LI 271 Exam Two Study guide
I will again give you a list of the authors and titles of the works covered in this section, so you
won’t need to expend study time memorizing them.
The examination will consist of four parts
I. A section of short answer/identification
II. A series of quotations from the works (discussed in detail below);
III. Essay questions
IV. A take home essay question
The quotations will be passages we have discussed in class. The instructions will be as follows:
For XXX of the following identify the work from which the passage is taken and explain its
importance. That is, explain how the passage helps develop point of view, plot, character, setting, symbol,
theme, for example. Note any special techniques it uses (symbol, metaphor, rhyme, alliteration, paradox,
oxymoron, for example) and explain the purpose or effect of that technique. In short, discuss anything that
is important in the passage but REMEMBER TO LIMIT YOUR DISCUSSION TO THE SPECIFIC
PASSAGE.
If, for example, the quotation is from the first page of “That Evening Sun” you should discuss the
setting, the point of view, and the symbols; you could not, for example, discuss Nancy’s fear of Jesus
because that is not mentioned in the first page./.
Sample quotation and sample answers with evaluations of the answers:
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
D Answer: This is from Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and shows how the world is.
It’s at best a D because it merely summarizes the passage; the writer shows no evidence
of having heard any discussion of the poem’s meanings or technique.
C Answer: This is from Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and discusses how life goes down hill
No better than a C because, while it says the poem is about “life,” the writer doesn’t show
how he or she came to that conclusion or understand how the poem is about people. And
“goes down hill” is too vague; how/why does that happen?
B answer: This is from Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” It uses alliteration, symbols , and
allusion to show that perfection or beauty never lasts.
A good solid B answer. Notes the use of “alliteration,” “symbol,” and allusion” (be
certain to use the words, for example) and makes a statement about what the poem says
about life. But doesn’t specifically identify the symbol or allusion.
A answer: This is from Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and uses alliteration to emphasize the
inevitable decline in life: “dawn goes down to day.” The allusion to Eden makes clear that the poem is
about man’s inevitable decline or death, not just nature’s.
Specific references to the techniques and their purpose.