English 102
Instructor: Karen Amano-Tompkins
Study Guide for the Midterm Exam
You will need to bring your textbook The Norton Introduction to Literature and a blue book or
laptop to the final exam. (If you use a laptop to write your exam answers, you will submit your
exam to Turnitin.com.) Optionally, you may bring printed copies of the short stories, a
dictionary, and/or thesaurus.
You may also bring up to two single-sided pages of notes, which you may prepare in advance.
Your notes must be of your own creation (no notes copied from the web!) and will be subject to
an integrity check by two of your classmates before the exam begins.
Part 1 – Short Stories (40 points)
You will write a one-to-two paragraph response to each of four questions, which your instructor
will choose from the following. Each response will be worth 10 points.
1. Early in “Sonny’s Blues” the narrator has an extended conversation with one of Sonny’s
old friends. What is the significance of this scene? Why do you think the author chose to
devote so much time and focus to this scene? Support your answer with specific
examples from the text.
2. The narrator of “Sonny’s Blues” is never named. How does this impact the experience of
the story for the reader? Support your answer with specific examples from the text.
3. The race of the two main characters of “Recitatif” is never explicitly revealed. How does
this impact the experience of the story for the reader? Support your answer with specific
examples from the text.
4. Why does what happened to Maggie’s weigh so heavily on Twyla and Roberta, even
though they did not actually participate in beating her? Support your answer with specific
examples from the text.
5. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” how does the narrator's relationship with her husband evolve
or change? Does her mental state improve or worsen?
6. Interpret “The Yellow Wallpaper” from the point of view of the Feminist school of
criticism. Support your answer with specific examples from the text.
7. Section III of “The Open Boat” begins with a brief discussion of “the subtle brotherhood
of men” established during the events of the story and states that “each man felt it warm
him” (250). To what extent is this true? Support your answer with specific examples from
the story.
8. Evaluate the leadership of the captain in “The Open Boat.” Support your answer with
specific examples from the text.
English 102
Instructor: Karen Amano-Tompkins
Part 2 – Poetry (30 points)
1. You will be asked to discuss the progression of images in a poem that will be provided.
You will want to consider how the accumulation of images contributes to the theme and
how the title contributes to an understanding of the poem. Your response should be twoto-three paragraphs long and is worth 15 points.
To prepare for this question, review the chapter on Visual Imagery and Figures of Speech in
poetry on pages 560-569, of The Norton Introduction to Literature.
2. You will be asked to discuss the alliteration, rhyme, and meter of a poem that will be
provided. Specifically, you will want to consider how these formal elements contribute to
the meaning and impact of the poem. Your response should be two-to-three paragraphs
long and is worth 15 points.
To prepare for this question, review the chapters on The Sounds of Poetry on pages 586-599
of The Norton Introduction to Literature.