Grapes of Wrath
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Use the text to
support your answers. Be sure your response(s) are logical, well thought out, and relate
to the question(s). Answer the questions on notebook paper.
1. The migrants set up their own camps and laws, all of which seemed to work rather
effectively. What does this demonstrate about their character and values. To
whom can this remodeling of society be compared? How?
2. List at least five words which have influenced your response to the text. Explain
the connotation(s) of the words you’ve chosen and explain how they impacted
your interpretation of the novel.
3. The Grapes of Wrath contains several important themes. Choose at least two
themes from the list below and provide examples from the story which illustrate
the development of those themes. Explain how these themes were explored and
relate the significance of these themes to the plot of the story.
• Protest against the treatment of the migrant
• Nature of the Divine and man’s relationship with that Divinity
• Human adaptability
• The meaning of ownership
• Mankind’s relationship with the land
• Emerson’s idea of the Oversoul
• The fickle harvesting of the grapes of plenty and renewal and the grapes of
bitterness and wrath
The Scarlet Letter
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Use the text to
support your answers. Be sure your response(s) are logical, well thought out, and relate
to the question(s). Answer the questions on notebook paper.
1. The Scarlet Letter contains a great deal of irony. Choose three examples of irony
from the text and explain their relevance to plot development, character
development, or the somewhat satirical nature of the book. Some possible
examples of irony:
• Pearl’s dresses
• Hester’s strength and Dimmesdale’s decline
• Pearl’s view of the scarlet “A”
• Mistress Hibbins’ presence in Governor Bellingham’s home
• Governor Bellingham’s home
• Hester’s philanthropy
• Chillingworth’s unattractiveness
•
•
•
•
Hester’s contributions to the poor
Dimmesdale’s unholy urges
Dimmesdale’s death on the scaffold
The burial of Dimmesdale and Hester
2. By the end of The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth have died; Hester has
left and returned to Boston; Pearl has married into a sophisticated, wealthy, foreign
family. Explain why each character’s ending is well-suited to Hawthorne’s development
of that character. Be sure to use examples to support your assertions.
Walden
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Use the text to
support your answers. Be sure your response(s) are logical, well thought out, and relate
to the question(s). Answer the questions on notebook paper.
“Economy”-“Solitude”
1. Thoreau’s Unitarian faith teaches that God is perceived through all of the five
senses. Yet in Solitude, Thoreau echoes the thoughts of Confucius when he
writes, “We seek to perceive them, and we do not see them; we seek to hear them,
and we do not hear them; identified with the substance of things, they cannot be
separated from them” (122). Does Thoreau more strongly embrace the Unitarian
idea that God is experienced through the senses, or the Confucius’s idea that God
is all around us and cannot be perceived? Support your answers with the text and
thorough explanations!
“Visitors”- “Brute Neighbors”
2. Thoreau’s self-acknowledged hypocrisy can be easily seen throughout the book.
However, while some of his actions seem contradictory or hypocritical, these
discrepancies serve a purpose. Find at least two examples of hypocrisy and/or
contradictory actions or statements. Explain what point(s) Thoreau tries to make
by illustrating that these specific examples can be found in one man, contradictory
or not. Support your assertions!
“Housewarming”- “Conclusion”
3. The final metaphor in Walden is a final synopsis of Thoreau’s most crucial
message. Explain/interpret this final passage (listed below)and explain its
relevance to Thoreau’s overall philosophy. Be sure to provide examples
whenever possible.
“The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which
we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star” (297).
The Great Gatsby
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Use the text to
support your answers. Be sure your response(s) are logical, well thought out, and relate
to the question(s). Answer the questions on notebook paper.
1. Chapter seven contains the climax of the story. In your opinion, which is the
climax: when Daisy decides not to continue her affair with Gatsby, or when Daisy
runs Myrtle over with Gatsby’s car? Support your answer with information
contained only in the first seven chapters of the book. Be sure your support
proves why your choice is the climax!
2. It can easily be argued that hope is Gatsby’s tragic flaw. How did hope ultimately
lead to Gatsby’s downfall? Do you think that Nick Carraway is burdened with the
same tragic flaw? Why or why not? Hint: use textual support, keep the very last
line of the book in mind, and apply the meaning of the word, “flaw,” to your
response.
3. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
This quote is the very last line of The Great Gatsby. Relate this quote to the
theme of the destruction of the American dream. Explain its relevance to
American life, hope, and the survival of the American dream. Hint: be sure to
interpret the passage and provide evidence from the text to prove your
interpretation.
Death of a Salesman
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Use the text to
support your answers. Be sure your response(s) are logical, well thought out, and relate
to the question(s). Answer the questions on this sheet or notebook paper.
1. Death of a Salesman contains many important themes/motifs. Explain the
importance of any two of the themes/motifs, listed below, to the story. Be sure to
describe how the themes/motifs are illustrated throughout the story, how the
themes/motifs effect the plot, and Miller’s possible intentions when utilizing these
themes/motifs. Be sure not to use repetitive information.
• Lies, exaggeration, revision
• Identity
• Unrealistic expectations
• Nature vs. City
• Mortality vs. Immortality
• Suicide
• Inadequacy
• Ignorance
• Self-awareness
•
•
Reality vs. Illusion
Destruction/failure of the American dream
A Raisin In the Sun
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Use the text to
support your answers. Be sure your response(s) are logical, well thought out, and relate
to the question(s). Answer the questions on this sheet or notebook paper.
1. Walter’s squandering of the inheritance wasn’t much of a surprise. What clues
did Hansberry leave throughout the first two acts of the play to foreshadow
Walter’s failure? You may use dialogue, character traits, behavior, and/or quotes
as evidence. Do you think Walter’s family suspected he might squander the
money? Why or why not? Be sure to explain the relevance of your evidence to
the question!
2. A Raisin in the Sun showcases a variety of conflicts, yet the most heated battles
take place within its characters. Identify and explain the inner turmoil of two
characters. Be sure to explain how the conflict is displayed and resolved. Use
ample support and explanation!
On A Pale Horse
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Use the text to
support your answers. Be sure your response(s) are logical, well thought out, and relate
to the question(s). Answer the questions on this sheet or notebook paper.
1. There is a lot of irony found throughout the first seven chapters of On A Pale
Horse. Some of these examples connect to the same root issue, while some are
clearly singular, ironic circumstances/beliefs/actions. Find two clear cases of
irony within the first seven chapters. Explain why these examples are ironic, and
how each of these examples may tie to a larger irony found throughout the book.
Do not spend too much time summarizing the story!
2. What situations in On A Pale Horse required Nature’s five methods of thought?
Be sure to give one situation for each thought pattern. Clearly relate the situations
you provide its type of thought.