LITERARY TERMS
On the End-of-Grade Test
EXAMPLE:
Alliteration – Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the
beginnings of words. Writers use alliteration to emphasize certain words
and to give their writing a musical quality. Note the repetition of the “C”
sound in this line from “The Highwayman.”
“Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed. . . “
1. alliteration
2. author’s purpose
3. biography/autobiography
4. cause and effect
5. characterization
6. climax
7. comparison
8. conflict
9. connotation
10. context clues
11. contrast
12. denotation
13. dialect
14. dialogue
15. drawing conclusions
16. essay
17. exaggeration/hyperbole
18. fable
19. figurative language
20. flashback
21. folk tale
22. foreshadowing
23. genre
24. imagery
25. inference
26. irony
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
legend
metaphor
mood
moral
myth
narrative
onomatopoeia
personification
plot
point of view (firstperson, third-person
omniscient, thirdperson limited)
predicting
prose
repetition
rhyme
rhythm
satire
simile
stereotype
style
suspense
symbol
theme
tone
1.
alliteration – the repetition of initial sounds in a series of words –
. . . the clickety, clackety of colliding keys on the old-style typewriters
. . . Mrs. Savage’s gnarled knees knocked together as she stood atop the
ski slope
. . . the sight of the skyscrapers swaying slightly
. . . the fine-finned flippers of the fish
2.
author’s purpose – the author’s purpose for writing may be:
 to entertain
(FICTION –poetry
& prose)
 to explain and/or inform
(NONFICTION)
 to express an opinion
(EDITORIAL/ESSAY)
 to persuade readers to do something
(EDITORIAL/ESSAY)
3.
biography/autobiography – a nonfiction story of someone’s life – the only
difference is that an autobiography is a story of someone’s OWN life; and a
biography is a story of someone’s life told by someone else.
4.
cause and effect - Events are often related by cause and effect. Something
occurs first (the cause) and a second event (the effect) takes place as a result of the
first event.
e.g., I broke my leg, so I can’t play soccer today.
(cause)
(effect)
THE EVENTS ARE NOT ALWAYS LISTED IN THE ORDER IN WHICH
THEY OCCUR!!!!!!!!!
e.g., I couldn’t see the words in the book because I had broken my glasses.
(effect)
(cause)
5. characterization – The four basic techniques that a writer uses to create a
“life-like” character:
a. the physical description (she was old, her skin wrinkled like crushed
tissue paper discarded after gifts are exchanged. . .)
b. a character’s thoughts, speech, actions (“I don’t really like snottynosed little brats,” the teacher snarled.)
c. the thoughts, speech, and actions of other characters (Demetric said,
“She is a fat, old, wind-bag of a teacher. . .)
d. direct comments on a character’s nature (She had once been a kind
person, until she experienced the sudden death of her pet parakeet,
Peeps. . .)
6. climax – the turning point or high point of interest in the plot of a story –
usually, after the climax, the conflict (problem) is resolved (worked out) and
the outcome (ending) of the story becomes clear to the reader.
e.g., Adam struggled with Zach (aka Professor Zabinsky), kicking and
punching at him as he attempted to push Adam out of the car. Suddenly,
Adam heard the crunch of glass as he kicked out. Professor Zabinsky
(Zach) grasped his eyes and screamed. Adam took the opportunity to
open the car door and roll out onto the ground. He watched, in horror, as
Professor Zabinsky (Zach) lunged for him, and accidentally shoved the
gear shift into drive. The car began to roll, gathering momentum, as it
plunged into the darkness of the cavernous ravine. A moment later, an
explosion and fire ball spewed up into the dark night sky, causing Adam
to fling his face onto the damp ground.
7. comparison – the process of identifying similarities
(Ponyboy in The Outsiders is like __________ in Tex
because they are both kind of wild teenagers who live on the “edge” of
society.)
(from Maniac Magee, Maniac Magee has “real” friends in
both the black community, like Amanda Beale and in the white community,
like Russell & Piper McNab. He also had enemies, like Mars Bar and John
McNab.)
(In Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, Dab had the same
condition that Brother Rush had suffered so much from during his life.)
8. conflict – a struggle between two opposing forces
a. internal conflict – a character is working through problems in his/her
life
b. external conflict – a character is struggling against some “outside”
force (like nature, in Hatchet or Brian’s Winter ) or against “other”
characters in the story (like Zach in Wolf Rider, or the Nazis in The
Devil’s Arithmetic)
9. connotation – all of the associations and suggestions that go along with a
given word – BEYOND ITS DICTIONARY DEFINITION
e.g., compare the “connotations” of these words as opposed to their
dictionary definitions: fat, overweight, obese ,chubby, plump, heavy
dumb, stupid, slow, challenged, “special”
beautiful, pretty, gorgeous, cute, fine
handsome, cute, fine, “hunk”
10. context clues – the words or phrases before or after an unfamiliar word that
help explain its meaning. These “clues” around the unfamiliar word may:
a. define the word;
b. give a synonym for it (synonym = a word that means the same thing);
c. give an example of its meaning;
d. provide comparisons or contrasts to it;
e. enable the reader to “infer/guess at” the meaning
e.g., She raced across the lea, on which the spring wildflowers and grasses
now grew in such abundance. (lea = meadow)
e.g., The protuberance situated just above his upper lip honked, snorted, and
drizzled constantly because of the spring pollen. (protuberance = something sticking
out = his “nose” which stuck out above his upper lip)
11. contrast – pointing out differences between two things is called “contrasting”
them
e.g., Sarah was quite different from her younger sister, Sisley, because she
talked much louder, flirted more outrageously with the boys, and got into
trouble in classes.
e.g., In The Outsiders, Ponyboy was luckier than his friend, Johnny, because
at least he once had parents who loved him, and he now had an older brother
who cared for him. No one even cared if Johnny went home or not, and he
often carried bruises from beatings his parents doled out.
12. denotation – the literal, dictionary definition of a word
13. dialect – a form of language as it spoken in a certain place and among a
certain group of people.
Each dialect of a language has its own
pronunciations, spellings, and expressions:
a. “Youze guyz bring some sodas. . .”
b. “Ya’ll brang some Pepsi, willya?”
c. “Please bring your own drinks, okay?”
d. “Brang the pop, bro’. . .”
14. dialogue – a conversation between two or more characters in a story. Most of
the time, dialogue is marked by quotation marks, with new
paragraphs/indentations showing changes in speakers.
(exception –
plays/dramas, where characters parts always follow their name, e.g. KING
RICHARD: My kingdom for a horse!)
e.g. “You really need to turn in all of your homework the rest of this quarter,”
said the math teacher.
“Do you hear that, son? I expect the best from you,” Dudley’s mother
said.
“But I did!!!!” exclaimed Dudley.
“Yes, you did turn in ONE homework assignment, Dudley,” said the
math teacher. “You failed to turn in twelve other assignments that quarter,”
she continued.
15. drawing conclusions – combining several pieces of information to make a
decision is called “drawing a conclusion.” The best example of this skill is
when you’re watching a “murder mystery” and, finally, you are able to “figure
out” who committed the crime. You have “drawn a conclusion = guessed the
murderer” based on the facts you have seen during the movie.
e.g., She had red hair. Her mother, her grandmother, and all of her mother’s
sisters also had red hair.
When her son was born, he, too
_________________(obviously, had red hair.)
16. essay – a short, nonfiction work that deals with one subject is called an
“essay.” Usually, someone presents his/her point of view about a subject in
the essay.
e.g., My essay is entitled, “What I believe every student should learn before
they enter high school.”
17. exaggeration/hyperbole – overstating an idea in an extreme way is
exaggeration.
e.g., (simple) – I’ve told you a million times to pick up your room. . .
(more complex) – The athletes size 44 shoes pounded down the court. . .
(extended) – She moved her gigantic legs, swaying with the effort to lift each
of the tree-trunk sized limbs off the floor. At the base of each trunk she had
squashed on thimble-sized pink ballet slippers. The floor of the schoolroom
shook as she lumbered toward the board.)
18. fable – a brief story that teaches a lesson about human nature. Many fables
feature animals given human characteristics (personification). At the end of
the fable, there is usually a “moral” that sums up the lesson:
e.g., the story of the three little pigs, with the moral: BE PREPARED.
19. figurative language – going beyond the dictionary meanings of words by
combining them to create fresh and original descriptions. In a figurative
expression, the words are literally (factually) true, and usually something is
described in terms of another. The three common forms of figurative
expressions are:
o Simile = “the new leaves covered the tree’s limbs like a beautiful,
new Easter outfit” or “he was as mean as a snake because of the
abuse he had suffered in his childhood.”
o Personification = “the tree knelt toward the earth, holding its
long branches down to provide steps for the curious children. . . the
boughs sighed with pleasure as the children crawled higher. . .”
o Metaphor = “Since the branches of the trees had interwoven
over the years, they formed an unassailable fortress against the
shining axes of the woodcutters.”
20. flashback - in a literary work, a flashback is a scene that interrupts the
present action to describe an event that took place at an earlier time.
e.g., She hurried toward the door, scared that she would be late for her
doctor’s appointment. She would never forget the last time she was late for an
appointment – it had been six months before when she was hurrying out of her
home. . .
21. folk tale – a simple story that has been handed down by word of mouth from
one generation to another. The characters in the tales could be animals,
humans, or magical superhumans. They usually occur in the distant past and
may involve supernatural events. E.g., the story of the “headless” railroad
man searching for his head along the railroad tracks. .
22. foreshadowing – this refers to a writer’s use of hints that suggest events that
will occur later in a story. Sometimes the hints are obvious:
e.g., She would always remember the last time she saw her mother. That
afternoon would change her life forever.
Sometimes, you have to “piece” together context clues:
His father was a busy college professor. He had recently separated from his
wife and taken his teenage son to live with him. Adam had done well in
school, without too many challenges. His mother had provided a lot of
encouragement and support. . . “Dad,” Adam began, “you won’t believe what
happened to me today. The phone rang and when I picked it up someone
named Zach said that he had killed a girl and he described the girl lying there
on the floor, a pool of blood spreading out beneath her.” “Adam, I don’t
really have time for you and your friends’ ideas of pranks!” (from Wolf
Rider by Avi – foreshadowing the tension and disbelief/incredulity that his
father would feel toward a son who suddenly was a “problem” in his life)
23. genre – the major categories of literature, which include:
o fiction – make-believe
o nonfiction – factually true information
o poetry – a special kind of literature that expresses ideas in
compact, imaginative, musical language
o drama – a play; a form of literature meant to be performed by
actors on a stage before an audience, or (in the case of a radio
play), on radio, with sound-effects
24. imagery – (sometimes known as “sensory” words)
o imagery/sensory words appeal to the reader’s SENSES, helping the
reader to imagine how things LOOK, FEEL, SMELL, SOUND,
and TASTE.
e.g., The mud squished up through my toes. . .FEEL
The coarse, woolen coat rubbed against my neck. . .FEEL
The warm, blueberry cobbler was tangy sweet. . .TASTE
The clatter of dishes and the scraping sound of plates being cleared
filled the mess hall. . SOUND
The dandelion’s white, fluffy spores wafted towards the robin’s egg
blue sky. . .LOOK
25. inference - a logical guess or conclusion based on evidence. Based on details
you read in a story and your prior knowledge of a subject, you, the reader, can
“figure out” more than just what the words say.
e.g., If you read in Maniac Magee that Maniac was color-blind, but
that not everyone else in the neighborhood was color-blind; and then you read on to find
out that someone wrote something “ugly” on the front of Amanda’s house, you can
“infer” that someone in the neighborhood was prejudiced. You “figured out” that colorblind did not mean that Maniac couldn’t tell blue from green, but that he didn’t see that
people were black or white. He described it as “all different shades, from light coffee to
dark, burnished ebony. . .”
26. irony – a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or
happens;
e.g., If you read The Trouble with Lemons, the Principal was always down
on the main character because he believed that he was suffering from neglect,
since the main character’s mother was away making a movie. The Principal
points out that his own son has a mother who stays home with him so that he
can receive a “proper” upbringing. Later in the book, the Principal discovers
that his own “proper” son was guilty of covering up the accidental drowning
of the school custodian. In a final scene, the main character and his “moviestar” mom sit across from the jail and watch as the Principal arrives with his
son, who has been arrested. THE SITUATION IS IRONIC.
27. legend – a story handed down from the past about a specific person, usually
someone of heroic accomplishments. Most legends are created based on
historical facts, but hyperbole (exaggeration) is used to “super-size” a
historical character’s actions.
e.g., the story of John Henry, the “human” tunnel-cutter who raced against the
new mechanical (steam) tunnel-cutter and who “hammered” himself to death
to get through the mountain before the machine. . .in “John Henry” a poem
e.g., Maniac’s life in Maniac Magee is described as part truth/part legend
because Maniac became the “hero” who pulled the East Side and the West
Side of town together; he also was good at everything he did, e.g., he threw
the longest football pass, kicked the longest punt, raced the fastest, unknotted
the “famous knot” which no one had ever been capable of unknotting. . .
28. metaphor – a comparison of two unlike things that have something in
common is called a “metaphor.” A metaphor does NOT use direct words,
such as LIKE or AS to compare the two things.
e.g., Her screams were arrows from her angry mind, shot out to wound him,
but, she prayed, also to stop him from going through with his plan.
(comparing her scream to arrows that would stop him from some action)
29. mood – the “atmosphere” or feeling created in the reader by the literary text.
The writer uses many techniques to set the “mood,” such as: choosing certain
loaded words; including dialogue between characters; describing the
characters and setting; and weaving the strands of the plot (story line)
together.
e.g., The wind howled, bending bare branches toward the windows, where
they looked like fingers searching for latches, sounded like fingernails
scraping boards, sent the same shudder up her spine. Her voice sounded thin
and wavery as she pleaded, “Tom, . . . is that you?” (WHAT IS THE
MOOD?)(Anyone seen any good horror movies lately? Think: sounds;
music; dark night, stormy night; face masks; young, helpless teenagers homealone; the electricity and phone service are disconnected. . )
30. moral – at the end of fables, morals are “lessons” that the characters in the
story should have learned. In other stories, the author often intends for the
reader to learn a lesson, but he/she may not state it directly.
e.g., AESOP’S FABLES, “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”
“A certain wolf could not get enough to eat because of the watchfulness of the shepherds.
But one night he found a sheep skin that had been cast aside and forgotten. The next day,
dressed in the skin, the wolf strolled into the pasture with the sheep. Soon a little lamb
was following him about and was quickly led away to slaughter. (HE ATE IT!)/”That
evening the wolf entered the fold with the flock. But it happened that the shepherd took a
fancy (WAS HUNGRY FOR) mutton (SHEEP) broth that very evening and, picking up a
knife, went to the fold. There the first he laid his hands on and killed was the wolf.”
MORAL = “The evildoer often comes to harm through his own deceit.”
(If you do something evil, you may be harmed as a result of your own act, e.g., if you
steal a car and go “joy-riding” and then wreck the car and lose your life. . .)
31. myth – a traditional story, usually of unknown authorship (anonymous), that
deals with basic questions about the universe. Gods and heroes often figure
prominently in myths, which may attempt to explain such things as the origin
of the world, mysteries of nature, or social customs.
e.g., The myth of “Narcissus” (as retold by Mrs. Savage): Hera, wife of Zeus,
is angered by Echo who tells stories and gossip for the purpose of detaining
Hera on earth so that Zeus, her husband, can escape to Olympus for some
R&R (rest and relaxation, away from his “nagging” wife). Hera is so angry at
Echo that she puts a “spell” on her and only allows her to repeat what she
hears from that day forth. Echo wanders around, “echoing” everything she
hears. Then, one day, she spots a handsome male, Narcissus, who is chased
around the forest by the other nymphs (female, woodland creatures), but who
is ONLY IN LOVE WITH HIMSELF (sounds like some 8th grade boys I
know). One day, Echo sneaks up on Narcissus who has become lost in the
woods. He “hollers” for help. Echo repeats his words. Finally, Echo runs out
and embraces Narcissus. He is infuriated by her “repetition” of all of his
words. Aphrodite, a goddess in the heavens, hears Echo’s sad lament (she
wants to die because he doesn’t love her in return). Even though Echo died
from grief, Aphrodite determined that Narcissus would not go unpunished, so
she doomed him to forever love himself and no one else. One day, he came
across a pond in the woods and when he saw his own reflection, he was
enchanted. He pined after his own reflection. Finally, he died beside the
pool, inconsolable in his “unrequited” (that means he never could receive love
from his beloved – HIMSELF!!!) love. Then, his bones filtered into the
earth and he “reincarnated” (grew back into his “second” life) as a flower with
white petals around a yellow center. These flowers often hang their heads (the
white petal cup) over small ponds, thus, “looking at themselves” to see how
fine they are, and Echo lives still in the woods, whispering through the trees,
repeating the sounds she hears.
THUS, THIS MYTH “EXPLAINED” TO EARLY HUMANS WHY
“ECHOES” EXISTED AND WHY CERTAIN FLOWERS ALWAYS GREW IN
THE WETLANDS BESIDE SMALL PONDS.
32. narrative – a narrative is a writing that tells a story. The events that occur
can be real or they can be fiction. Real narratives are biographies or
autobiographies. Fictional narratives include myths, short stories, novels, and
narrative (prose-form), non-rhyming poetry.
33. onomatopoeia – the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning, e.g.,
whir, buzz, pop, roar, sizzle, ping. . . From “The Highwayman” a long,
rhythmic poem: “Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had you heard it?/ The horses hoofs
ringing clear; Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did
not hear?” (The “tlot” symbolizes the clopping of the galloping horses
hooves against the roadway.)
34. personification – The giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea
is known as personification. In “Rikki-tikki-tavi,”, for example, the
mongoose, Rikki, and the cobra, Nagina, talk, as if they were humans:
e.g., “Give me the egg, Rikki-tikki. Give me the last of my eggs, and I will go
away and never come back,” she said, lowered her hood (she is a cobra
snake)./”Yes, you will go away and you will never come back, for you will go
to the rubbish heap with Nag. Fight, widow! The big man has gone for his
gun! Fight!” (Rikki is telling her she is going to be killed and thrown on top
of the garbage heap with her dead spouse, Nag.)
e.g., The wind whispered through the trees, moaning as it surged up the
hillside and ran screaming down into the ravine. . .” (whispered, moaning, ran
screaming = all of these are “human” characteristics given to an inanimate
(not living) object, the “wind”)
35. plot - a story’s plot is the sequence of related events that make up the story.
In a typical European or American plot, an “exposition” introduces the
characters and establishes the main conflict. Complications arise as the
characters try to resolve (work out) the conflict. Eventually, the plot builds
toward a climax, the point of greatest interest or suspense. In the resolution –
the final stage of the plot-loose ends are tied up and the story is brought to a
close.
e.g., In “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes, the plot line is:
Exposition – A large lady is walking home late a night. A young boy runs up
behind her and grabs her pocketbook. The purse was so heavy that he fell
over backward from the weight and the lady kicked him in the seat of the
pants. She picked him up by his shirtfront, shook him, put a half-nelson on
him, and took him home with her.
Conflict – She discovers that he is hungry, dirty, and “neglected” at home.
He tells her that he wanted the money (in her purse) to buy a pair of blue
suede shoes (pretend it’s a pair of Nike “whatevers”). She makes him wash
up, gives him food, tells him a “story” about her life.
Climax - Then, she leaves her pocketbook on her bed and goes behind a
screen to change clothes. He avoids the temptation to take the pocketbook
and run.
Resolution – After they’ve eaten, she gives him $10 for his shoes (pretend
it’s $100 for your Nike _____s) and says, “Goodnight! Behave yourself,
boy!” He barely gets out “Thank you” before she closes her door. He never
sees her again.
36. point of view – Every story is told from a particular point of view, or
perspective. The following are the most common points of view:
o First-person - the narrator (storyteller) is a character in the
story and uses first-person pronouns, such as I, me, we, us to tell
the story from his/her perspective.
e.g., I watched, helpless, as my best friend tripped in the relay.
o Third-person omniscient – this point-of-view allows the
narrator to relate (tell) the thoughts and feeling of several, if not
of all, the story’s character. The narrator knows what everyone
is feeling, and thinking and we can “see” into the minds of
several characters. OMNI- = ALL ; -SCIENT = KNOWING
o Third-Person limited – the narrator tells us what ONE
character thinks, feels, and observes. We don’t “see” into the
minds of all characters, as in 3rd person omniscient.
37. predicting –Using what you already know to draw a conclusion, and “predict’
what will happen next is a “good reader” strategy. E.g., If you read that a
character is feeling “out of sorts” one day when he leaves home to go to
school, you might draw the conclusion, or “predict” that he/she may have a
bad day at school. Or, in Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, you might have
read that Tree saw Brother for the first time standing on the street, with his
legs crossed, his hand cupped behind his ear, and with the finest set of clothes
on that she had ever seen. Unfortunately, as fine as he was, he seemed to pay
no attention to her, and just stared ahead, noticing none of the activity around
him. You might be able to “predict” that Brother Rush is a ghost, dressed in
his burial outfit, and that’s why no one seems to notice him and he doesn’t
seem to notice anyone. Tree is the only one who can see him.
38. prose – Prose is the ordinary form of spoken and written language. It is the
opposite of poetry, which is often either free form, or rhyming/rhythmic, and
which is compact, with minimal words to communicate strong emotions, or
reflections.
39. repetition – the use of any element of language – a sound, a word, a phrase, a
grammatical structure – more than once. Writers use repetition to stress ideas
and to create memorable sound effects, e.g., “He did not come in the
dawning. He did not come at noon;/And out of the tawny sunset, before
the rise of the moon, . . .” from Alfred Noyes’s poem, “The Highwayman”
or, e.g., “It was a low, dull, quick sound – much such a sound as a watch
makes when enveloped in cotton. . .It grew louder – louder – louder!. . . I
felt that I must scream or die! – and now – again!- hark! louder! louder!
louder! louder!. . .- tear up the planks! – here, here! – it is the beating of
his hideous heart!” from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” when the
murderer of the old man, who has chopped up his body and put it under the
floorboards in his apartment, begins to hear a “beating” in his ears, and thinks
that the policemen who have come to interview him regarding the “missing”
neighbor must hear the beating – beating – beating! He finally gives himself
away by telling all. A guilty conscience, huh?
40. rhyme – the repetition of sounds at the ends of words. Words rhyme when
their accented vowels and all the letters that follow have identical sounds, e.g.,
dog, log, fog, smog, bog, hog. . .
End Rhyme is the most common form of rhyme. The words at the end of a
line of poetry rhyme.
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree
Rhyme Scheme – the pattern of rhyming sounds at the ends of lines of poetry.
If I can stop one Heart from breaking
A
I shall not live in vain
B
If I can ease one Life the Aching
A
Or cool one Pain
B
From Emily Dickinson’s “If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking”
Or
Full fathom five thy father lies;
A
Of his bones are coral made;
B
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
A
Nothing of him doth fade,
B
But doth suffer a sea change
C
Into something rich and strange.
C
Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell:
D
Ding-dong.
Hark! now I hear them – Ding-dong, bell.
D
From William Shakespeare’s “Full Fathom Five”
41. rhythm –the rhythm of a line of poetry is the pattern of stressed and unstressed
syllables in the line. When this pattern is repeated throughout a poem, the poem is said to
have a regular beat. (think of rap) Note the rhythm in the lines below (the / indicates a
stressed syllable; the indicates an unstressed syllable.)
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.
From Alfred Noyes’s poem, “The Highwayman”
And
Oh mistress mine! Where are you roaming?
Oh! Stay and hear; your true love’s coming,
That can sing both high and low.
Trip no further, pretty sweeting;
Journeys end in lovers meeting,
Every wise man’s son doth know.
From William Shakespeare’s poem, “Oh Mistress Mine”
42. satire & sarcasm – Sarcasm is the device writers use to express irony.
Sarcasm may be understatement or exaggeration, but the purpose is to upset or
offend someone. E.g., (when your parents look at one of your outfits) “That’s
“tight” alright, so tight that it’s going to split the first time you lean over!” or
“Yeah, that outfit’s “all that” I’m going to buy!”)
Satire – usually this form of sarcasm is political in nature, or about a specific
group in society, e.g., political cartoons are satirical; e.g., from Francis
Hopkinson’s “Battle of the Kegs” in which he ridicules (makes fun of) the British.
(The American rebels packed barrels full of gunpowder and floated them down
the Delaware River so shipping in and out of the British port of Philadelphia
would be interrupted.)
. . .”These kegs, I’m told, the rebels hold,
Packed up like pickled herring;
And they’re coming down to attack the
Town,
In this new way of ferrying.”
The soldier flew, the sailor too,
And scared almost to death, sir,
Wore out their shoes to spread the
News,
And ran till out of breath, sir.
“Arise, arise!” Sir Erskine cries;
“The rebels, more’s the pity,
Without a boat are all afloat
And ranged before the city.
(he thinks that the barrels have American
soldiers in them)
The cannons roar from shore to shore,
The small arms make a rattle;
Since wars began, I’m sure no man
E’er saw so strange a battle.
(the British are using cannons to blow up the kegs)
The kegs, ‘tis said, though strongly
made
Of rebel staves and hoops, sir,
Could not oppose their powerful foes,
The conquering British troops, sir.
(the author is very sarcastic here, saying that
the kegs just couldn’t stand up to the brave, powerful
British)
Such feats did they perform that day
Against those wicked kegs, sir,
That years to come, if they get home,
They’ll make their boasts and brags,
Sir.
(they’ll talk about how brave they were in this battle –
but they’ll probably leave out the fact that they only fought
against defenseless powder kegs, not armed men!)
43. simile – a comparison of two things that have some quality in
common, using the comparison words, like or as.
(see figurative language, above)
e.g., “what is left looks rather like a gigantic, black pancake.”
From Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
44. stereotype – a generalization about a group of people, in which
individual differences are disregarded. Stereotypes may lead to unfair
judgments of individuals on the basis of race, ethnic background, age,
or physical appearance.
e.g., All rich kids are spoiled brats.
All old people are mean!
All the teachers here just “lie on us” all the time!
45. style – Style is a manner of writing; it involves HOW something is
said rather than WHAT is said. Many elements contribute to style,
including: word choice, sentence length, tone, and figurative
language. E.g., “I lifted the heavy glass lid of the gobstopper (candy)
jar and dropped the mouse in. Then I replaced the lid as silently as
possible. My heart was thumping like mad, and my hands had gone
all sweaty. (from Roald Dahl’s book, Boy: Tales of Childhood)
46. suspense – the growing feeling of tension and excitement felt by a
reader, or by a movie-viewer. You usually don’t have enough
information to “predict” how the scene or book will end, so you are
hanging, waiting for the final scene.e.g., from “A Retrieved
Reformation” when a young girl is accidentally locked in a newly
installed bank vault:
“. . .May, the nine-year-old girl, in a spirit of play, had shut Agatha in
the vault. She had then shot the bolts and turned the knob of the
combination as she had seen Mr. Adams do. . . “The door can’t be
opened, (the old banker) groaned. “The clock hasn’t been wound nor
the combination set.” / In a minute, Jimmy’s pet drill was biting
smoothly into the steel door. In ten minutes – breaking his own
burglarious record – he threw back the bolts and opened the door./
Agatha, almost collapsed, but safe, was gathered into her mother’s
arms./ *(I won’t give away the “other” ending in case you haven’t
read the story – hint – why would Jimmy have a “pet” drill handy?
What was his profession?)
47. symbol – a person, place, an object, or an action that stands for something beyond
itself. E.g., “The owner of the slaves callin’ himself their Master. Say he was a hard
lump of clay. A hard, glinty coal. A hard rock pile, wouldn’t be moved. His Overseer
on horseback pointed out the slaves who were slowin’ down.” From “The People Could
Fly” by Virginia Hamilton
hard lump of clay/hard, glinty coal/a hard rock pile – symbolizing the
immovable force of the OWNER, who felt nothing for the slaves,
could not be moved & from the title “flying” = escaping to freedom
48. theme – a message about life or human nature that is conveyed by a
literary work. A work can have more than one theme, and in many cases
readers must infer the writer’s message. One way to infer a fictional
work’s theme is to decide what general statement (generalization) could be
supported by the experiences of the main character(s). (e.g., common
themes are: man versus man, man versus nature, man versus society,
control over one’s destiny/versus predestination (determination by a “god”
who has already decided what will happen to a person). . .
49.tone – the writer’s attitude toward his/her subject. Words such as
“amused, objective, angry” can be used to describe different tones:
e.g., Serious = from Lincoln’s “The Gettysburg Address”
“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place
for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”
Reflective = from “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” by
Longfellow
“The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew (a bird) calls;
Along the sea sands damp and brown
The traveler hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveler to the shore
And the tide rises, the tide falls.”
(theme – people die, but life goes on, and the cycles of the seasons and the
earth move ahead)
Humorous – (from “The Cop & the Anthem” by O. Henry)
Soapy is the character’s name; he is a “street person” who knows:
“. . . every bed of charity (a night’s stay in a shelter)
must have its toll of a bath (they make the street people take a bath to stay
there). . . “ O. Henry uses the name “Soapy” even though his main
character refuses to become “soapy.” He’d rather get thrown into jail
rather than have to meet the requirements, soap & water, of the shelter.
STUDY QUESTIONS for Literary Terms:
1. What literary device used by the author makes the most impact in the following
passage: “What a very sensible book, I told myself, and copied the sentences in
my notes. ‘On entering the sick room,’ wrote Dr. Jackson, ‘the physician’s
deportment should be calm, sober without solemnity, civil without formality. He
should abstain from all levity (humor). He should never attract attention to
himself. He should leave the room with an air of cheerfulness. . .’” from”Salute
to Librarians” by C.D. Bowen
a. Alliteration (attract, attention/sober, solemnity)
b. Comparison & contrast (sober without solemnity, civil without formality)
c. Word-choice (medical terms, like deportment, solemnity. . .)
d. All of the above devices
2. What is the impact of the writer’s use of dialect and rhyme scheme in the
following excerpt from the poem “The Mountain Whippoorwill” by Stephen
Vincent Benet?
“Born in the mountains, lonesome-born,
Raised runnin’ ragged thu’ the cockleburs and corn.
Never knew my pappy, mebbe never should.
Think he was a fiddle made of mountain-laurel wood.
Never had a mammy to teach me pretty-please.
Think she was a whippoorwill, a-skitin’ thu’ the trees.
Never had a brother ner a whole pair of pants,
But when I start to fiddle, why, yuh got to start to dance!”
(hint: think about setting, rhythmic dancing, fiddle-music. . .)
3. What is the impact of the repetition used in this excerpt from “The Gettysburg
Address” by Abraham Lincoln?
“It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated, here to the unfinished
work that they have thus far so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead we take
increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of
devotion. . .” Who is he contrasting with “us, the living?”
Background: The Battle of Gettysburg was a decisive battle in the American Civil
War. In his speech, he was dedicating a cemetery to the soldiers who had fallen (on
both sides) in battle.
4. What literary devices does the author, Arthur Gordon, employ in this excerpt from
his short story, “The Sea Devil?”
“He liked the loneliness and the labor or it. He liked the clean taste of salt
when he gripped the edge of the net with his teeth, as a cast netter must. He liked the
arching flight of sixteen pounds of lead and linen against the starlight, and the
weltering crash of the net into the unsuspecting water. He liked the harsh tug of the
retrieving rope around his wrist, and the way the net came alive when the cast was
true, and the thud of captured fish on the floorboards of the skiff (small boat).”
a. Simile and personification (liked the loneliness. . . unsuspecting water)
b. Alliteration and personification (liked the loneliness and the labor. . .
arching flight. . . lead and linen. . . unsuspecting water)
c. Metaphor, alliteration and personification (arching flight against the
starlight. . . liked the loneliness and the labor. . . retrieving rope around his
wrist. . . unsuspecting water. . . net came alive)
d. Flashback (the use of the past tense. . . he liked. . .)
5. Read the following poem, “Lullaby” by Robert Hillyer, then answer the following
questions:
“The long canoe
The long canoe
Toward the shadowy shore,
At the shadowy shore,
One. . . Two. . .
One. . . two. . .
Three. . . Four. . .
Three. . . four. . .
The paddle dips,
A murmur now
Turns in the wake,
Under the prow
Pauses, then
Where rushes bow
Forward again,
To let us through.
Water drips
From the blade to the lake.
One. . . Two. . .
Nothing but that,
Upon the shore,
No sound of wings;
Three. . . four. . .
The owl and bat
Upon the lake,
Are velvet things.
No one’s awake,
No wind awakes,
No one’s awake,
No fishes leap,
One. . .
No rabbits creep
Two . . .
Among the brakes. ***
No one,
No even
You.”
***brakes = tall ferns
a. What “play on words” does the author use with the term “awake?”
(hint: what is the definition of the word: wake)
b.What is the impact of the author’s repetitive use of the word “no?”
c. What does the rhythmic “one. . . two. . . three. . four. . “ in the poem
symbolize?
d. What is the mood in the poem?
i.
rhythmic
ii.
morbid
iii.
reflective
iv.
sensory
6. Read the following poem from Langston Hughes:
“ I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human
Blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New
Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
a. Who is the “I” in the poem?
i.
Langston Hughes
ii.
All African-American people
iii.
All people who have labored as slaves through the centuries
iv.
The rivers of Africa and the United States.
b. What is symbolic about the author saying (of the Mississippi). . . “I’ve seen its
muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset?”
i.
“Golden” means that better times came after Abraham Lincoln’s
Emancipation Proclamation;
ii.
“Golden” means that his soul was singing.
iii.
“Golden” means that he is in his sunset years, near the end of his life.
iv.
“Golden” just describes the color of the Mississippi when the sun sets
on it.
c. What does the depth of the rivers and the depth of “the African-American” soul
signify?
i.
the accumulated histories of the peoples who lived beside the rivers;
ii.
the accumulated sufferings of the peoples who toiled beside the rivers;
iii.
the accumulated silt and soil that forms at the mouth of a river, known
as the delta
iv.
the accumulated blood flow of all mankind.
7. Read this excerpt from “The Sinking of PT 109” by James MacGregor Burns,
about a terrifying ordeal that nearly ended the brilliant career of John Fitzgerald
Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, before it had even begun.
Then, answer the following questions:
“Shortly after midnight on August 2, 1943, the Japanese destroyer “Amagiri” cut through the dark
waters of Blackett Strait west of New Georgia. . . On the PT boat, Lt. John F. Kennedy, skipper,
and his twelve officers and men had watched helplessly as the destroyer bore down on them. The
PT was leaden, for it was running on one engine to keep down noise. Two men were killed
outright or were sucked down to die in the churning vortex of the destroyer’s wake; others
struggled to keep afloat and away from the gasoline fire burning on the water. Kennedy was
thrown hard in the cockpit and fell on his back across the deck. . . But his half of the PT boat
stayed afloat, and he and four others clung to it. He shouted for survivors in the water, and six
more responded. . . Kennedy swam to them and half tugged, half guided them back to the PT boat.
. . Kennedy decided that the only hope lay in their swimming for a small island three miles to the
southeast. He towed McMahon, holding in his teeth one end of a long strap on the burned man’s
Mae West (life jacket). . . Kennedy made it to the island in five hours. He had been in the sea for
almost fifteen hours./ The men sprawled exhausted on the little island. Kennedy decided to strike
out on his own to a further island and try to intercept a PT boat along the regular route through
Ferguson Passage. In the twilight he swam to the reef, hugging the ship’s lantern. . . he drifted off
into sleep or unconsciousness. . . Finally, he made the island, crawled up the beach, and vomited
on the sand. His men moved up to him. Kennedy looked at his third officer. ‘Ross, you try it
tonight,’ he said. Then he passed out./ Ross swam out into Ferguson Passage that evening but
met no better luck than had his chief. Kennedy, cold and sick, was awake most of that night. . .
The men were terribly thirsty. . . he swam out with them toward an island nearer Ferguson
Passage. . . and found coconuts. . . he and Ross swam to Nauru Island. . . they found two natives. .
. Kennedy found a coconut shell and cut a message on it with his knife: ELEVEN ALIVE
NATIVE KNOWS POSIT AND REEFS NAURU ISLAND KENNEDY. . . (he and Ross took a
canoe they found and headed out into the PT boat lanes again). . . A wave tore Kennedy from the
canoe. . . Ross was badly cut on the arm and shoulder, (by the coral reef). . . Their ordeal was
almost over. The rescue could not have come much later. McMahon’s burns had begun to rot;
Ross’s arm had swelled to the size of his thigh. (When rescued and asked if he wanted some food
or water), Kennedy said “No thanks, I just had a coconut.”
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
What qualities of leadership did Kennedy exhibit?
Give some examples of sensory details that the author used.
How did the author make the story suspenseful?
What kind of writing is this?
How did Kennedy’s perseverance finally pay off for him and for his crew?
What is the “churning vortex created by the carrier’s wake?” Why would that
have been a horrible death? (be specific – hint – what is under a boat?)
g. What was the author’s purpose in recounting this tale?
h.
What was the author’s tone (how do you think he personally felt about Kennedy’s bravery?)
i.
What are some of the sensory details the author includes ?
8. From “Snow Toward Evening” by Melville Cane:
“Suddenly the sky turned gray;
The day,
Which had been bitter and chill,
Grew soft and still.
Quiet
From some invisible blossoming tree
Millions of petals cool and white
Drifted and blew,
Lifted and flew,
Fell with the falling night.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
5
10
What are the “millions of petals cool and white” in the seventh line?
What metaphor does the author use?
Why is “quiet” on a line all alone?
What are several examples of internal rhyme within the poem?
What is the end rhyme scheme?
How helpful is the title? Would you understand “what” fell if the title didn’t
give it away?
9. Read this excerpt from “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by
Mark Twain and then answer the questions:
“Simon Wheeler backed me into a corner and blockaded me there with his chair, and then he sat down and reeled off the
monotonous narrative which follows this paragraph. . .’Reverend Leonidas W. H’m, Reverend Le – well, there was a feller
once by the name of Jim Smiley, in the winter of ’49 – or maybe it was the spring of ’50 – I don’t recollect exactly,
somehow, though what makes me think it was one or the other is because I remember the big flume1 warn’t finished when
he first come to the camp; but anyway, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up you ever
see, if he could get anybody to be on the other side; and if he couldn’t he’d change sides. Any way that suited the other
man would suit him - any way just so’s he got a bet, he was satisfied. But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most
always come out winner. He was always ready and laying for the chance; there couldn’t be no solit’ry thing mentioned but
that feller’d offer to bet on it and take any side you please, as I was just telling you. If there was a horse race, you’d find
him flush or you’d find him busted at the end of it; if there was a dogfight, he’d bet on it; if there was a catfight, he’d bet
on it; if there was a chickenfight, he’d bet on it; why, if there was two birds setting on a fence, he would bet you which one
would fly first; or if there was a camp meeting, he would be there reg’lar to bet on Parson Walker, which he judged to be
the best exhorter2 about here, and so he was too, and a good man. If he even see a straddlebug start to go anywheres, he
would bet you how long it would take him to get to – to wherever he was going to, and if you took him up, he would foller
that straddlebug to Mexico but what he would find out where he was bound for and how long he was on the road. Lots of
the boys here has seen that Smiley and can tell you about him. Why, it never made no difference to him – he’d bet on
anything – the dangdest feller. . ./He ketched a frog one day and took him home and said he cal’lated to educate him; and
so he never done nothing for three months but set in his backyard and learn that frog to jump. And you bet you he did
learn him, too. He’d give him a little punch behind, and the next minute you’d see that frog whirling in the air like a
doughnut – see him turn one summerset, or maybe a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right,
like a cat. . . /(a stranger comes to town and challenges Smiley and his frog, Dan’l Webster, to a “race.”) So, he set there a
good while thinking and thinking to himself, and then he got the frog out and prized his mouth open and took a teaspoon
and filled him full of quail shot3 - filled him pretty near up to his chin – and set him on the floor. . ./the new frog hopped off
lively, but Dan’l give a heave, and hysted up his shoulders – so – like a Frenchman, but it warn’t no use – he couldn’t
1
Flume = an inclined chute for carrying water; here, it was for running the logs downstream to the sawmill.
Exhorter = here, a preacher. Normally, someone who urgently advises, or warns against something – like
sinning.
3
Quail shot = buckshot pellets to put in a shotgun; a quail is a small bird hunted with the spray of shotgun
pellets.
2
budge. . ./The feller took the money and started away (Smiley lost his bet). . ./Smiley stood scratching his head and looking
down at Dan’l a long time, and at last he says, ‘I do wonder what in the nation that frog throw’d off for – I wonder if there
ain’t something the matter with him – he ‘pears to look mighty baggy, somehow.’ And he ketched Dan’l by the nap of the
neck and hefted him and says, ‘Why, blame my cats if he don’t weigh five pound!’ and turned him upside-down, and he
belched out a double handful of shot. And then he see how it was, and he was the maddest man – he set the frog down and
took out after that feller, but he never ketched him. . .”
a.
What literary techniques had the most impact on this narrative?
i.
dialogue and hyperbole
ii.
figurative language and alliteration
iii.
sensory details and vivid verbs
iv.
metaphor and alliteration
b. Which story is most like this story?
i.
“The Three Little Pigs”, a fable
ii.
“Cinderella,” a fairy tale
iii.
The Tall Tale “ Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox”
iii.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” an American ghost story
c.
What was the author’s purpose in writing this narrative?
i.
To inform;
ii.
To entertain;
iii.
To persuade;
iv.
To give an accurate picture of life at the turn of the century;
d.
What is the meaning of the word “summerset” as used in the narrative?
i.
An act or performance;
ii.
A somersault;
iii.
A high, sideways leap into the air;
iv.
An evening’s sunset.
e.
How does the storyteller make you understand what kind of a betting-man Jim Smiley
was?
i.
By giving details about prior bets he had made;
ii.
By the repetition of the phrase, “he’d bet on it;”
iii.
By explaining how lucky he was with most of his bets;
iv.
By using a run-on sentence incorporating semi-colons to separate the
different activities on which Jim Smiley placed bets.
10. Read the following recipe from Emeril Lagasse’s website. Emeril is the BAM! Chef who has
several cooking shows on FOODTV network. Then, answer the questions below.
FRIED OYSTERS WITH TOMATO CORN SAUCE
2 whole eggs
1 3/4 cup olive oil
3 Italian plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 ears corn, removed from the cob and blanched
1/2 cup green onions
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 juice of lemon
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
24 freshly shucked oysters, liquid drained
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup masa harina
vegetable oil for frying
Combine the eggs, garlic, lemon juice and Dijon in a food
processor. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil
in a steady stream. (After all the oil is incorporated the mixture
should resemble a light mayonnaise. Season the mixture with salt
and pepper. Remove the mayonnaise from the machine and place
in a mixing bowl. Fold in the tomatoes, corn, and green onions.
Place the tarter sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use. In a
mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal and masa harina together.
Season the flours with salt and pepper. Dredge a couple of
oysters at a time in the flour. Fry the oysters in the hot oil until
the oysters start to curl, crispy and golden brown, about 2-3
minutes. Fry the oysters in batches. Remove the oysters from
pan and drain on a paper lined plate. Season with salt and
pepper. Serve the fried oysters with the tartar sauce.
Recipe from Emeril's New Orleans Cooking
Reproduced by permission from William Morrow & Company Inc.
Copyright © 1993 by Emeril Lagasse
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
What kitchen appliances are necessary to make this recipe?
What is the meaning of the word “batches” in this recipe?
Why is it necessary to drain the oysters on a paper lined plate?
What is the meaning of the word “dredge” in the recipe?
What does “shucking” an oyster involve?
How can you tell when the oysters are “done?”
What is the “cob” of the corn?
What does “after all the oil is incorporated. . .” mean?
i. If I told you that mayonnaise is a delicate emulsion, which could “break” or
separate into its original elements, if not handled correctly, what could you guess
about what “emulsion” means?
j. What is the first step to prepare this dish?
i.
Shucking the oysters;
k.
ii.
Heating the cooking oil in a deep fryer;
iii.
Removing the corn from the cob;
iv.
Making the mayonnaise.
How might you plan ahead for this recipe?
i.
By preparing the tartar sauce the night before;
ii.
By purchasing your ingredients the day before you plan to
serve the dish.
iii.
By shucking the oysters and taking the corn off the cob
ahead of time;
iv.
By completing all of the steps above ahead of time.
l. Why do you think that Emeril Lagasse is willing to put recipes like this one on the internet so that
anyone can access them?
i.
So that people will try his recipes, his “fame” will spread, and he will get good
publicity/free advertising for his restaurants, his cookbooks, and his shows;
ii.
So that people will look him up when they visit New Orleans and go to one of his
restaurants there;
iii.
So that people will tune into FOOD TV and watch his cooking shows;
iv.
For all of the above reasons.
l.
What measuring devices do you need for this recipe?
i.
A cup, some small spoons, and a large mixing spoon;
ii.
a mixing bowl, and food processor bowl;
iii.
a deep-fat fryer bowl, and several teaspoon measures;
iv.
at least a one-cup liquid measure and a set of teaspoon/tablespoon measures.
11. Read the following primary source document, entitled a “A Letter from J. Theodore Calhoun” and
then read the entry from the book:
Then, answer the following questions:
Primary Source Document:
“Headquarters 2nd Division 3rd Corps”
“August 26th, 1863”
“Gunshot wound excision of part of ulna”
“A resection of one of the bones of the forearm performed by me at Chancellorsville, as I have not
seen the specimen since I operated, I do not remember wether (sic) it was an ulna or radius, If I
rem(me)ber correctly, it was a Minnie ball wound. The wound in the soft parts, was enlarged, the
loose piece of bone pulled out, the bone clipped off smooth at one extremity and passed across at the
other, with a metacarpel saw. The wound being brought together with the Silver wire suture. These
exsections of portion of the bones of the forearm have uniformly in my practice done well.
Amputation of the forearm for Rifle or musket ball wound, should in my opinion be seldom if ever
performed – resection is preferable.”
“(Signed) J. Theodore Calhoun”
“Asst. Surg, U.S.A.”
Secondary Source Document:
From Gettysburg: An Alternate History by Peter G. Tsouras (be aware that an “alternate history” is a
look back at a great event and a hypothetical, fictionalized account, a “what-if” account that would
have changed history (and thus, our present day))
“In fact, the man realized, he had never seen Lee look so bad. . . His eyes rolled back to expose the
whites, he sagged forward, and just slid off Traveler into the grass./ Colonel Marshall and
Longstreet’s aide were at his side in seconds. . . Awake but almost incoherent, Lee was only able to
say, in a weak voice, ‘I have a terrible pain.’ The precise nature of his illness still eluded doctors in the
1860s, but they had been able to treat the symptoms with some success for over a hundred years. . ./he
produced a glass syringe and began to fill it with morphine. The doctor was so used to this he did not
even take notice but quickly administered the narcotic. Next, the doctor and his servant began applying
rotating tourniquets to his arms and legs to slow down the circulation. . ./The right side of the heart
continued to receive blood from the limbs and pump it out rapidly. From the right side of the heart it
would go through the lungs and then through the left side of the heart, but that side was damaged and
could not perform efficiently. The result was that blood quickly congested the lungs. Rotating the
tourniquet from one limb to the other was then a means of slowing the blood to the right side of the
heart so as to lessen the demands on the wounded left. . ./it worked.”
a.
The discrepancies in the procedures outlined in the primary source letter, the first document, and
the secondary source document, the excerpt from a novel, center around:
a. the removal of a splintered bone in the primary source document and the
treatment of a heart attack in the secondary source document;
b. the more realistic details, such as the use of the metacarpel saw in the primary source
document as opposed to the less vivid detail of the rotating tourniquets in the secondary
source document;
c. the fact that the primary source document is fiction and the secondary source document
is a real historical artifact;
d. the real doctor who wrote the first letter and the battlefield doctor who assisted Lee in
the novel.
b.
The significance of this particular primary source document is that:
a. It provides the reader with a fictional account of a Civil War doctor;
b. It provides the reader with a real account written by a Civil War doctor operating under
non-sterile battleground conditions, and detailed the procedures he found effective;
c. It provides the reader with a sample of the letter-writing style during that period;
d. It is a gruesome portrait of a poorly-trained doctor’s surgery on a wounded soldier.
c.
The procedure detailed in the secondary source document involves the use of:
a. Silver suture wire;
b. A metacarpel saw;
c. Tourniquets rotated to alternating extremities;
d. All of the above medical devices.
d.
Which of the procedures detailed in the two accounts might be of use to someone who had been
bitten by a poisonous snake?
a. A dose of the narcotic;
b. A tourniquet;
c. A metacarpel saw;
d. None of these devices.
e. The battlefield environment, in which many wounded are present, often arriving at a make-shift
“field hospital,” usually a tent, in great numbers, around the clock, causes the doctors to rethink their ideas
about patient care. What is one possible product of this rethinking?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Doctors decided to take each case on a first-come, first-serve basis, treating each patient
as he/she arrives and letting the others await their turn;
Doctors decided to set up “triage” teams who could assess the condition of each patient
and prioritize the needs of each patient, moving “life-threatening” cases to the front and
leaving minor-injuries to the last;
Doctors decided to attempt new surgeries, and experiments, since the great numbers of
wounded provided them with a “ready-made” group on which to experiment;
Doctors decided to take different shifts so that they would not get too tired; therefore, the
three shift day (8 hours per shift) was developed.
F
Since the secondary source is an “alternate” history, it is possible that :
e. The author supported the Confederate cause and wished that the South had won the war;
f. General Lee may never have suffered from a “heart attack” during the Civil War;
g. The procedures outlined in the text, including the application of tourniquets, made have
been “created” and have no basis in fact;
h. General Lee’s horse may not have been named “Traveler.”
G
From the first account, the primary source letter, what do you think “ulna” and “radius” are?
i. Fleshy parts of the upper arm;
j. Bones in the foot;
k. Bones in the forearm;
l. Metacarpel sutures.