STUDY GUIDE FOR FINAL EXAMINATION:
ENGLISH III, LEVEL II
Warren Hills Regional High School, Washington, New Jersey
June 2011
This Study Guide is designed to prepare Level II students for final examinations at the end of
the 2010-2011 school year. Each student will have two hours to write five one-page essays.
The topics of these essays will be chosen from among 11 topics offered to the students on the
day of the exam. Each student must pre-write for each topic in order to receive 5 points;
webbing, lists, outlines, free-writing, and Venn diagrams are acceptable pre-writing options.
Formal essay style must be used for all essays. Students should include details from the
literature to support their views.
Point Values: The total value of this final examination is 100 points. Each of the five topics is
worth 20 points (including the 5 points for pre-writing). Do not answer a question by simply
re-telling what happens in a piece of literature.
Pre-Writing Strategies: Students studied pre-writing options in January while preparing for
the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). A multi-page handout was distributed to
each student and discussed in class. Students also practiced pre-writing strategies in a final
unit exam on the legend of King Arthur. I plan to reacquaint students with pre-writing
strategies prior to the final exam.
The Anglo-Saxon Period
Anglo-Saxon literature…
 This form of literature began with spoken verse and incantations.
 It was carried down over time through oral tradition (used caesuras, kennings, assonance, and
alliteration to make it easier to remember).
 Anglo-Saxons were a seafaring people.
 For some, the sea was considered “home.”
 Others viewed Heaven as the ultimate “home.”
 To the Anglo-Saxons, a warrior viewed himself as the follower of a particular lord or king, and
not a citizen of a nation.
 In exchange for the warrior’s sworn loyalty, a lord dispensed goods (bread, fruit, etc.) and
guaranteed security in a dangerous world.
 Gathering at a mead-hall (a building for feasts), a lord and his warriors would share food, drink,
entertainment, and fellowship. The mead-hall was considered “home.”
 Heroic poetry recounted the achievements of warriors, such as in the heroic epic Beowulf.
Beowulf: Anglo-Saxon hero…
 Anglo-Saxon hero—goes on quests, performs valorous deeds, experiences divine intervention,
and encounters important events in history. He is a legendary hero in pursuit of a goal of
national importance. The hero’s accomplishments reflect the values of his culture and usually
figure in the history of his people.
 Epic Hero—central character, larger-than-life figure, typically of noble or semidivine birth,
who pits his courage, skill, and virtue against opposing, often evil forces. Beowulf is a young
warrior of high standing who battles a brutal and bloodthirsty monster.
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Quests—long, dangerous journey or mission undertaken by the epic hero. Quest is the hero’s
chance to prove his heroism and win honor and undying renown. Beowulf goes on a quest to
aid a neighboring kingdom by defeating the hideous monster Grendel.
Valorous Deeds—actions demonstrate the hero’s courage, strength, or virtue and make up
most of the action of the narrative. Beowulf’s superhuman strength is shown when he fights the
savage Grendel with his bare hands—and wins!
Divine Intervention—hero receives help from a god or another supernatural force who takes
an interest in his quest.
Great Events—important events from the history or mythology of a nation or culture. Beowulf
goes to Denmark to kill the monster Grendel. Grendel had been terrorizing the mead-hall.
Beowulf quick summary:
About 1,500 years ago, Beowulf travels from his native country to Denmark to help Hrothgar. The
beast Grendel has killed 30 men in the mead-hall. Beowulf is known for swimming in the dark of
night, hunting monsters in the ocean, and driving five giants into chains (chasing that race from the
earth). Beowulf wants to fight Grendel alone and hand to hand to make his father, Higlac, proud.
Beowulf ends up tearing Grendel's arm off and hanging it above the door.
The Middle Ages (Medieval Period)
The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer:
 Direct and indirect characterization: Characterization means that the author is telling the
reader what a certain character within his/her literary work is like. There are two main types of
characterization:
1) Direct characterization: The author merely tells the reader what a character is like. He is
directly stating facts. For example: “The police officer is fat and he eats only fattening
food.”
2) Indirect characterization: The author tells the reader what a character is like in a
roundabout way, often with descriptions or short stories. For example: “The police officer
eats three Big Macs and two large orders of fries every day for lunch. He consumes even
more than that for dinner and breakfast. The elastic on his pants constantly strains to hold in
his belly.”
 Frame story: A story that brackets, or frames, another story or group of stories. This literary
device creates a story-within-a-story. In The Canterbury Tales, the frame is described in the
“General Prologue” as the characters make a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. “The Wife of
Bath’s Tale” is a story-within-a-story about a knight who searches for the answer to the
question “What is the thing that women most desire?” in order to save his own life; he faces
execution for raping a young maiden. “The Pardoner’s Tale” is also a story-within-a-story,
featuring three drunken rioters who find death under an oak tree.
 Three pilgrims: Know any three of the pilgrims and be able to describe them in detail. The
characters whom we discussed the most in class were the Pardoner, Wife of Bath, Knight,
Monk, Prioress, Summoner, Squire, Franklin, and Cook. Be sure to know how your three
characters were described both directly and indirectly by Chaucer. Here are examples of
information you should know about the characters:
1) Nun/Prioress: This woman is a nun who is the head of all of the other nuns at her convent.
Author Geoffrey Chaucer directly describes the Prioress as quiet and modest. He indirectly
shows that she perhaps loves the finer life a bit too much—even though she is supposed to
sacrifice her own well-being to help less fortunate people—because she eats only good food
and even feeds her dogs the finest of white bread. In contrast, peasants were lucky if they
were able to obtain brown bread, which was considered an inferior type of bread. By telling
the reader what the Prioress eats and feeds to her dogs, Chaucer is using indirect
characterization to hint that the Prioress may not be as loving and caring toward her fellow
human beings as she should be. This plays along with one of Chaucer’s themes in The
Canterbury Tales: The Roman Catholic Church has become corrupt.
2) Monk: This religious figure of the Roman Catholic Church enjoys hunting so much that he
usually prefers catching a rabbit for his dinner. Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church
had rules that prohibited monks from hunting, so the Monk was violating Church law. This
is another way that Chaucer uses indirect characterization to show that Church officials
were corrupt. Instead of merely telling readers that the Monk is corrupt, he indirectly shows
them how corrupt the Monk is by mentioning that he hunts and violates Chuch laws. The
Monk is also described directly as being fat – another sign of corruption, because it tells us
that the Monk is living a comfortable life instead of sacrificing himself for the good of the
world.
3) Franklin: The term “franklin” means “free man.” Therefore, the Franklin is neither a serf
who works for a lord nor a nobleman – he falls somewhere in between. The Franklin's
generous character and wealth are reflected in the mention of his table, which is always
prepared for dinner with all manner of food and drink. At his house a visitor can find the
finest wines and meat pies, and his ponds are well-stocked with delicious fish. The fact that
he lets anyone drop by for a meal indirectly shows that the Franklin is a kind-hearted soul
who wishes to share his wealth with others.
King Arthur Legend:
You should be able to summarize the story of Arthur’s life (from birth to death) using the following
people, places and things; be able to explain each one’s role in the legend:
 Arthur: A legendary British leader from around the year 500 C.E. who is the subject of folklore
written by dozens of authors. In Le Morte d’Arthur, written by Sir Thomas Malory in the 1400s
C.E., Arthur is the king of Camelot, and he oversees the Knights of the Round Table. As he
appears to be dying from wounds he suffered from Mordred, Arthur is taken to the Isle of
Avalon. Legend says that Arthur one day will return when Britain most needs his help.
 Excalibur: Arthur’s famous sword that he received from the Lady of the Lake. The sword is
returned to the lake as Arthur lay critically wounded nearby after his final battle with Mordred.
 Uther Pendragon: The king of Britain who, with the help of Merlin the sorcerer, tricked Igraine
into sleeping with him; the result was that Arthur was born, making him son of King Uther
Pendragon. Uther agrees to give up Arthur on the day he is born (Christmas Day). Since Arthur
is the son of the king of Britain, Arthur inherits the throne.
 Merlin: A sorcerer, and Arthur’s cousin, who serves as a consultant to help Arthur run his
kingdom.
 Camelot: The most famous castle associated with King Arthur’s reign, Camelot became known
as the symbol of Arthur’s kingdom.
 Lancelot: A knight of the Round Table and Arthur’s best friend who ends up deceiving Arthur
(and starting the destruction of Camelot) by having an affair with Arthur’s wife, Queen
Guinevere.
 Guinevere: Arthur marries her, and she becomes Queen Guinevere, even though Merlin warns
Arthur that Guinevere will destroy the kingdom of Camelot. Guinevere ends up doing as
Merlin had predicted when she is caught having an affair with Lancelot.
 \Morgan le Fey: Arthur’s sister, a sorceress, who conspires against him and, at one point, steals
Excalibur.
 Mordred: Arthur’s illegitimate son and nephew who tries to kill Arthur so he can become king
of Camelot. Mordred puts together a plan to catch Arthur’s wife, Queen Guinevere, having an
affair with Arthur’s best friend, Lancelot. At the end of Le Morte d’Arthur, Mordred dies after
critically wounding Arthur in battle.
English Renaissance
The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (about 1603 C.E.)
Be able to explain how Macbeth’s character changes during the play. Also, be prepared to discuss
the themes of the play, most notably (1) equivocation, (2) how uncontrolled ambition can lead to
corruption, and (3) “fair is foul and foul is fair” (a paradox).
Equivocation occurs when a person uses terms that have more than one meaning in order to
mislead or deceive another person. In I.iii of Macbeth, Banquo warns Macbeth to be careful because
the witches might be offering small truths in an effort to lead Macbeth into an evil life. As part of
comic relief in II.iii, the porter pretends that, as the gatekeeper for hell, he is letting in an “equivocator”
who is such a great liar that he can argue both sides of an argument in the same breath. The porter also
refers to alcohol as an equivocator, because a person’s sexual desires often increase when he/she is
drunk, but drunkenness also dulls the senses and keeps the drunken person from following through on
those desires. The biggest equivocations come from the apparitions. For example, one apparition
claims that Great Birnam Wood would have to walk up Dunsinane Hill before Macbeth could be
“vanquished.” Since trees cannot walk, Macbeth assumes that he will never be vanquished. But he later
learns that an army carrying branches and small trees as camouflage can look like a walking forest. To
equivocators, like the witches, it’s the same thing if a tree is actually walking or if it merely looks as if
it is walking.
To prepare for the Macbeth essay questions, read the following summary of the play to refresh
your memory:
 Act I: Witches say, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (good is bad, and bad is good—like Macbeth,
who appears to be kind and good, but he decides to take the path toward evil). Nothing is as it
appears. Witches prophesize to Macbeth and Banquo that Macbeth will be thane of Glamis, thane
of Cawdor, and king. Predictions begin to come true. Macbeth plans to kill King Duncan, but is
afraid he can’t do it. Lady Macbeth says, “Look like the flower, but act like the snake hiking
beneath the flower” (look innocent, but act out the brutality necessary to kill Duncan). Macbeth
begins to chicken out, gives reasons he should not do it (such as Duncan is his friend…shows
Macbeth has a heart), and Lady Macbeth says, “Be a man.” Lady Macbeth talks Macbeth into
killing Duncan. They plan to get the guards really drunk, and then sneak into King Duncan’s room
and kill him.
 Act II: Guilt gets hold of Macbeth, and he begins hallucinating, sees the dagger floating before
him. Lady Macbeth tells him to get over it. He murders Duncan, and he comes back and begins to
hear voices. Lady Macbeth tells him to wash the blood off his hands and to return the daggers to
the scene of the crime. He says no and hears knocking. He says that he wishes the knocking could
wake Duncan. This shows his guilt. Next morning, Macduff enters, and they discover that Duncan
is dead. Macbeth tells Donalbain that his father has been murdered. Says the guards did it, and
Macbeth claims that he lost his head and killed the guards. Malcolm and Donalbain decide to leave
for England in case they are next on the hit list. Next morning, Macduff, Ross, and Old Man
discuss that Macbeth is taking the throne since Duncan’s sons have left.
 Act III: Banquo mentions the predictions the witches made to Macbeth. Macbeth meets with two
murderers to have Banquo killed, and his son Fleance, too. Macbeth admits to Lady Macbeth that
he is having nightmares and says Duncan is at peace because he is dead. Murderers kill Banquo,
but Fleance escapes. At the banquet, Macbeth hallucinates seeing Banquo. Lady Mac tells them he
has always been like this. Hecate, queen of the witches, casts a spell on Macbeth to make him
overconfident. Lennox begins to realize how connected Macbeth is to all the tragedy.
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Act IV: Macbeth returns to the witches to see what will happen next. He sees three apparitions: 1.
Big head with a helmet—says, “Beware Macduff.” 2. Baby covered in blood—says, “None born of
woman shall harm Macbeth.” 3. Child with crown on his head and a tree in hand—says
(paraphrase), “Macbeth will never be beaten until the Woods of Birnam walk up Dunsinane Hill.”
Lennox tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England. Macduff’s family is murdered. Malcolm
wants Macduff to rule Scotland. Macduff finds out his family is killed. King Edward of England is
lending 10,000 soldiers to help Macduff overthrow Macbeth.
Act V: Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, rubbing the blood off her hands. Macbeth confident because
he feels the apparitions’ predictions will protect him from harm. Malcolm, Siward, and Macduff
tell their men to cut branches and carry them so Macbeth won’t be able to tell how many men there
are. Macbeth learns that Lady Macbeth has died. A messenger tells Macbeth that Birnam Wood is
moving. Macduff approaches; Macbeth thinks he is safe because Macduff was born of woman.
Macduff tells him he was born by caesarean section. Macduff kills him, and then enters with
Macbeth’s head on a pole. Malcolm is hailed as king of Scotland.
Modern Era: The Novel
1984, by George Orwell (published in 1949)
 Propaganda: The Party’s usage of propaganda pops up throughout the plot of 1984. Propaganda is
a way for a government to manipulate, alter, or control information with the intent of misleading
the people. Big Brother’s political Party, which controls Oceania, produces all sorts of propaganda
through songs, movies, posters, even pornography. The propaganda becomes so crazy that the
Party even has people convinced that the Party invented the airplane. Hate Week is a propaganda
event designed to get people to hate Big Brother’s enemies; during Hate Week, a new poster of a
Eurasian soldier is hung all over London to get people to hate Eurasia, which is fighting a war
against Oceania. The Party uses three main slogans as part of its propaganda: “War is peace,”
“Ignorance is strength,” and “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present
controls the past.” Winston is a low-level worker for the Party’s propaganda machine; he works at
the Ministry of Truth, where he changes the facts in old newspaper articles to prevent the Party
from being embarrassed by its mistakes.
 Technology: “Big Brother” uses technology in a variety of immoral ways. 1984 shows that
technology can have both positive and negative consequences, depending upon who is using it. The
Party positions microphones and telescreens throughout London in order to monitor Party members
most of the time. Every home of a Party member must have its telescreens on at all times, primarily
because these screens enable government officials to look into people’s homes to ensure that they
are doing nothing illegal. In addition, the Party uses computer-like devices to control the economy
and the flow of information; these devices make it easy for Big Brother to censor any information
that might make the Party look bad. What’s more, the Party is not afraid to bring out horrible, hightech torture devices to use against the people that it considers to be “enemies.”
1984 storyline:
It is April 4, 1984, as Winston Smith returns to his home at Victory Mansions. He tries to hide the
diary (which he recently purchased on the black market) from the telescreen, a device that monitors
citizens and provides propaganda, in his apartment. While writing, Winston stops to think about a
woman he saw at work, an Inner Party member named O’Brien, and The Hate, a daily rant that occurs
against Goldstein. Winston then scrawls “Down with Big Brother” repeatedly in his diary and thinks
that doing so will probably get him killed. Winston realizes that his seditious thoughts will probably
bring about his own death. At his job in the Ministry of Truth, Winston alters historical records to fit
the needs of the Party. When writing, he employs government-approved Newspeak, which removes
any language that could possibly lead to free thought or rebellion. Winston reads a “history” book full
of propaganda against the previous world order as he realizes that no true history exists from before the
Party’s Revolution of the mid-1960s. At work, the girl from the Fiction Department, named Julia,
drops a note saying, “I love you,” in front of Winston. Later, they set up a place to meet in the country.
Even though Julia frequently attends Party meetings and actively works with the Junior Anti-Sex
League, she is actually anti-Party and has enjoyed many affairs with Party members. Their relationship
evolves from being purely sexual to actually caring about each other, a notion that is frowned upon by
the Party. Winston rents a room from Mr. Charrington, and he and Julia set up a temporary apartment
there. Winston loves that the room does not contain a telescreen, but is disconcerted when he sees a rat.
As Winston and Julia continue to meet in their room, their seditious thoughts and conversations against
Big Brother grow and strengthen. At work, O’Brien, whom Winston suspects of really being antiParty, tells Winston that he has a Tenth Edition of the Newspeak Dictionary at his home that Winston
may stop by to borrow. Winston realizes that this is an invitation to O’Brien’s home. When Winston
and Julia visit O’Brien’s home, they are shocked that the Inner Party member can turn off his
telescreen. O’Brien claims that he is part of the Brotherhood, an organization that is trying to
overthrow Big Brother. O’Brien tells Winston that he will be receiving a book, The Theory and
Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Emmanuel Goldstein, that outlines the Brotherhood’s beliefs
about Big Brother. As Winston and Julia awake in the morning, their room is surrounded by the
Thought Police, and they are arrested. A telescreen had been hidden in the room all along. Winston is
imprisoned in the Ministry of Love for thoughtcrime. Winston is beaten with O’Brien overseeing the
torture. Through shock therapy, O’Brien attempts to retrain Winston’s thoughts toward Big Brother
and the government-imposed false reality. Winston is taken to Room 101 where he is confronted with
rats, his biggest fear. In response to having rats on his face, Winston yells, “Do it to Julia!” Winston’s
total betrayal of Julia, which he swore he would never do, earns him his freedom from the Ministry of
Love. Winston enjoys a drink in the Chestnut Tree Café as he recalls recently seeing Julia around
town. When speaking, they both admit that they fully betrayed the other. Winston also vaguely recalls
a “false” memory with his mother and sister. At this point, he realizes that he has completely
succumbed to and now loves Big Brother. ©2010 Secondary Solutions: Nineteen Eighty-Four
Literature Guide
(END OF STUDY GUIDE)