Schmitz/Voss American Studies
English Final Exam Review: Spring 2015
Reading Skills
 Read a short story and answer comprehension and vocabulary (in context) questions.
Research and Writing Skills
 Be familiar with the elements of the writing process: funnel introduction and conclusion format, thesis
statements, topic sentences, closing sentences, MLA format, parenthetical citations, lead-ins, etc.
 Read a sample research paper and answer questions.
Literary Devices
 Understand the literary devices/elements we studied within literature: allusion, alliteration, figurative
language, imagery, irony, characterization, conflict, mood, theme, symbolism, personification, classical
appeals
Grammar and Mechanics
 Understand and apply rules for commas, semi-colons, colons, parallel construction, subject-verb agreement,
and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
Shorter works: The Jungle, The Promised Land, “A Soft Rain Will Come,” “In Response to Executive Order
9066,” speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X
 Be familiar with the authors’ intent, literary devices in context, and their impact on/reflection of American
culture.
The Great Gatsby
 Be familiar with the characters and their motivations (Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, Tom, Jordan, Myrtle, George).
 Be familiar with the motifs studied (reckless behavior, materialism, nativism, infidelity and lies, hypocrisy,
gender roles).
 Be familiar with symbols in the novel (the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg, Daisy’s voice, East and West Eggs,
Valley of the Ashes, the green light).
 Review the vocabulary sheet.
The Catcher in the Rye
 Be familiar with characters and their motivations (Holden, Phoebe, D.B., Allie, Sally, Jane, Stradlater, Ackley,
Luce, Mr. Antolini).
 Be familiar with symbols, themes, and motifs in the novel (hat, falling, ducks, protecting innocence, ideas of
success/failure, coming of age, etc.).
The Things They Carried
 Be familiar with characters and their motivations (O’Brien, Cross, Lavender, Elroy Berdahl, Martha).
 Be familiar with literary devices in context (foreshadowing, imagery, syntax, diction, symbolism, point of view,
narrative structure).
 Be familiar with themes of “The Things They Carried” and “On the Rainy River”