English I Honors Study Guide
THIS STUDY GUIDE WILL HELP PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR FINAL EXAM. THE EXAMPLES ARE NOT THE
EXACT QUESTIONS ON THE TEST, BUT ARE SIMILAR IN FORMAT AND CONTENT. IF YOU COMPLETE ALL
OF THE QUESTIONS, WE WILL REVIEW THE CORRECT ANSWERS WITH YOU.
Fahrenheit 451 – Study all quizzes on the novel and all vocabulary
The Casks of Amontillado – Study notes, review the reading
The Interlopers – Study CISM packet, review reading
FCAT Questions
Concepts
Reading Comprehension: EXAMPLE
Rain, Traffic Taking Toll On Alligators
By JIM TUNSTALL Of The Tampa Tribune
Gainesville May 18, 1998
Free gator shows?
You bet, but only if you risk low-speed gawking in a high-speed world.
Downpours earlier this year left Paynes Prairie State Preserve bursting at the seams. Heavy rain expanded its boundaries. In
some cases that means water lingering on the shoulder and pavement of U.S. 441 and Interstate 75.
Motorists are getting an eyeful of the reptile world's answer to aquatic ballet dancers and sunbathers. Literally hundreds of
alligators are cruising in the water just off the asphalt or sunning on the shoulders of the road.
That's a boon for slack-jawed passers-by, especially Northerners. If all they care about is seeing one of these toothy creatures
up close, they can save the admission to places like Gatorland. But by putting gators closer to automobiles, nature is causing
significant problems.
Rubberneckers are slowing to school-zone speed on two superhighways where the posted speeds are 65 to 70 mph. Nine days
ago, one tractor-trailer creamed another after the latter stopped for a look and then made an ill-advised re-entry onto I-75.
Two days ago it was a three-car collision on U.S. 441. Neither accident caused serious injuries, but there was plenty of
twisted metal.
The gators aren't so lucky.
"We don't have a count yet because the staff hasn't put all their numbers together," says Jack Gillen, preserve manager. "But I
travel U.S. 441 every day and there's usually a dead gator or two."
The 2-mile stretches of road already are considered a killing field. A 5 1/2-year study through the end of 1995 said 34,354
animals were killed on U.S. 441 during that period. Traffic is so intense on I-75, park rangers don't risk their lives to count.
Besides, "when something gets hit on I-75, it doesn't take very long for it to get ground into the pavement," says David
O'Neill, who founded the Paynes Prairie Wildlife Coalition with his wife Linda.
Alligators, says Gillen, have delicate thermostats. They go into the water when they need to cool off. They come on land and
into the sun when they need to get warm. When there isn't much space between them and speeding vehicles, they become
road kill at an alarming rate.
When water crept over the shoulders of U.S. 441 early last month, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) lowered the
speed limit, closed the outside lanes and prohibited truck traffic on the highway. It also put up lighted signs that warned
motorists not to stop.
Since then, the water has subsided about a foot. DOT spokeswoman Julie McNeill says all lanes now are open, the speed
limit is back to 65 mph and "no parking" signs have replaced the lighted variety. Trucks are still detoured.
Gillen says the water is still high enough that there are plenty of gators, but now there are some larger ones because it's their
mating season.
Also, O'Neill adds, the warm weather is causing more snakes to move around, and that means bad news for the snakes. A
study in the 1970's said only one in 13 makes it across U.S. 441.
The death toll in the 5 1/2-year study included 31,794 frogs and 1,061 snakes. Other victims included insects, hawks, eagles,
deer, otters, armadillos and raccoons. Those figures are high enough that the DOT bowed to pressure from O'Neill's group,
among others. In 1999 it will spend $2.6 million to install a 3-foot-high, 2-mile-long wildlife barrier on both sides of the
highway.
For now, preserve biologist Jim Weimer says, "We haven't had a lick of rain, but we're going into the time of the year when
we usually get a lot of it. I want the water to stay high. It's good for the system, the prey base. But it raises the mortality. It
could get pretty gruesome."
The author's purpose in writing this article was to
attract tourists to the Gainesville area.
inform people about an environmental problem.
persuade people to avoid roadway alligators.
encourage further funding on state highways.
(Inference)The information in this article could be used for a student research project on
the aggressive behavior of alligators.
the interaction of weather and wildlife.
the effects of interstate driving on urban life.
differences between low- and high-speed traffic patterns.
(Author’s purpose)What is the main reason the author includes information about snakes?
A. To provide support that there is a problem with rain and highways
B. To shed doubt that there is a problem with highways and high water
C. To stress the unique characteristics of alligators
D. To contrast snakes and alligators
Which fact from the article BEST explains what the problem is with alligators and highways?
A. Downpours earlier this year left Paynes Prairie State Preserve bursting at the seams.
B. Literally hundreds of alligators are cruising in the water just off the asphalt or sunning on the shoulders of the road.
C. Alligators, says Gillen, have delicate thermostats.
D. The 2-mile stretches of road already are considered a killing field
Tone, Diction, Voice – Know what the definitions
Know how to determine the best way to write in a certain tone and voice
Know how to choose a tone for a specific person or type of person
Narrator- know the definition
Conflict- know the definition and how to identify it in a story
Protagonist – know the defintion
Conclusion sentence- Be able to read a paragraph and choose from 4 sentences the one that would best conclude the
paragraph
Writing Skills
EXAMPLE:
1)The couch in my living room is different from any other couch. 2)It sits right next to the bay window at the front of the
room. 3) The bay window lets in lots of light. 4)Sunlight streams onto the shiny fabric, providing a warm, cozy cocoon
designed for my relaxation. 5)It’s the perfect getaway after school, too. 6)As soon as I enter the door at 4 p.m., I drop my
book bag, heavily loaded with textbooks, onto the floor. 7)I quickly hit the couch and fall into it. 8)Enveloped by its softness,
I sink into the cushions, where I remain until I am awakened which is usually not for an hour!
This paragraph is BEST described as which type of writing?
A persuasive
B descriptive
C technical
D expository
Which sentence is the topic sentence of this paragraph?
A sentence 1
B sentence 2
C sentence 3
D sentence 4
Which sentence in the paragraph is off topic?
A sentence 1
B sentence 2
C sentence 4
D sentence 5
Revising sentences
How should the sentence below BEST be written?
The novels The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers share an atmosphere
created by their settings in small towns of the south.
A change novels to novel
B change share to shares
C change created to creating
D change south to South
Study your Notes Pages and Quizzes from Fahrenheit 451
Vocabulary
Vocabulary in context
EXAMPLE
Read the sentences from the article.
"Larry Templeton has made it his mission to guard the birds that nest in his jurisdiction. He was hired 11 years ago to guard
the Kennedy Space Center's media parking lot during NASA events."
In this context, what does jurisdiction mean?
neighborhood
job description
area of responsibility
right to apply the law