Honors English 10 Final Exam Review
I.
Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
A.
B.
Title
1.
2.
From a Robert Burns poem, “To A Mouse”
Encapsulates the idea of man and nature being
one
3. “Gang aft agley”
Important Characters
1. George – small and scrawny; he is Lennie’s selfappointed caretaker and travels with Lennie from
ranch to ranch as they attempt to avoid the
consequences of Lennie’s earnest mistakes.
Tends to be sharp and doesn’t believe in the
dream that he tells Lennie to keep him going.
When Lennie kills Curley’s wife on accident,
a. Dream: To be free of Lennie and able to live
his own life (marriage, property, etc.)
2. Lennie – a big man with the mentality of a child,
Lennie depends on George to survive. He has a
habit of getting into trouble (touching a girl’s soft
dress in Weed, freezing when touching Curley’s
wife’s hair, etc.) and always needs George to
protect him.
a. Dream: To have a farm with George,
raise animals, and live off of the “fatta
the lan’”.
3. Curley – the son of the man who owns the ranch
that George and Lennie find work at, Curley is a
small man with a Napoleon complex. Because
Lennie bests him several times during his short
time at the ranch, Curley becomes determined to
show Lennie up and prove that he is the “real”
biggest man. He also sees his wife as a trophy
wife and only married her for her looks. Gets his
hand crushed by Lennie when he tries to attack
him.
a. Dream: To be the alpha dog, complete with
underlings and a beautiful wife.
4. Candy – was going to buy an old ranch with
George and Lennie. Candy is older and had a dog
that he had herded sheep with when he had
owned his own land and had a farm. Now that the
dog has grown old, he is bullied into letting the
5.
6.
7.
other men shoot the dog, a decision he regrets
later.
a. Dream: To own his own land and be able to
shepherd again with the young dog he used
to love.
Slim – the true alpha dog on the ranch; all the
men look to him for leadership and he is the only
one brave enough to stand up to Curley’s bullying.
a. Dream: Slim was living his dream and
content where he was.
Crooks – the black ranch hand. He grew up living
off of the land and playing with the white children
he lived by; after getting older and entering the
real, racist world, he became scornful and bitter,
but appreciates the companionship of Lennie,
even if Lennie is oftentimes distracted by other
thoughts.
a. Dream: Crooks has already lived his dream
in his childhood and, while he still wants it,
is more fearful of losing it again now that
he has lost it once.
Curley’s Wife – treated with suspicion by the rest
of the ranch, she feels lonely and just wants to
talk to someone, although the men accuse her of
having “the eye” and making moves. When
Lennie appears willing to speak with her, she
eagerly tells him about how she fell in love with a
man who could get her into Hollywood but left
her, leaving her in what she implies is an unhappy
marriage to Curley. She offers him the chance to
feel the softness of her hair and soon grows
fearful; screaming until Lennie accidentally breaks
her neck.
a. Dream: To be a star and have all of the
luxuries that fame offers.
C. Setting
1. Salinas, California
a. Avocado capital of the world
2. Great Depression
a. 1929-1940
b. Shift in the American Dream
Pre-Depresion:
i.
Education
ii.
Home
iii.
Family
iv.
Good job
Depression-era:
i.
Survive
c. Psychological Harm done to American Men
i.
Puritan purpose was to work
ii.
Idleness was the work of the devil
iii.
Unable to provide for their families,
men felt worthless and degraded
iv.
Spike in the numbers of men who
committed suicide and left their
families.
D. Plot
1.
2.
II.
George and Lennie come to the ranch in the
Salinas River Valley in search of work after fleeing
from their last place of employment due to
Lennie’s childish antics. They encounter a slew of
miserable souls, all chasing a dream they can’t
quite reach or mourning a lost dream that they
can’t retrieve. The other noticeable presence on
the ranch is Curley’s wife, a lonely newlywed
accused of having “the eye” by the men, who
have been intimidated by Curley’s boisterous
bullying since the union. When Lennie
accidentally kills Curley’s wife, George takes
Lennie into the woods where the book begins and
shoots him while telling him of their dream – a
farm where they can be self-sustaining and avoid
the world – in order to protect Lennie from the
furious mob Curley is leading after Lennie.
Tragedy (Greek Tragedy)
a. Character’s downfall is caused by his or her
own personal flaws.
Arthurian Legend (Countless People)
A.
Important Characters
1. King Arthur – son of King Uther Pendragon and
Queen Igraine, Arthur was raised by Sir Ector. He
was acting as foster brother Sir Kay’s page when
he pulled the sword Caeldfwunch out of the stone
and became King of England (“I am King of the
Britons!”). Married Guinevere and established the
Knights of the Round Table. The sword Excalibur
was given to him by the Lady in the Lake.
2.
B.
Sir Lancelot – King Arthur’s right hand man and
Knight of the Round Table, Lancelot betrayed
Arthur’s trust and sent England into a state of
famine and drought when he had an affair with
the Queen.
3. Guinevere – wife of Arthur, she failed to produce
an heir to his throne and had an affair with
Lancelot. After the paramours were discovered,
she retired to a convent and became a nun.
4. Merlin – wizard who aided Arthur and King Uther
in their political and romantic lives.
5. Morgan Le Fay – ruler of Avalon, who had healing
powers and was sometimes depicted to have
learned magical powers from Merlin.
6. Mordred – Arthur’s illegitimate son with Morgause
who, depending on the version of the legend,
either kills Arthur or steals Arthur’s kingdom from
him when Arthur is away.
7. King Uther – falls in love with Igraine but cannot
convince her to leave her husband; he has his
officers mount an attack on the castle that the
Duke is at and, with the help of Merlin, appears to
Igraine in the likeness of her husband. When her
husband is killed, Igraine marries Uther and their
child is Arthur.
8. Significant Knights of the Round Table:
a. Sir Bedivere
b. Sir Bors
c. Sir Ector
d. Sir Galahad
e. Sir Gawain
f. Sir Lancelot
g. Sir Lionel
h. Sir Tristan/Tristam
i. Sir Mordred
j. Sir Percival
k. King Pellinore
Legends read in class
1. The Once and Future King – T.S. Elliot
2. The Passing of Arthur – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
3. L’Morte de Arthur – Thomas Malory
4. Sir Lancelot du Lac – Thomas Percy
III. Night (Elie Wiesel)
A.
Characters
1.
2.
3.
4.
B.
Craft
1.
2.
IV.
Eliezer – narrator and protagonist. When he
arrived at Auschwitz, he was given the ID “A7713”. Stayed by his father’s side during their
imprisonment and lost his mother and sister when
they first arrived. While the book is mostly
autobiographical, Eliezer is not the same person
as Elie Wiesel.
Meir Katz – an enormous man that Eliezer and his
father know at Birkenau and Buna; he believed
that if they were to die, it should be sooner rather
than later.
Akiba Drumer – bunks with Eliezer; he believes
that God is testing them, to see their reactions,
and that they are deeply loved by God.
Josef Mengele – surgeon at Auschwitz who
performed experimental and painful surgeries,
such as trying to change a person’s eye color and
experimentation on twins.
Uses understatement to force the reader to
consider what they would do if they were placed in
Eliezer’s situation.
Plain words and sentence structure, with big
impact.
C. Setting
1. Eliezer’s hometown is Sighet, Transylvania
2. 1942-1945
3. Concentration camps:
a. Auschwitz
b. Buna
c. Birkenau
d. Buchenwald
Writing
A.
V.
Attention Getters
1. Anecdote
2. Quote
3. Definition
4. Rhetorical Question
B. Thesis Statement (Fact and opinion)
C. Topic Sentence (Point and Thesis connection)
D. MLA Citation
Poetry
A.
Form
1.
Stanza
2. Lines
3. White Space
4. End-stopped
5. Run-on/enjamblement
B. Craft
1. Figurative Language
2. Onomatopoeias
3. Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance
4. Etc.
C. Musicality
1. Metrics
2. Timing
3. Caesuras
4. How does it sound?
D. Interpreting Poetic Language
1. Poetically: “pity this busy monster,
manunkind,/not” (E.E. Cummings)
2. Prosaically: “do not pity this busy monster,
manunkind”
3. Layman’s terms: “do not pity this busy, unkind
monster, man”
E. Periods
1. Traditional (pre-1900): Nature Image and Moral
2. Modern (1900-1950): Image
3. Contemporary (1950-1990): Sex and violence
4. Post-Contemporary (1990-Now): Brutal honesty
F. Terminology
1. Blank verse – unrhymed iambic pentameter
2. Consonance – repetition of ending consonant
sounds
3. Denotation – literal dictionary definition of a word
4. Assonance – repetition of beginning vowel sounds
5. Alliteration – repetition of beginning consonant
sounds
6. Paradox – contradictory statements (grander scale
than oxymorons or irony)
7. Meter – pattern of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line
8. Connotation – contextual meaning of a word or
phrase
9. Form – structure that serves as the foundation for
meter and musicality
10. Sarcasm – bitter or cutting speech intended to
cause pain to the person being addressed
VI.
11. Caesura – a natural pause caused by the way we
speak (you up, Joyce Chang, etc.)
12. Free Verse – poem with no structural rules
13. Onomatopoeia – words that imitate sounds
14. Also know…
a. Run-on Line – no ending punctuation
b. End-stopped Line – line that ends with a
period, exclamation mark, question mark, etc.
c. Personification – the application of human
attributes to human (and usually inanimate)
objects
d. Metaphor
e. Irony – Difference between expectation and
outcome
f. Symbolism
g. Stress
h. Stanza
i. Imagery
G. Poems examined
1. “On Turning Ten” – Billy Collins
2. “The Art Of Drowning” – Billy Collins
3. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” – Emily
Dickinson
Antigone (Sophocles)
A.
B.
Setting
1. Ancient Greece
a. Thebes
Important Characters
1. Antigone – sister of Ismene, daughter of Oedipus.
Attempts to bury her brother Polynieces, who led
an army on Thebes during a war with her brother
Etocles and has been declared a traitor by uncle
and new ruler Creon, and is arrested. Creon
sentences her to death and she hangs herself in
her cell, as he is about to declare her release.
Betrothed to Haimon, Creon’s son.
2. Ismene – Antigone’s sister. She warns Antigone
not to bury Polynieces and instead obey Creon’s
laws, but, when Antigone is arrested, stands by
her sister’s side. She is first arrested, and then
released.
3. Creon – Antigone’s uncle and new ruler of Thebes.
He declares that any man who attempts to bury
the “traitor” Polynieces will be sentenced to death
4.
5.
6.
C. Plot
1.
2.
IV.
and refuses to swallow his pride when Antigone is
found to be the one who buried him. Antigone’s
sentencing sets off a chain reaction of suicides,
causing him to lose his niece, son, and wife.
Oedipus – Antigone’s father. He married
Antigone’s mother, only to find out years later
that she was also his mother; he commits suicide
because of the disgrace the knowledge brings him
and his family.
Haimon – Creon’s son and Antigone’s betrothed.
He attempts to defend Antigone and persuade
Creon with sturdy logic but fails. When he learns
of Antigone’s suicide, he stabs himself.
Etocles and Polynieces – Antigone’s brothers.
Polynieces wages a war on Thebes and Etocles
defends the city. After the brothers kill
themselves, Creon gives Etocles a hero’s burial
and leaves Polynieces’ body to rot.
Creon is the new king
Polynieces and Etocles are brothers, sons of
Oedipus, who kill each other.
a. Polynieces led an army on Thebes
3. Creon decrees that Polynieces is not to receive
funeral rites.
4. Antigone buries Polynieces despite Ismene’s
disapproval
5. Antigone is caught and sentenced to death
6. Haimon attempts to convince his father that he
should relent, but is shot down and promises his
own death in retaliation to Antigone’s death
7. Tiresias comes with a message of warning.
8. Creon accuses him of being for sale
9. Tiresias tears Creon to shreds with a prophesy of
DOOM
10. Creon freaks out and tries to fix everything
11. Antigone hangs herself
12. Haimon finds her and kills himself with a sword
13. Euridice hears about everything and stabs herself
in the heart with a knife
14. Creon feels really bad and wants to kill himself
15. The End 
Julius Caesar
A. Setting
IV.
1. Ancient Greece
2. Begins in 44 BCE
B. Important Characters
1. Julius Caesar – Ruler of Rome and last surviving
member of his triumvirate. Because his trusted
friend Brutus and other conspirators fear he may
soon be king – he had already thrice been offered
the crown – they assassinate him in the Senate
building. Husband of Calphurnia and uncle of
Octavius.
2. Marcus Brutus – A friend of Caesar who is coerced
into leading the conspirators against Caesar by
Cassius, his shrewd but unpopular brother-in-law.
After many poor decisions in a position of
leadership, he prepares to lead an army against
the forces of Octavius, but impales himself upon
his own sword when he learns of Cassius’ suicide.
Husband of Portia.
3. Caius Cassius – Convinces Brutus to lead a
rebellion against Caesar in attempts to seize
leadership of Rome, although he must maneuver
from the proverbial backseat, as he is largely
disliked and distrusted. He believes more
strongly in the cause than any of the other
conspirators, but commits suicide when he
believes that his endeavors have left good friend
Titanius dead. Brother of Portia.
4. Marcus Antony – Caesar’s trusted confidant, who,
after forming a new triumvirate after Caesar’s
death, drives Rome into ruin and leads armies
against Cassius and Brutus’ forces.
5. New Triumvirate
b. Antony
c. Octavius Caesar
d. Lepidus
6. Conspirators
a. Brutus
b. Cassius
c. Trebonius
d. Ligarius
e. Decius Brutus
f. Metellus Cimber
g. Cinna
Anthem (Ayn Rand)
A.
V.
Objectivism
1. Ayn Rand’s philosophy
2. Encourages emphasis on external things instead
of thoughts or emotions in literature and art
3. Stresses the superiority of the individual over
society.
B. Setting
1. Futuristic society
2. Totalitarian governmental rule
C. Characters
1.
Equality 7-2521 – challenges the confines of
society after discovering electricity. Adopts the
name Prometheus and “marries” Liberty 5-3000.
2.
Liberty 5-3000 – works in the fields and
accompanies Equality when he flees society. He
names her Gaia, although he also calls her the
Golden One.
Vocabulary
A. Mythology
16. Calypso – A sea nymph who entertained Odysseus
on her island for seven years
17. Odyssey – a long journey that alters the journeyer
18. Palladium - safeguard
19. Penelope – loyal woman
20. Procrustean – producing strict conformity by
ruthless or arbitrary means
21. Protean – readily assuming different shapes or
forms
22. Sibyl – female oracle or prophetess
23. Siren – a dangerously seductive woman
24. Augean stable – Hercules’ task, marked by filth
25. Croesus – rich person
26. Dragon’s teeth – seeds of conflict
27. Hades – death
28. Lethargic – sluggish
29. Midas Touch – ability to make money always
30. Pyrrhic Victory – victory at heavy cost
31. Stygian – accumulation of filth
32. Achilles heel – seemingly small but mortal
weakness
33. Arcadia – geographic area
34. Cassandra – someone who makes predictions
which are never believed but turn out to be true
35. Cyclopean – style of masonry where walls are
fitted together of huge irregular stones
36. Draconian – very severe, oppressive, or strict
37. Myrmidon – one of a fierce tribe or troop
38. Nemesis – principle of retributive justice
39. Trojan Horse – subversive person or device placed
within the ranks of the enemy
40. Cynosure – Ursa Minor
41. Aeolian Harp – harp with strings tuned in unison
42. Laconic – using as few words as possible to
communicate lots of information
43. Mnemonic – anything used to help remember
something
44. Platonic – mutual
45. Sapphic – relating to lesbianism
46. Solecism – error in the use of language
D. “Curr/Curs” – to run
1. Concurrent – simultaneous
2. Cursory –brief or broad
3. Discursive – using reason and argument rather
than intuition
4. Precursor – an indicator of approaching events
E. “Ped” – foot
1. Expedient – a simple or quick method
2. Expedite – the accelerate the process of
something
3. Impediment – an obstacle to progress
4. Pedestrian – ordinary or everyday
F. “Flect/Flex” – to bend
1. Deflect – to deviate from the original path
2. Flexor – a muscle whose contractions act to bend
a joint or limb
3. Genuflect – to bend the knee in servitude or
worship, grovel
4. Inflection – turning away from a straight course
G. “Post” – after or behind
1. Posterior – located behind or near the rear of an
object
2. Posthumous – taking place after one’s death
3. Postmodern – any piece of art, architecture, or
literature that reacts against an earlier modernism
4. Postmortem – occurring or done after death
H. “Prot/Proto” – first in time or first formed
1. Protagonist – main character in a literary work
2.
Protocol – rule which guides how an activity
should be performed
3. Protoplasm – the cytoplasm and nucleus of a cell
4. Prototype – original object that acts as the basis
for other objects
I. “Ante” – before or in front of
1. Antechamber – small room used as an entryway
to a larger room
2. Antedate – to occur before an event or time; to
backdate
3. Ante Meridiem – before noon, A.M.
4. Anterior – before in place; nearer to the front
J. “Orth/Ortho” – straight, right, or true
1. Orthodontics – area of dentistry concerned with
correcting misaligned teeth
2. Orthodox – conforming to established, accepted or
traditional faith or religion
3. Orthopedics – branch of medicine dealing with the
prevention or correction of disorders of the bones
4. Orthography – the study of correct spelling
K. Mal” – bad
1. Malevolent – having or displaying ill will
2. Malicious –the willful or will-less behavior of one
who hurts others in a mean-spirited fashion
3. Malign –to make false defamatory statements
about someone
4. Malnourished – fed too little to obtain the
nutrients required to sustain life
L. “Cata” – down
1. Catacomb – underground system of tunnels and
chambers with recesses for graves
2. Catalyst – something that speeds up a reaction or
event
3. Catatonic – suffering from mental illness
M. Latin Terms
1. A fortiori – with greater reason or more convincing
force
2. A posteriori – from the latter
3. A priori – from the former
4. Bona fide – in good faith, without fraud or deceit
5. Carpe diem – seize the day
6. Caveat emptor – let the buyer beware, without a
warranty
7.
N.
O.
G.
H.
I.
J.
Corpus delicti – fundamental fact necessary to
prove guilt of a crime
8. Curriculum vitae – short account of one’s career
and qualifications
“Rog” – to ask
1. Abrogate – to treat as nonexistent
2. Arrogate – To claim without justification, in the
name of another
3. Derogatory – expressive of a low opinion
4. Prerogative – exclusive or special right, power, or
privilege
“Quis” – to seek or obtain
1. Inquisition – official inquiry before a jury
2. Perquisite – gain or profit incidental to regular
salary or wages
3. Acquisitive – strongly desirous of possessing
4. Requisition – act of requiring someone to perform
an act
“Err” – to wander or stray
1. Aberrant – deviating from the ordinary or normal
way
2. Errant – straying outside of the established limits
3. Erratic – unsteady and prone to sudden changes
4. Erroneous – inaccurate
“Ced/Cess” – to go or proceed
1. Accede – to arrive; to enter upon an office or
dignity
2. Antecedent – earlier either in time or order
3. Concession – the act of conceding defeat
4. Precedent – an act in the past which may be used
as an example to help decide the outcome of
similar instances in the future.
“Vid/Vis” – relating to seeing or sight
1. Visage – countenance or appearance
2. Vis-à-vis – face-to-face
3. Visionary – Having vision or foresight; imaginary
or illusory
4. Visitation – an official visit to expect or examine
something.
“Spic/Spec” – to look or behold
1. Auspicious – of good omen, conducive to success
2. Conspicuous – obvious or easily noticeable
3.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
Introspection – the act or process of selfexamination; the cognition which the mand has of
its own acts and states
4. Perspicacious – having the power of seeing or
understanding clearly
“Voc/Vok” – speaking, calling, or use of voice
1. Equivocate – to express one’s opinions in terms
which admit of different senses, with intent to
deceive
2. Irrevocable – Unable to be retracted or reversed;
final
3. Provoke – to bring about a reaction
4. Vociferous – clamorous or noisy
“Phon” – sound
1. Cacophony – a mix of discordant sounds
2. Phonetic – relating to the sounds of spoken
language
3. Polyphonic – having two or more independent but
harmonic melodies
4. Symphony – an extended piece of music in three
or more movements for a full orchestra
“Cur” – to care for
1. Curative – possessing the power to heal or treat
illness
2. Curator – person who manages, administers, or
organizes a collection
3. Procure – to acquire or an item, sometimes rare
and usually by extra effort
4. Sinecure – a position that requires no work but
still gives a payment
“Tend/Tent” – to stretch, extend, or spread
1. Contentious – marked by heated arguments or
controversy
2. Distend – to expand from internal pressure; swell
3. Portend – to serve as a warning or omen
4. Tendentious – having a partisan, biased, or
prejudiced opinion
“Pend/Pens” – to hand, weigh, or cause to hang down
1. Appendage – external body part that projects
from the body
2. Expend – To spend or disperse money; to
consume or exhaust some resource
3. Propensity – tendency, preference, or attraction
P.
Q.
R.
S.
T.
U.
V.
4. Stipend – a fixed payment, generally small and
occurring at regular intervals
“Pan” – Completely, whole, or general
1. Panacea – healing through herbs
2. Pandemonium – tumultuous or lawless gathering
3. Panegyric – formal speech or opus publicly
praising someone or something
4. Panoply – A splendid display of something
“Extra” – beyond usual or routine territory
1. Extrapolate – to infer by extending known information
2. Extrovert – One who is outgoing, sociable, or
concerned with outer affairs
3. Extraneous – not belonging to, or dependent upon, a
thing
“Phos/Phot” – light
1. Phosphorescent – having the property of emitting
light for a period of time after the source of excitation
is taken away
2. Photogenic – generated or caused by light
3. Photon – The quantum of electromagnetic energy
“Luc” – light; to shine or glitter
1. Elucidate – to make clear or obvious
2. Lucent – translucent, emitting light
3. Lucubration – intense or prolonged study or
meditation
4. Translucent – allowing light to pass through but
scattering as it does
“Mort/Mor” – to die or death
1. Immortality – not susceptible to death
2. Mortibund – approaching death
3. Mortician – an undertaker or funeral director
4. Mortify – to discipline oneself by suppressing desires
“Nec/nie/nox” – having to do with death and dying
1. Internecine – mutually destructive
2. Necrosis – the localized death of cells or tissues
through injury or disease
3. Noxious – unpleasant and possibly harmful fumes
4. Pernicious – causing death or injury
“Her/Hes” – to stick or get stuck
1. Adherent – a person with a membership to a group,
association, or religion
2. Cohesion – sticking together
3. Incoherent – unable to be understood
4. Inherent – a natural part or consequence of something
W. “Fug” – to flee
1. Centrifugal – tending or causing to recede from the
center
2. Fugitive – person who is fleeing or escaping from
something
3. Fugue – contrapuntal piece of music wherein a
particular melody is played in a number of voices
4. Subterfuge – indirect or deceptive device or staragem
X. “Cosm” – ornament and order
1. Cosmetic – external or superficial
2. Cosmology – the study of the physical universe, its
structure, dynamics, origin, evolution, and fate
3. Cosmopolitan – composed of people from all over the
world
4. Cosmos – an ordered, harmonious whole
Y. “Sci” – to know or understand
1. Conscientious – thorough, careful, or vigilant
2. Omniscience – the capacity to know everything
3. Prescient – possessing, exhibiting, or relating to
foresight
4. Unconscionable – unscrupulous and lacking in
principles