does Wilder think people take
for granted?
a. Their loved ones
b. Simple pleasures
c. Both a and b
d. He does not think people take things for granted
40. What does the 1st Freedom Writer quote show about the student who wrote it?
a. The student should go to jail
b. The student wanted to fit in
c. The student cared about her grades
d. The student is proud of what she did
41. What does the 2nd Freedom Writer quote show about Ms. Gruwell’s students?
a. Many of them come from households/neighborhoods that foster racism
b. Many of the students are racist
c. Many of the students’ teachers are racist
d. Many of the students come from unsafe home environments
42. What does the 3rd Freedom Writer quote show about the students in the book?
a. Students have high academic expectations from their parents
b. Students’ families expect them to value ideals that may require them to chose dishonestly or
illegal activities in order to show loyalty
c. Students hate their families
d. Students do not want to do well in school and only care about their lives as gang members
43. How is the 1st Hiroshima quote ironic?
a. Because she was would live to be over 100
b. Because knowledge (gained from books and studying) is partially what lead to the great destructive force
of atomic weapons
c. Because Miss Sasaki would have had a better life (gotten married, probably had children) if she had not
been trying to be smarter and have a job
d. It is not ironic
44. In the 2nd Hiroshima quote, what does the author mean? What are the memories spotty about?
a. Hersey is saying people’s memory is spotty about the horrible things the Japanese did to Americans
b. Hersey is saying people’s memory is spotty about the horrific ways Japanese-Americans were treated
c. Hersey is saying people’s memory is spotty about the tragedies that can follow the use of nuclear
weapons as many other nations have begun testing nuclear weapons for themselves
d. Hersey is simply saying that people’s memories fade as the age
Part IV – Informational Reading and Research Questions
Directions: Read the included passages on effective research practices. Then use the knowledge you gained from reading
it, to answer the questions that follow.
Title: The Real Skinny on Research Skills. By: Montet, Margaret, World & I, 08879346, Jan2006, Vol. 21,
Issue 1
Database:
Points of View Reference Center
The Real Skinny on Research Skills
Section: LIFE
What's the best way to stay ahead of the curve in school and after? Make friends with the library! Get the 411
on the tools provided by your library to save you time and unlock the gate to better grades now and to more
knowledge for a lifetime. Most of these skills you will use for school will translate to real life. Spend some time
learning them now--it's a good investment of your time.
In the world of libraries, we call the skills needed to keep pace in our information age information literacy. (See
the Association of College & Research Libraries' definition of information literacy at
http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/informationliteracy.htm.) To the student, this means:
--developing the skills you need to find information online or in the library,
--using your critical thinking skills to decide what information is reliable,
--using that information to form new knowledge ethically (write a paper or create a speech, and cite your
sources),
--simply being able to identify when you have a need for information.
These skills will serve you throughout your life in your profession, as a consumer, and with your outside
interests.
Most libraries now have online catalogs. These are simply the machines you use to find locations of items
(books, videos, CDs, maps, or bibliographic entities) in the library. Before computers, drawers full of index
cards used to be used for this purpose. Once you master the steps of looking up an item, the rest is simple. You
may learn this from a library visit with your class.
If your teachers do not spare any of their teaching time to bring you to the library, take care of this on your own.
Ask a reference librarian to show you how your library's catalog works. You will be able to find books, videos,
tapes, and any kind of material your library has available for circulation or reference. You don't have to already
know the author or title. You can search by subject or keyword. The catalog will return a description of the item
along with a call number. This is the number that the item is assigned, by topic, so that you will be able to find
it on the shelf. Public, school, and some college libraries use the Dewey Decimal System, and most colleges and
universities use the Library of Congress numbering system.
Three powerful search words
A great way to focus a search that has yielded too many items is to use Boolean search terms. This is simply
inserting the words AND, OR, or NOT between your keywords, as in
"Bees AND Honey." Here, you are telling the catalog (or search engine) to find all the books, videos, tapes, etc.
with both words, bees and honey, in the description. We can assume if a word is in the description of a
bibliography entity (book) that it is an important part of that book. This is the most focused kind of search you
can do.
When you use "Bees OR Honey," you are telling the catalog (or search engine) that you would like to see all the
bibliographic entities (books) that have the word bees or the word honey in their description. This is the leastfocused search we can do (OR is MORE!). Please note that our results will include all books with the word
honey, so any song title or place name will appear. This kind of search is handy if we know of synonyms or
alternate spellings, as in "Medieval OR Middle Ages," "Clarinet (English spelling) OR Klarinette (German
spelling)."
If you use the "Bees NOT Honey" syntax, you are telling the catalog or search engine to find all the books on
bees but not those on honey. Suppose you were a beginning beekeeper and just wanted to find out how to set up
your hives and keep your bees healthy. Much later on, you will be concerned with how to harvest the honey and
how to cook with it, but not yet. Be careful with your word order; Honey NOT Bees would be a completely
different search.
Use these search strategies in library catalogs, search engines, and the databases and indexes we will look at
next.
The newest information is found in magazines and journals. Most public, school, and college libraries have a
selection of databases and indexes for accessing articles in all types of magazines and journals. These tools
work very much the same way as the library catalog and may even be found on the same computer workstation.
You can search by author, keyword or subject, and also limit your search to specific periodicals or dates. There
will most likely be a simple search and an advanced search option. Practice with the simple search before
placing too many limits on your search, or "query." If you get too fancy with your search right away, you may
eliminate articles (or hits) that may have been helpful.
If your library's periodical index provides full-text articles, you will be able to accomplish a lot of reading
without leaving your chair. When you find articles that are relevant to your topic, take a look at the citation (the
bibliographical information and descriptive stuff) to see how it has been classified. There may be other useful
search terms. Remember to use the Boolean search terms described above to focus your search. (Try searching
"Whales AND Tourism." Try "Child AND Care AND Economics.")
If you are writing a paper or composing a speech, the information in the citation is what you need to give proper
credit to the author. Be meticulous with this. Consult a style manual such as the MLA Handbook or the
American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual for an appropriate format. If you find an article
that has only a citation and no full text, check to see if your library can get the article for you through
interlibrary loan, or if they can find another library that subscribes to that periodical.
Your teacher may require you to use only peer-reviewed journal articles for your research papers. This means
that you are to use only scholarly journals, or the very serious-looking publications where top-notch scholars vie
for space. Professors who wish to remain professors must publish frequently. (You've probably heard the saying
"Publish or perish!") There is a lot of competition to get published in these journals, and only the best articles
are allowed in. Check the database that you are using to see if there is a way to limit your search results to peerreviewed journals only. This is advanced work and may be hard to read, but the first-rate material will be worth
the effort.
Searching the Internet
Now let's consider the World Wide Web. We are all lifelong learners and new learning opportunities are easily
found online. This may mean attending seminars at a library, museum, or bookstore to enhance learning and
finding information online. Or, it could mean accessing reading material online, or joining an online book
discussion group. You may want to go online simply to check a movie time, the weather, or to read the latest
news. What about when you need to use online information for a school assignment? Would you trust what you
find on the World Wide Web? There is a lot of good information online, but there is also a lot of junk.
First, type a search term into one of the popular search engines. Now consider the results. Look at the Web
pages (hits) that have been returned. Is there an author listed somewhere on the site? Does the author list contact
information? Is there a date when this information was posted? Is the text on the page trying to sell you
something or some idea? How is it written? Are there grammatical or spelling mistakes? Is it aimed at children
or experts on the subject?
Look at the ending of the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or the Web site's address near the top of the page. If
it ends in ".com" it is probably trying to sell you something. If it ends in ".edu" it may be good material, but it
could be some nine-year-old's science report. Some educational institutions give their students Web space to
post articles. What if this nine-year-old got a D-? Would you feel comfortable using that information for a
school project?
A great place to find reliable Web sites is the Librarians' Internet Index or www.lii.org. This site was created by
librarians in California who pulled together all of the Web sites they had been recommending to their patrons
and classified the sites by topic. Type in <www.LII.org>. Once the page loads, you may either type a subject
term into the search box or click on the subjects provided until you get a list of Web sites. After you find Web
sites that correspond to your search query, check to see if they supply links. Usually the owners of the original
site are happy to share sources of similar information.
Please remember that the World Wide Web is different from those databases (the indexes to articles) that we
looked at earlier. There is a lot of confusion about this. The World Wide Web is an unorganized, unedited
collection of reliable and unreliable information. You must use your critical thinking skills to sift through it.
(Think of a huge, messy room with books and other materials all over the floor.) The databases mentioned
above are carefully selected by the professional librarians employed by your library and the material presented
has been edited and published by reputable sources! (Think of a neatly organized room where the books and
other materials are easy to find.)
Familiarize yourself with library services. If your library does not own the specific book for which you are
looking, or if the database does not provide full text for an article of interest, it can probably be obtained for
you. Ask the reference librarian. The book may be obtained through interlibrary loan (ILL). You don't need to
know what library has the book, but you must supply the librarian with the author and title. Please remember
that no matter where the book comes from, your librarian will not be able to guarantee an arrival date. Avoid
waiting until the last minute to make your request!
Next time you are watching television, notice all of the ways characters on your favorite shows are using
research skills: detectives, vampire slayers, advertisers, doctors, and of course, students. Don't forget the writers
of these television shows had to do research, too. Practice these skills now and they will be yours for a lifetime,
no matter where your career takes you.
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL
We need to talk about academic integrity. This means using the information you find ethically. Most people
think plagiarism is when you copy the words verbatim of another without giving credit. This is true, but you are
also plagiarizing when you steal their ideas! I actually overheard this comment in the library one day: "I got
points taken off my paper because I didn't cite this information. I thought I didn't have to cite it if I changed
some of the words."
Whenever you use the words or ideas of another, you must give them credit. This means using a footnote or
endnote to state where you found the information and who thought of it. There are different methods ("style
manuals") to do this, so check with your teacher to see which they prefer. Reference copies (books that must
stay in the library so that everyone can use them) of these can usually be found near the reference desk of your
library. Again, ask your librarian.
If you don't want your grade to plummet, DON'T buy a term paper online or anywhere else. There are many
disreputable people out there who will try to tell you that buying a term paper is perfectly legal. It may be legal
to purchase the thing, but it is not legal to present it as your own work. If you think your teacher won't notice,
think again. There are many tricks to detect plagiarism, including some very savvy computer programs. Don't
take the chance.
~~~~~~~~
By Margaret Montet
Margaret Montet is a freelance author based in Hamilton, New Jersey.
Copyright of World & I is the property of News World Communications, Inc. and its content may not be copied
or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission.
However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
(Level 2 Basic { 45, 50-55 } & 3 Proficient { 46-49, } items mixed in
45. According to the article, when will having strong library and research skills be valuable to students?
a. Never
b. While in high school and college
c. In real life (life outside of school)
d. Both b and c
46. If a students were to type in “Hiroshima and radiation” into a search engine, the results yielded would include:
a. Entries that have information about Hiroshima but not radiation (having very few results)
b. Entries that have information about Hiroshima or entries that have radiation (this will have many results)
c. Entries that have information about Hiroshima and radiation (having fewer results)
d. This is not a valid way to search for information
47. If a students were to type in “Hiroshima or radiation” into a search engine, the results yielded would include:
a. Entries that have information about Hiroshima but not radiation (having very few results)
b. Entries that have information about Hiroshima or entries that have radiation (this will have many results)
c. Entries that have information about Hiroshima and radiation (having fewer results)
d. This is not a valid way to search for information
48. If a students were to type in “Hiroshima not radiation” into a search engine, the results yielded would include:
a. Entries that have information about Hiroshima but not radiation (having very few results)
b. Entries that have information about Hiroshima or entries that have radiation (this will have many results)
c. Entries that have information about Hiroshima and radiation (having fewer results)
d. This is not a valid way to search for information
49. Burke High School has access to online databases like NebraskAccess and Ebsco. The suggestion in the article to
students when using these kinds of databases is to:
a. Start with simple searches so that articles that could possibly be helpful aren’t excluded
b. Start with a complex search entry so that articles that could possibly be helpful aren’t excluded
c. Do not use them because there are better search engines
d. Only old information will be available through these search engines
50. What does the author of the article say about citations?
a. There is more than one method teachers may require for citing articles
b. Students can consult an MLA Handbook for help when attempting to cite sources
c. Both of the above
d. Citations are not important
51. What does the author say about information on the World Wide Web?
a. All of it is reliable
b. URL’s followed by a “.com” are likely from educational cites
c. URL’s followed by a “.edu” are probably from sources trying to sell things
d. The World Wide Web is a less organized way of looking for information than the online databases the
school can provide students access to
52. When using search engines that search everything available on the World Wide Web, what does the author
suggest students use?
a. Google – it is very easy to use
b. Wikipedia – it almost functions like formal search engines
c. Critical thinking – students must learn to evaluate the quality of sources
d. Gut feelings – by the time students are in high school or college, they usually have natural abilities to
evaluate sources
53. The author noted that when watching television, she has noticed the following using effective research skills:
a. Detectives
b. Advertisers
c. Vampire slayers
d. All of the above
54. According to the author, which of the following is plagiarism?
a. Stealing someone’s words verbatim
b. Stealing someone’s ideas or words verbatim
c. Stealing someone’s ideas
d. Copying and pasting an entire article
55. According to the article, why is it a bad idea to buy college term papers on the internet?
a. It is illegal to purchase them
b. They may have low quality
c. It is not legal to present someone else’s work as your own
d. It is more difficult for the teacher to grade the material
Level 2
Level 3
Part V – Essay
Directions: Choose ONE of the following questions to answer in a five-paragraph essay.
When you are done writing your essay, you will need to UNDERLINE YOUR THESIS
TWICE, UNDERLINE each TOPIC SETENCE ONCE, and *PUT A STAR BY EACH
SPECIFIC DETAIL THAT SUPPORTS* your topic sentences. Be sure that no matter which
question you choose to respond that you not only include your personal opinion about the topic,
but you also use evidence from literature read in class to support your opinion – this will assess
your writing skills as well as your reading skills.
Level 4 - Advanced
A. How are identities formed? Consider how a person’s/character’s culture, friends, family,
etc. affect who he/she will become. You need to use details from at least two different
pieces of literature read this semester in class.
B. How is a person’s culture important to his/her identity? How does their culture shape
their personality, their moral beliefs, how they act, etc. You need to use details from at
least two different pieces of literature read this semester in class.
C. How does someone’s relationships affect who he/she is? How does his/her family teach
them values? How does his/her friends influence them? Who else influences someone’s
personality? Think about who has power/influence in a person’s life. You need to use
details from at least two different pieces of literature read this semester in class.