MID-TERM
EXAM REVIEW
Format
• Part One: Short Story and Essay Response – 40%
• Part Two: Literary Terms – 10% (multiple choice
pertaining to short story)
• Part Three: Literature – 20% (multiple choice)
• Part Four: Thematic Significance – 30% (short
answer)
Part One: Short Story and
Essay Response
• You will read a short story by Flannery
O’Connor.
• IMPORTANT: Read quickly while still
concentrating on understanding the story.
• Be prepared to compare the short story to two
other works we have studied.
• Since this is worth 40% of your
exam grade, it would make sense
to devote 40% of your exam time
to it.
• The total exam time is 90
minutes.
• 40% = 36 minutes to both read
and write.
Scoring Criteria
• Line of Reasoning (10 Points)
Do you have a perceptive thesis statement that links
the works, and do the reasons and textual evidence in
the essay strongly support that thesis statement?
• Support (20 Points)
Do you use sufficient evidence (examples) from each
text to support your thesis?
• Coherence (10 Points)
Do you organize your thoughts coherently (logically)
and use transitions effectively throughout the essay?
Flannery
O’Connor
…a brief overview
Praised for
her literary
and moral
genius.
•Exposes human
weakness
•Explores
important moral
questions
through
everyday
situations.
• O’Connor utilizes
biting irony to
expose the blindness
and ignorance of her
characters.
• She aims to expose
the sinful nature of
humanity that often
goes unrecognized in
the modern, secular
world.
Part Two: Literary Terms
•
•
•
•
•
This section is worth 10% of your exam grade.
You should take about 10 minutes on it.
There are 10 multiple choice questions.
The questions are about the O’Connor short story.
They focus on literary terms (the elements of
fiction)
• These are carefully crafted questions so be
careful.
• You have to choose the best answer.
Elements of Fiction
•Setting
•Character
•Plot
•Point of View
•Theme
•Symbolism
•Other
Other Fiction Elements
•Allusion: a reference to a person, place or literary, historical,
artistic, mythological source or event.
“It was in St. Louis, Missouri, where they have that giant
McDonald’s thing towering over the city…”(Bean Trees 15)
•Atmosphere: the prevailing emotional and mental climate of a
piece of fiction.
•Protagonist: The leading character in a literary work. Holden in
The Catcher in the Rye, Taylor in The Bean Trees.
•Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist.
•Dialogue: the reproduction of a conversation between two of
the characters.
Other Elements Continued
•Foreshadowing: early clues about what will happen later in a piece of fiction.
•Irony: a difference between what is expected and reality.
•Style: a writer’s individual and distinct way of writing. The total of the qualities
that distinguish one author’s writing from another’s.
•Structure: the way time moves through a novel.
•Chronological: starts at the beginning and moves through time.
•Flashback: starts in the present and then goes back to the past.
•Circular or Anticipatory: starts in the present, flashes back to the past, and
returns to the present at the conclusion.
•Panel: same story told from different viewpoints. (Lou Ann and Taylor
chapters in The Bean Trees)
Part Three: Literature
• This is another set of 10 multiple choice
questions.
• They do not pertain to the O’Connor story.
• Instead, they are about the various works we
have read during the semester.
• They are not easy questions. Be careful.
• Give yourself about 15 minutes to complete
this 20-point section of the exam.
Part Four: Thematic Significance
• This section is worth 30% of the exam points.
• Suggested time allotment: 20-25 minutes
• You will be given 3 quotes from the works we
have read this semester.
• Each one is worth 10 points.
• You should have no trouble recognizing the
quotes if you have read our books carefully.
What You Have to Do…
• Identify the Speaker – 2 pts.
• Describe the Scene – 2 pts.
• State the Theme – 2 pts.
• Explain Significance of Theme – 4 pts.
You Need to
Know the
Themes
The Bean Trees
• Friendship
• Choices and
consequences
• Human rights
• Human condition
The Women of Brewster Place
• Community
• Female Bonding
• Violence Against Women
• Alienation and Loneliness
• African-American Heritage
• Female Sexuality
Ethan Frome
• Passion
• Isolation
• Lost Potential
• Poverty
Ordinary People
• Grief and sorrow
• Atonement and forgiveness
• Alienation and loneliness
• Identity
The Death of a Salesman
• Appearance vs. Reality
• Individual vs. Society
• Individual vs. Self
• American Dream
Outliers – 2 Theses
• Highly successful people have typically
benefited from some advantage of
circumstance to foster their success.
• One’s cultural legacy can remain a
powerful force affecting one’s ability to
succeed in subtle yet powerful ways.
If you “budget” your time, you
should have 5-10 minutes left to
check your answers.
(Be especially careful not to take too long
reading the short story.)
GOOD LUCK!