Benchmark #3 Review Guide
English 10
Format
Part I = Two page cold read of “Rooftops of Tehran” excerpt from a short story with 10 multiple choice
and 1 open-ended.
Part II = Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream, three-page speech with 10 multiple choice and 1 openended.
Part III = 5-paragraph Argumentative Essay
Open ended Tips:
•
Make sure to answer each bullet point fully (remember, each short answer question is two parts).
•
Your answer should be 2 paragraphs, one for each bullet! Open- ended questions that are sparse
will receive low scores.
•
Each paragraph within the short answer response should contain one quote from the passage as
textual support (one quote per paragraph).
•
To score a 4, you should draw a conclusion above and beyond the text.
Multiple Choice Tips:
•
Preview the questions ahead of time.
•
Mark the text as you read.
•
Read all answer choices carefully; do not immediately select what you think is the answer
without reading all choices.
•
Eliminate wrong answers.
•
Make your best guess; do not second guess yourself.
Key Skills:
1) Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text.
2) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course
of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an
objective summary of the text.
3) Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop
over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the
theme.
4) Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and
tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal
tone).
5) Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g.,
parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery,
tension, or surprise.
Grammar skills:
Word choice: Use a more sophisticated words like “things” instead of “stuff.” High-order vocabulary
words are expected in your writing.
Structure: Do not use contractions within formal writing. Be sure to write out all numbers under 100.
Incorrect: I can’t go bowling tonight ‘cause my parents won’t let me.
Correct: I can not go bowling tonight because my parents will not let me.
Literary elements/Rhetorical Devices:
Metaphor—direct comparison of two unlike things, without using the words “like” or “as.”
Example: “The store is a church.”
Allusion—a reference to something notable (famous) in history, literature, religion, or mythology.
Example: “I bet you can guess who the Einstein of our class is.”
Mood— the atmosphere of a literary piece. It evokes certain feelings from the reader through words and
descriptions.
Example: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…”
The mood is mysterious: things are hidden and puzzling. The reader really doesn’t know
what is going on, until later in the piece.
Argument Essay Writing Organization Models to Consider
Model 1
Introduction Paragraph with Thesis statement
Body Paragraph 1: First major claim with supporting evidence and examples
Body Paragraph 2: Second major claim with supporting evidence and examples
Body Paragraph 3: Counterclaim ---> Refutation with third major claim and evidence/examples
Conclusion Paragraph
Model 2
Introduction Paragraph with Thesis statement
Body Paragraph 1: Counterclaim ---> Refutation with first major claim and evidence/examples
Body Paragraph 2: Second major claim with supporting evidence and examples
Body Paragraph 3: Third major claim with supporting evidence and examples
Conclusion Paragraph
Model 3
Introduction Paragraph with Thesis statement
Body Paragraph 1: Counterclaim 1 ---> Refutation with claim and evidence/examples
Body Paragraph 2: Counterclaim 2 ---> Refutation with claim and evidence/examples
Body Paragraph 3: Counterclaim 3 ---> Refutation with claim and evidence/examples
Conclusion Paragraph
Counterclaim Paragraph Structure
1. Introduce the Opposing Argument: The writer summarizes the opposition's viewpoint
openly and honestly.
2. Acknowledge parts of the opposition that are valid: The writer acknowledges that some of
the opposition's claims may be valid, but the writer still shows that his own claims are stronger.
The strength of the writer's claims are more convincing than the opposing viewpoints. A writer
might explain the opposition's weakest points, contrasting them with his argument's strongest
points.
3. Counter the Argument: Introduce the rebuttal of the concession argument. The writer refutes
(proves wrong) the opposition's claims showing they are incorrect or inconsequential--not a real
problem.
Key Terms/Documents:
“I Have a Dream”
-
Civil Rights Movement
-
Manacles
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Emancipation Proclamation
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Inextricably
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“Gettysburg Address”
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Architects
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Abraham Lincoln
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Degenerate
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The Declaration of Independence
and The Constitution
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Promissory Note
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Perverse
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Languishing
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Parallel Structure
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Withering
“Rooftops of Tehran”
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Vignettes
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Marxism
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Officious
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Psychoanalysis
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Poachers
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Buddhism
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Pin-prick
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Unabashedly
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Engineer
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Preparatory School
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Agricultural
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Serenity
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Discrepancy
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Tempered