ENGLISH 9
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
Helpful Tips
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Read EVERYTHING on the final. This includes ALL
instructions, captions, footnotes, etc.
Review ALL literary devices
Know the meanings of basic question words: INFER,
ASSUME, ILLUSTRATE, ASSERTION, ANTECEDENT,
EXCERPT, RHETORICAL QUESTION, RESTRICTIVE,
IMPLICATION and CONCLUDE
Section One: Passage Analysis
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In this section, you will be asked to analyze a
passage from a major work that you have already
studied. Additionally, you will analyze nonfiction
pieces or poems that you have never seen. Read
the whole section carefully. Then go back and
review part of the selection that is mentioned in the
question.
Section Two: Terms/Literary Devices
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Plot: sequence of a story
exposition: characters and climax is introduced
complication: exciting force, complicates the
plot
climax: turning point, highest point of
suspense
resolution/denouement: conflict is resolved
Literary Terms
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Conflict: the struggle in any story
external: man vs. man, nature
internal: man vs. himself
Flashback: narrator is telling a story about something
that happened in the past
Foreshadowing: giving clues as to what will happen
Setting: time and place of any story
Mood: the “feel” created by any story (reader)
Tone: the way in which the author feels toward a
particular subject (author)
Literary Terms
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Characterization: the way an author allows the
reader to interpret his/her characters
indirect: dialogue, appearances, actions
direct: author tells you
Protagonist: main character in fiction or drama
Antagonist: struggles against the protagonist
Motivation: what causes a character to do certain
things
Flat Character: one side to personality
Round Character: many sides to personality
Literary Terms
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Static Character: does not change
Dynamic Character: changes at the end
Point of View: how the story is told
1st person – “I”; not always reliable
3rd limited – “he, she, they”; limited view
omniscient – all-knowing
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Voice: The writer’s use of language in a text
Diction: word choice
Literary Terms
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Theme: universal lesson taught by a piece of
literature
Irony: the opposite of what is expected
verbal: what is said (sarcasm)
situational: situation is ironic
dramatic: audience know something that the
characters do not (Romeo and Juliet)
Literary Terms
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Ambiguity: An element of uncertainty in a text, in
which something can be interpreted in a number of
different ways
Allusion: A reference to a familiar person, place or
thing in the text
Symbol: When an object stands for something
beyond its literal meaning (scarlet ibis)
Allegory: characters and elements are symbolic
(Animal Farm)
Literary Terms
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Imagery: appeals to the five senses
Simile: comparison using “like” or “as”
Metaphor: comparison not using “like” or “as”
“hope is the thing with feathers”
direct: stated directly in the text
implies: leaves you to figure it out
Personification: human qualities to inanimate objects
Alliteration: repetition of same consonant sound
Literary Terms
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Rhyme: Repetition of accented vowel sounds, and all
sounds following them, in words that are close
together in a poem
rhyme scheme: The pattern of end rhymes in a
poem
end rhyme: occurs at the ends of lines
internal rhyme: occurs inside the lines
iambic pentameter: pattern of unstressed and
stressed syllables (10 syllables per line)
Rhythm: musical quality in language produced by
repetition
Literary Terms
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Tragedy: main character comes to an unhappy end
Tragic Hero: character with a fatal flaw that meets
an unhappy end (Romeo & Oedipus)
Tragic Flaw: the flaw that leads a hero to his
demise
Dialogue: conversation between two or more
characters
Literary Terms
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Monologue: long speech by a character to another
characters(s)
Soliloquy: private speech delivered by a character
alone onstage (thoughts and feelings)
Aside: character speaks privately to the audience or
another character
Sonnet: 14 line poem with a specific rhyme scheme;
iambic pentameter
Literary Terms
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Inference: A guess based on an observation and
prior experience
Author’s Intent: the purpose of the author’s choice
of words
Archetype: a perfect model or example of
something (Odysseus if the archetypal Epic hero)
Section Three: Elements of Literature
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In this section you will need to understand the ideas
presented by John Leggett and/or John Brinnin at the
beginning of each collection in your anthology book.
Collection 1: Plot and Setting
Collection 2: Character and Character Interactions
Collection 3: Narrator and Voice
Collection 4: Theme
Collection 5: Irony and Ambiguity
Collection 6: Symbolism and Allegory
Collection 7: Poetry
Collection 8: Style
Collection 10: Epic and Myth
Collection 11: Drama
Section Four: Expression of Ideas
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In this section, you will be presented with a choice
of sentences and you will be asked to choose the
most well-constructed sentence. Sentences may
contain mechanics and usage errors.
 Subject/Verb
in split position
 Simple, Compound, Complex Sentences
 Phrases vs. Clauses
 Appositive Phrases, Participial Phrases, Adj Clauses
 Agreement (Subject/Verb, Pronoun/Antecedent)
 Commas, Semicolons, Colons and Apostrophes
Section Five: Speech Theory
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Kinesics: body movement
Proxemics: closeness
Paralanguage: the way we say our words
Body Language: poise, movement
Volume: how loud or how soft one speaks
Pitch: how high or low a voice is
Speech Theory
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Extemporaneous speech: thoroughly researched;
adaptable to feedback
NO DISADVANTAGES
Communication: the process of sending and
receiving messages
 Communication
is successful when listener decodes same
message speaker encodes
 Communication breaks down if the decoded message is
different from encoded message
Section Six: Analysis of Structure
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Be able to identify a challenging thesis statement
from a weak thesis statement. Be able to match a
thesis to the direction it reflects. Understand the
following directions:
 advantage/disadvantage,
cause/effect,
comparison/contrast or opposing viewpoints.
 Understand different transitions and how they reflect
direction.