7th grade English Final Exam Study Guide
test: Friday, June 3, 2011
from 8:30 to 10:30 A.M.
REVIEW SESSIONS:
If you’d like, there will be formal extra help sessions from 3:20 until 4:00 P.M. on _________________ and ____________,
as well as during 9th period study halls on ________________ and _________________. You will need to come with
questions for these study sessions. They will be student-driven. If you need to see me outside of these times, please
schedule an appointment with me.
Part I: VOCABULARY
Know all the words in the lists below, taken from the short story unit, Animal Farm and Night. Flashcards are strongly
recommended! The vocabulary section will consist of fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice questions and sentence composing. Be able to use
the varying forms of each word as well. You will need to be able to identify synonyms and antonyms of these words too. As always, the
sentences you compose will be judged for clarity, correct use of word, spelling, and grammar.
short story words
conflagration(s)
pall
delusion
oppressive
self-possessed
headlong
debacle
naive
zealous
imminent
undulations
subdue(d) / (to) subdue
imperative
apathetic(ally)
repast
Animal Farm words
enmity
ensconced
laborious
acute
conciliatory
frugal(ly)
capitulate
indefatigable
eminent
eloquence
cryptic
parasitical
unscathed
vivacious
blithe(ly)
retinue
Night words
penury
waiflike
peril
sublime
bleak
surreptitiously
throng
(to) jest / jest
(to) rescind / rescinded
irrevocably
pious
tumult
surreal
(to) harangue
(to) plod / plodded
camaraderie
exodus
(to) elude / eluded
(to) transcend
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Part II: Conventions -- GRAMMAR/ PUNCTUATION/ MECHANICS
Be able to identify sentence errors and improve sentences exactly as you did in the take-home-quizzes. Reviewing your old THQs
should be very beneficial, especially if you can explain the rule behind the revisions you made. You should also do plenty of
practice on your own. For more practice with these sorts of questions, go to your THQ worksheets and answer the questions
below. Try to write down a note about why you chose each answer. Try creating practice questions for friends too. This is a
wonderful way to master a skill.
Practice: Identify the grammatical error in each of the following sentences. If the sentence contains no error, select answer choice E.
Errors include: redundant phrases, parallel construction, active voice, cliché elimination, verb tense shifting, wrong pronoun usage,
run-ons, and missing commas.
1. My oldest sister, Marilyn a talented commercial artist, is also a registered nurse.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
2. I exodused from the concert as quickly as possible.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
No error
(E)
No error
(E)
3. The Victorians were known for their scientific advances, but also their lack of hygiene. They are not as clean as us. No error
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
4. He should of listened to his friends. They were offering good advice. No error
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
5. If the repaired car were ready to be driven, we would of taken it home. No error
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
6. Miss Abraham gave Noe and I an extra Starburst because we answered the question correctly. No error
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
7. John overslept and became upset because had planned to be up bright and early that morning. No error
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
8. The nurse suddenly jumps when the doctor walked through the door to the operating room. No error
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
9. When people buy cell phones, you should be able to afford the roaming charges.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
No error
(E)
10. Justice we loved your performance in the war college. You did an excellent job.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
No error
(E)
11. You did good in the assembly, Max. You were eloquent.
(A)
(B)
(C) (D)
No error
(E)
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12. Her mom made an orthodontist appointment for 12 noon.
(A)
(B)
(C)
No error
(D)
13. This semester a total of three short stories were read by the seventh grade students.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
No error
(E)
The underlined portion of each sentence below contains some flaw. Select the answer choice
that best corrects the flaw.
6. I could watch the lake all day long playing computer solitaire is my only distraction.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
While I could watch the lake all day long and playing computer solitaire is my only distraction.
All day long playing computer solitaire is my only distraction when I could be watching the lake.
Playing computer solitaire all day long watching the lake is my only distraction.
My only distraction playing computer solitaire all day long watching the lake.
I could watch the lake all day long. Playing computer solitaire is my only distraction.
7. Lisa was a girl who had to be in trouble before she would turn the other cheek.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
get into a boat.
learn to float on her back.
back down.
make a stitch in time.
take a turn for the worse.
8. The dog was released by Matthew and the guests were startled by the cheese platter when that was
knocked on the floor by it.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Matthew released the dog and it startled the guests when the cheese platter was knocked onto the floor.
When Matthew released the dog, it knocked the guests onto the floor with the cheese platter.
The dog startled Matthew and the guests when, released, it knocked the cheese platter onto the floor.
Matthew released the dog, and it startled the guests when it knocked the cheese platter onto the floor.
Matthew released the dog and the guests were startled when it knocked the cheese platter onto the floor.
9. Some students were suspended for failing grades this year on Monday.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
This year some students were suspended for failing grades on Monday.
On Monday, some students were suspended for having failing grades this year.
For failing grades Monday, some students were suspended this year.
Some students this year for failing grades were suspended on Monday.
Suspended for failing grades this year on Monday were some students.
10. Henry bought a new computer that has a large memory and having a DVD burner.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
and a DVD burner.
that has a DVD burner.
for the DVD burner.
and it has a DVD burner.
with a DVD burner.
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Identify the following as a sentence or a fragment. Write an “S” or “F” on the line. HINT: Remember the fragment test we discussed earlier
in the year; put the words “I believe that…”in front of the phrase or sentence. If the entire thing makes sense, the phrase in question is a
sentence. If not, it is a fragment.
11. Played for hours in the park. ______
12. Antonio and his friends in the bay. ______
13. They spotted a shark swimming toward a sailboat. _____
14. One of the sailboats nearby. ______
15. Efforts to distract the shark. ______
16. The people on the shore shouted at the swimmers. ______
17. The shark opened its cavernous mouth. ______
18. As close to the shore as this shark was. ______
19. The fast-moving shark swam under one of the sailboats. _____
20. On its way toward shore. _____
Correct the following sentence fragments by adding either a subject or a verb to them.
21. The two energetic boys and their little sister.
___________________________________________________
22. The man with the diminutive dog on a leash.
___________________________________________________
23. Ran through the twisting trails.
____________________________________________________
24. The cantankerous old woman.
____________________________________________________
25. Shouted at the children frolicking in front of her house.
____________________________________________________
Identify the following phrases as either complete sentences or sentence fragments.
26. Because the greenhouse effect raises temperatures on Earth. _______
27. The nitrogen cycle is essential to all living things. ______
28. The colorless gas makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere. ______
29. Moving from soil to plants. ________
30. Which manufacture necessary proteins. _______
31. Plants and animals die and decay. _______
32. Waste products from animals and plants. _______
33. Bacteria in soil act on decaying matter. ______
34. Releasing nitrogen compounds. _______
35. The resulting nitrogen gas goes back to the atmosphere and the soil. ______
36. Continuing the cycle. ________
If the following sentences are incorrect, make edits to correct their errors.
37. The sun’s rays are powerful, put on some sunblock.
38. It is important to realize that the length of a sentence really has nothing to do with whether a sentence is a run-on or not, being a runon is a structural flaw that can plague even a very short sentence.
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39. This next chapter has a lot of difficult information in it, you should start studying right away.
40. Right after the winter holidays and during those three weeks before class begins in January.
41. Matthew ran.
Green grammar book (pages 1 - 37) – know how to identify and write sentences using the following. Check the grammar
section of your binder for notes, and go over all exercises.
-opening adjectives
-delayed adjectives
-opening adverbs
-delayed adverbs
Then begin your review work by rewriting the definition of adjectives and adverbs below.
Next, practice by identifying the opening adjective, delayed adjectives, opening adverbs and delayed adverbs in the following
sentences. Circle the OADJ, DADJ, OADV or DADV in each sentence and draw an arrow to the word it is modifying or describing.
1. Drawn by the scent of the fish, the wild dogs sat on a hill, barking.
2. I awoke with a start, chilled to the bone.
3. Quick as a flash, the boy leaped forward and grabbed the ball from Charles Wallace’s hand, then darted back into the shadows.
4. Full of fear, the rabbit paddled and struggled to get his head up above the water.
5. Her eyes glared, sharp and bright, from beneath arched black wings of brows.
6. A woman of fifty or so, plump with frizzy gray hair, came toward them.
7. She sat there, very still and white and thoughtful.
8. Overhead, the branches rustled.
9. Deep and dark, the night fell.
10. He ate while his blanket, still damp, steamed in front of the fire.
11. Up, up, we climbed, never resting for a moment.
12. In the fishpond, the hippo belched, noisily.
13. The three clouds rose up together, smoothly.
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14. The dog barked once, severely.
15. The painting was striking, its colors bursting off the canvas, raucously.
More practice: Identify the underlined words as either a delayed adverb (DADV) or delayed adjective (DADJ).
Amid the ferns, Grant saw the head of an animal, motionless, partially hidden in the fronds, the two large dark eyes watching him
coldly. The head of the tyrannosaur pulled away, abruptly. The tyrannosaur’s head moved close to the car, sideways, and peered in.
The animal then began walking along, just looking around, calm. Moving slowly among the orderly green plants, silent as a ghost
except for the hissing of its breath, was a velociraptor.
Part III: LITERATURE
A. Literary Terms
Be able to define all of the following terms and give examples of them. We discussed this information while reading the various novels
throughout the year, and focused on some of it more sharply while reading the short stories in February and March. This information
should be in the literature section of your binder. If necessary, go to the study guide page or homework page of the wikispace and print
out new documents.
1. character (various meanings):
2. protagonist and antagonist:
3. foil:
4. theme:
5. conflict:
6. types of conflict:
o
external conflict:
o
internal conflict:
o
man vs. man
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o
man vs. circumstances or nature
o
man vs. society
o
man vs. him or herself
7. alliteration
8. allusion
9. cliché
10. connotation
11. denotation
12. foreshadowing
13. hyperbole
14. imagery
15. irony
16. metaphor
17. onomatopoeia
18. oxymoron
19. personification
20. pun
21. simile
22. symbol
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B. Elements of the Short Story examples
Be able to give examples of the following terms from the short stories we read: “The Open Window”, “To Build a Fire”, and “The Most
Dangerous Game”.
An example of an internal conflict is seen in the short story _____________________
because ______________________________________________________________.
An example of an external conflict can be seen in the short story entitled
_______________________________________________________________________
because _______________________________________________________________.
An example of an man vs. nature conflict can be seen in the short story entitled
_______________________________________________________________________
because _______________________________________________________________.
An example of a foil can be found in the short story (or novel) entitled
_______________________________________________________________________
because _______________________________________________________________.
C. Be able to give examples of the following literary terms in the literature we read this year. You will also need to explain
your choices in a few sentences.
theme: _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
foreshadowing:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
symbol:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
irony:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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D. Animal Farm short answer and fill-in-the-blank and quote identification questions
Know the main conflicts, themes and characters in Animal Farm and whom they represent for a few short answer and fill-in-theblank questions.
Use the following space to list notes about the:
List of most important
characters
Who they represent in history
In order to prepare for the quote identification essays, you need to be able to remember and explain the three to four main
conflicts that main characters face in Animal Farm:
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E. Animal Farm - quote identification (15 points each)On the exam you will be asked to choose one of the possible five quotes below and
write a short, coherent paragraph fully identifying it. Be sure to include complete sentences and use transitions to tie them together. You will be
asked to write your paragraph on the space provided in the exam booklet. Number your answers so that I know which quote you are describing.
You do NOT have to rewrite the quote.
Of the five quotes listed below, four of them will appear on the exam. Therefore, you should be ready to write about two of the quotes.
Be sure to include ALL of the following information in a cogent, complete paragraph. Three points will be awarded for good word choice and
sentence structure:
o Who is speaking? (1 point)
o To whom is he or she speaking? (1 point)
o Approximately when in the story does this quote occur? (2 points)
(don’t just add that this passage appears in the beginning or end of novel, but get more specific and describe what is happening in the
scene)
o What do the words mean? (3 point)
(explain what the text means in your own words)
o Why is it of importance? (5 points)
(in other words, explain why it is of importance to the story, or why do we need to understand this quote to appreciate or understand what
comes later in the story, what it reveals about the characters involved, AND how it communicates a KEY THEME of the book)
NOTE: Before you do anything else, pick the quotes you think you can discuss easily, then locate them in the book in order to familiarize
yourself with the scene and the notes you took while reading. Also, the bullet points in bold above will also be on the test.
THEME LIST:
1. “‘I have little more to say. I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever
goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fighting
against Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices…no animal
must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers.’”
2. “Soon there were five buckets of frothing creamy milk at which many of the animals looked with considerable interest...
So the animals trooped down to the hayfield to begin the harvest, and when they came back in the evening it was noticed
that the milk had disappeared.”
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3. “The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive
pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out to them by a
grudging master. With the worthless parasitical human beings gone, there was more for everyone to eat.”
4. “Four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval, and all four of them sprang to their feet and began
speaking at once. But suddenly the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs fell silent and
sat down again. Then the sheep broke out into a tremendous bleating of ‘four legs good, two legs bad!’ which went on for
nearly a quarter of an hour and put an end to any chance of discussion.”
5. “At last, feeling this to be in some way a substitute for the words she was unable to find, she began to sing Beasts of
England. The other animals sitting round her took it up, and they sang it three times over – very tunefully, but slowly and
mournfully, in a way they had never sung it before.”
F. Literature circle novel and Night compare/contrast essay (30 points)
On the exam, you will be asked to compare and contrast some aspect of Eliezer’s experience with the experience of one of the main characters in
the literature circle novel that you read. You will not know the exact question until you get your exam booklet on Friday, June 5 th; however,
you should be prepared to write about Eliezer, the protagonist from Night AND the protagonist from your selected novel. Know the main events that
involved both characters, focusing especially on the type of conflicts that took place, the obstacles they had to overcome, and the effects these
hardships had on them. When you get the exam, be sure to read the question carefully and answer it directly. You should not simply
rewrite what you’ve prepared, but also adapt your argument to fit the question. Essay answers that do NOT answer the question will lose
8 to 12 points automatically.
Your essay should follow the four paragraph structure:
o Intro paragraph
o 2 body paragraphs (one discussing how Eliezer and the other character were the same (compare) and the next discussing how Eliezer
and the other character were different (contrast))
o Conclusion
Use the outline below to help play your essay.
I.
Intro: 3 sentences minimum
A. 1st sentence – introduce the general topic
B. 2nd sentence – introduce the titles of the novels and the names of the authors
C. 3rd sentences – clearly state your position on the question that is asked (THESIS) and if you’d like, reference the
examples that you’ll bring up in the body
II.
Body paragraph 1: 4 to 6 sentences
A. Present your first example(s) in clear detail
B. Explain exactly how it supports your argument or how it proves your CLAIM STATEMENT or THESIS
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III.
Body paragraph 2: 4 to 6 sentences
A. Present your second example(s) in clear detail
B. Explain exactly how it supports your argument or how it proves your CLAIM STATEMENT or THESIS
IV.
Conclusion: 3 sentences minimum
A. Restate your main argument (THESIS) in a new way
B. Briefly summarize your key examples
C. SAY something about what we can learn or take away from these stories / take your ideas one step further
Eliezer
_____________
ESSAY HINTS:
o
Do not spend more than a sentence or two to summarize the plot
o
Focus on the question that has been posed
o
Answer the question directly with examples from the book
o
Stay specific
o
SHOW don’t tell – telling about the character and his or her struggles will result in 1 or 2 sentences; showing them
struggling through various events will result in 2 to 3 more sentences
The best essays:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
stick to one clear argument
have few or no grammar problems (use straightforward sentences if need be)
have a few or no spelling errors
have a clear thesis that addresses the question that was posed
have transitions that relate the ideas to one another
are in third person (DO NOT use “I” or “you” – you will LOSE points)
follow a brief outline
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