In-Class Essay Exam -- The Great Gatsby
AP English 11 Honors
You will write a well-reasoned essay with detailed support from the novel. Your essay
will be written in class in blue or black ink; write on only one side of the paper, and briefly
proofread your essay before turning it in. During the exam you may have a copy of the novel
and you may either have a list of page numbers for examples you plan to use in your answer or
mark the pages in your novel if you own your copy of the novel. You will not have enough time
to find examples in the novel during the test time itself and still write a sufficient essay.
The key to a good essay (and thus a good grade) is to support your thesis with details.
This proves you’ve read and understood the novel and you fully understand your answer. Your
full essay should include at least five specific examples from the novel that support your answer.
Examples can include specific plot events, characters’ traits and motivations, descriptions by
Fitzgerald/Nick Carraway, or quotations from any of the characters. Remember: Every point you
make in your essay must have an example, and every example you give must contribute to
making a point.
However, keep plot summary to a minimum. You can presume I have read the novel, so
any reference to plot events should be less than a sentence. For example, “The second time
Jordan tells the story accidents requiring two people, she claims Nick is careless, too.”
Direct quotations must be cited by page number. For example, “I am one of the few
honest people I have ever known” (60).
Your essay must be in paragraph form; the introductory paragraph may consist of only the
thesis statement, and the conclusion may also be very short. Do not refer to yourself or the
reader. Instead, present all of your opinions and interpretations as fact.
You will have the entire class period on the test date to complete your essay. This is
ample time, so no further time will be allowed if you’re not finished. Make sure you understand
the prompt and all terms and words in it before the test date.
Essay Prompt:
Select one of the following topics that F. Scott Fitzgerald addresses in The Great Gatsby. Then
state what you believe Fitzgerald is using his novel to say about that topic without referring to
yourself. This statement is a theme of the novel. In your body paragraphs, explain how the
novel expresses this theme, giving details and examples from the novel as support.
•
the divisions between “old money” and “new money”
•
morality and responsibility as viewed by the rich
Your introductory paragraph may follow this pattern, perhaps in a single sentence:
1.
A TAG sentence that states what topic from the novel you’re addressing
2.
Your thesis statement, which includes the theme you’re articulating
3.
If you want, very brief descriptions of the major examples you’ll be using as support
These are models for your introduction; you do not have to use either one:
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby addresses/focuses on the topic/
subject of ____________. Fitzgerald makes it clear that _________insert theme
here___________.
The topic of _____________ permeates/defines/forms the story in the novel The
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, illustrating/demonstrating/exhibiting that
_________insert theme here___________.
______________________________________________________________________
Some things to consider for each prompt:
•
the divisions between “old money” and “new money”
• where does Gatsby fall? Nick?
• East Egg vs. West Egg
• is Gatsby better than “the whole lot of them put together” ?
•
morality and responsibility as viewed by the rich
• ironically, for how much they judge the lower classes, the rich are less
responsible, less accountable, less ethical (or, is that how they got rich?)
• quote toward end of novel about “picking up pieces”
• how does Tom treat Wilson?