English III Mid-Term Study Guide
Thanatopsis
1. What is Bryant's final advice to the reader?
A. Death will come to everyone and we cannot control it
B. Live our lives so that we won’t fear death when it comes
C. That we should fight death with every breath
2. Who specifically does the speaker say you will lie with when you die?
Kings and good people
3. How does the poet seem to make death seem more comforting?
Knowing that you will join others in death
4. According to the last stanza, how should people regard death?
Comforted as being surrounded by a quilt
5. What does the speaker advise us to do when we have thoughts that
make us "shudder, and grow sick at heart"? Go outside and listen to
nature’s teachings
Self-Reliance
1. What does Emerson say is the only wrong in “Self-Reliance”? Going against
your nature
2. According to “Self-Reliance,” what is the indication of a “great person”? A
person who follows his/her own mind
Nature
1. What transcendental belief is Emerson referring to when he calls himself a
transparent eyeball? Humans, God, and nature are all connected
2. How does Nature/the woods make a person feel in regards to their age? Feel like a
child
3. What does Emerson mean by the following phrase from “Nature”?
“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” People interpret the way they see
nature based on their moods or spirits
4. According to “Civil Disobedience,” A man has an obligation to act according to his
conscience even if his conscience goes against:
A.
B.
C.
D.
majority opinion
the laws of society
the presiding leadership
all of the above
5. According to Thoreau, what should a citizen do about an unjust law?
A. Obey it anyway
B. Obey it, but try to change it
C. Break the law
6. Thoreau was thrown in prison for one night in 1847 because he
A.
B.
C.
D.
refused to pay the poll tax
encouraged violent overthrow of the federal government
protested at a Concord town meeting
failed to repay debt to the local bank
7. For Thoreau, majority opinion (majority rule) in a democracy
A.
B.
C.
D.
must always be respected, regardless of its moral consequences
should be disregarded if it supports unjust or immoral policies
should generally be used to guide the decision of legislators
All of the above
Transcendental Themes
For each quote, identify the aspect of transcendentalism that is being illustrated.
1. Thine individual being, shalt thou go To mix forever with the elements, To be a
brother to the insensible rock a close relationship with nature
2. “The waving of the boughs in the storm, is new to me and old. It takes me by
surprise, and yet is not unknown. Its effect is like that of a higher thought or a
better emotion coming over me, when I deemed I was thinking justly or doing
right.” The belief that intuition can lead to knowledge
3. “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I
think right.” Emphasis on self-reliance and individualism
4. Which of the following is NOT one of the aspects of transcendentalism?
a. emphasized living a simple life
b. stressed a close relationship to nature
c. a belief that all humans have a naturally evil nature
d. stressed individualism and self-reliance
Argument
Teenagers should be able to get their driver’s licenses at the age of 15. Many teenagers
have jobs by the time they turn 15 and it is necessary that they be able to provide their
own transportation. Some may say that 15 year olds are too immature to be trusted with a
driver’s license; however, if they are mature enough to keep a job then they are old
enough to drive themselves to it.
1. In the above argument, which sentence is the Claim?
2. Which sentence is the Support?
3. Which sentence is the Counter-argument?
Imagery
1. What is the definition of imagery? Vivid and descriptive language which
appeals to the reader’s senses
2. Which of the following is not an example of imagery?
A. The crimson liquid spilled from the neck of the white dove, staining and
matting its pure, white feathers.
B. The shadows crisscrossed the rug while my cat stretched languidly in one
of the patches of sun.
C. The little lady in Cleveland couldn’t pay her heating bill.
D. The clay oozed between Jeremy’s fingers as he let out a squeal of pure
glee.
3. Which of the following is not an example of imagery?
A. The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.
B. The bed linens might just as well be ice and the clothes snow.
C. I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were
probably saving for breakfast. Forgive me, they were delicious; so sweet
and so cold.
D. I was awakened by the strong smell of freshly brewed coffee.
Rhetorical Devices
1. Which of the following is NOT an example of parallelism?
a. Singing songs and writing poems is joyous.
b. The children love their teacher and the teachers love their children.
c. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but he knew she was a forbidden fruit.
d. To think accurately and to write precisely are interrelated goals.
2. Which of the following is NOT an example of antithesis?
a. Here was Caesar! When comes such another?
b. Money is the root of all evils; poverty is the fruit of all goodness.
c. Giving every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
3. Define rhetorical questions: A question which does not require an answer
MLA Practice
1. The title of an essay in MLA format should be
a.
b.
c.
d.
Centered and bolded
Centered and underlined
Centered and italicized
Centered only
3. What must be listed within a parenthetical citation?
a. the author’s last name and the line number
b. the author’s last name only
c. the author’s last name and the page number
d. the title and the page number
4. Where should your page number be in an MLA formatted paper? Top right header
5. Which of the following Parenthetical citations is NOT correct?
a. Emerson states, “For nonconformity the world whips you with its
displeasure” (372).
b. “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string,” (Emerson 370).
c. “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string” (Ralph Waldo
Emerson, 370).
6. Which of the following Parenthetical citations is correct?
a. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little
statesmen and philosophers and divines!!!!! (Waldo)
b. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little
statesmen and philosophers and divines,” (Ralphie 372).
c. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little
statesmen and philosophers and divines” (Emerson 372).
d. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little
statesmen and philosophers and divines.-“Self-Reliance”
7. Which of the following quotations has a proper lead in and is punctuated
correctly? Source: “Civil Disobedience” Henry David Thoreau
a. David stated “The standing army is only an arm of the standing
government.” (390).
b. Henry David Thoreau states, “The standing army is only an arm of the
standing government” (390).
c. “The standing army is only an arm of the standing government
d. “The standing army is only an arm of the standing government” (390).
8. Which of the following parenthetical citations is correct? Source: “Self-Reliance”
by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
a. “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.”
(Emerson. 372).
b. “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think!
(Emerson, 372).
c. “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think”
(Emerson 372).
d. Ralph says, “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people
think).
Declaration of Independence
1. What makes up the majority of the Declaration of Independence? Complaints
against the King of England
2. According to the “Declaration of Independence,” what must any state do when it
dissolves political ties? Give reasons for separation
3. According to the Declaration of Independence, what are the self-evident truths?
All men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty , and the pursuit of
happiness.
Speech in the Virginia convention
Henry believes that the issue facing the Convention calls for all of the following
EXCEPT
2.
3.
4.
5.
a. Action
b. Patience
c. Individual sacrifice
d. The open and honest airing of views
What is the tone of Patrick Henry’s speech? Fiery and impassioned
What is the issue that Patrick Henry is arguing in his speech? Fighting England to
gain America’s independence.
According to Henry, what is the best way to tell what the future holds? By
examining the past
Which of the following is the theme, or main idea, of this speech. The American
people must fight for their freedom from Britain.
Paraphrase Worksheet:
Paraphrases should be the same information, but in different words. A paraphrase is not
necessarily shorter than the original; it is just in different words.