Study Guide

American Lit Semester 1 Final

ELAGSE11-12RI2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to
provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
USE THE W.I.N. STRATEGY TO DETERINE THE CENTRAL IDEA
What is the Topic? (In a few words, what is the topic?)
• What is the gist of the text?
• What is this section mostly about?
Important Details (Which details support the topic? How do you know?)
• Clue into topic sentences
• Survey the text. What pops out?
• What repeats?
Narrow Your Thoughts: (Only 1 sentence is necessary.)
• Consider the topic and important details
• Summarize
ELAGSE9-10RL2: Determine a theme and/or central idea of text and analyze in detail its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by
specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
USE THE WHERE-WHAT-HOW TO TRACE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN
ELEMENT (LIKE THEME) AND PREPARE FOR YOUR CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE
*This example is for mood*
Title of Piece: “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
Author: William Wordsworth

Prompt: Analyze how the mood of “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth changes over the course of the
poem.

WHERE? WHAT? HOW?

What is the author doing? What notable
occurrence is happening in the work that
relates to the prompt? Here, describe “how” the “what” is being
What paragraph? achieved.
Stanza? For example, has the author introduced
Line? or strengthened: For example, “explaining facts,” “analyzing
Page?  a central idea data,” “using sensory language to create a
 a theme nostalgic tone.”
 the tone
 character
Author’s diction – denotation of “lonely”;
Stanza 1, lines 1 -2
The mood is lonely or isolated connotation of “wandered”
Simile & imagery – “lonely as a cloud”
Diction – “all at once”
Surprised; awareness of surroundings Sensory language – “golden daffodils”
Stanza 1, lines 2 – 6
Personification – fluttering / dancing flowers
Mood becomes joyful Juxtaposition – a lone poet with a “never ending
line” of “ten thousand” flowers
 Diction – connotation (twinkle, shine, sprightly,
Stanzas 2 and 3
sparkling) and denotation (gay, jocund, glee)
Juxtaposition – “bliss of solitude” with poet’s
Mood shifts to calm / thoughtful /
loneliness from stanza 1
Stanza 4 nostalgic
Imagery / sensory language - couch

Read the following passage and answer the questions - Aesop’s Fables: “The Lion and the
Mouse”
A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came
upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion’s nose.
Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.
“Spare me!” begged the poor Mouse. “Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you.”
The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and
finally let the Mouse go.
Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a
hunter’s net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew
the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that
bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.
“You laughed when I said I would repay you,” said the Mouse. “Now you see that even a Mouse
can help a Lion.”
1. What is the Conflict within this passage? What type of Conflict is it?
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2. What is the Topic of this passage?

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3. Write a thematic statement for the passage.

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Determine whether each of the following statements is a theme or not a theme.
1. “You can’t always judge a book by the cover.” __________________________________
2. “A boy with a lightening shaped scar on his head that has magic powers like witchcraft
and wizardry.” ___________________________________________________________
3. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” _________________________________________
4. “Good things happen to those that work hard.” _________________________________
 5. “One time I went to the beach and forgot to put sunscreen on so I got burnt. I was as red
as a tomato.” _____________________________________________________________
6. “I worry too much, my mom says it is bad for my health.” _________________________
7. “Believe in something or you will fall for anything.” _____________________________

When asked to answer a constructed response, use the RACE-CE Strategy: In the blank, fill in
what each letter stands for:

R: __________________________________________

A: __________________________________________

C: __________________________________________

E: __________________________________________

C: __________________________________________

E: __________________________________________

Standard RL3: ELAGSE9-10RL3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple
or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and
advance the plot or develop the theme.

Define the following terms:

1. What is Direct Characterization? ___________________________________________

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2. What is Indirect Characterization? __________________________________________
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Determine whether each of the following statements uses Direct or Indirect Characterization:

1. “Bill was short and fat, and his bald spot was widening with every passing year.”
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2. “Bill sighed as he looked at the offer of a gym membership. He really should join. But
just thinking about it made beads of sweat collect at the top of his bald spot.”
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3. “The students in the back row glared at Stephen who was hiding a cheat-sheet under his
leg during the math test.”____________________________
4. “I want more candy!” Sally screamed at the top of her lungs.
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5. “Harry has a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round
glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley has
punched him on the nose.” – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
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 6. “Connor is a dishonest boy, with a loud mouth and an obnoxious manner. He was
continuously rude and disrespectful.”___________________________

When discussing Indirect Characterization, we use a STEAL chart. What do each of the letters in
STEAL stand for?

S:

T:

E:

A:

L:

Fill out a STEAL chart for the following passage on Mrs. Flowers from Maya Angelou’s I Know
Why The Caged Bird Sings:

“Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but then no one would
have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress, let alone snag her skin.
She didn’t encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too. I don’t think I ever saw Mrs. Flowers
laugh, but she smiled often. A slow widening of her thin black lips to show even, small white
teeth, then the slow effortless closing. When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank
her.”

S:

T:

E:

A:

L:

Pick one character trait of Mrs. Flowers and explain how the passage develops the trait,
including whether it is developed directly or indirectly.
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Read the following passage and answer the questions:

“As always, there was an all-American war hero look to him, coded in his tousled brown hair, his
summer-narrowed hazel eyes, the straight nose that ancient Anglo-Saxons had graciously passed
on to him. Everything about him suggested valor and power and a firm handshake.”
 1. Is this characterization Direct or Indirect? _____________________________________
2. Circle ALL of the words that provide characterization.

Read the following passage and answer the question:

“Jim, darling,” she cried, “don’t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I
couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It’ll grow out again — you
won’t mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say ‘Merry Christmas!’
Jim, and let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice — what a beautiful, nice gift I’ve got for
you.”
“You’ve cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet
even after the hardest mental labor.
“Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like me just as well, anyhow? I’m me without my
hair, ain’t I?”
Jim looked about the room curiously.

1. Explain how this dialogue between Jim and Della develops Della’s character.
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Standard RL4 and Standard RL5: ELAGSE9-10RL4: Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the
cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes
a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone.)

ELAGSE9-10RL5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such
effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Define the following terms:

1. Figurative Language: _____________________________________________________

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2. Connotative: ____________________________________________________________
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3. Denotative: _____________________________________________________________
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4. Mood: _________________________________________________________________
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5. Tone: __________________________________________________________________
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Give the Denotative Meaning, Positive Connotation, and Negative Connotation of the
following words:

1. Freshman:
a. Denotative Meaning:

b. Positive Connotation:

c. Negative Connotation:

2. Smart:
a. Denotative Meaning:

b. Positive Connotation:

c. Negative Connotation:

Read the following passage and answer the questions: “The Fall of the House of Usher” by
Edgar Allan Poe

“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds
hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a
singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew
on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. 

I know not how it was—but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom
pervaded my spirit. I say insufferable; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-
pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with which the mind usually receives even the sternest
natural images of the desolate or terrible. I looked upon the scene before me — upon the mere
house, and the simple landscape features of the domain—upon the bleak walls—upon the vacant
eye-like windows—upon a few rank sedges—and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees—
with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than
to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium — the bitter lapse into everyday life—the hideous
dropping off of the veil. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart—an
unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught
of the sublime.”

1. Circle all the words with Positive Connotation.

2. Underline all the words with Negative Connotation.
3. What is the mood of this passage? Select 5 words that you believe contribute to the mood
of the passage. After you have selected 5 words that contribute to the mood, select ONE
 word that best develops the mood of the passage. Make sure to answer using RACE
strategy and make sure to cite evidence from the passage.

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Define each of the following terms:

1. Linear Plot:

2. Non-Linear Plot:

3. Subplot:

4. Flashback:

5. Foreshadowing:

6. Parallel Plot:

7. In media Res:

8. Exposition:

For each of the following Non-Linear Plots, select which technique is used:

1. Thinking back into her past, Leah remembered all of the times that Justin had been there
for her. He had always been such a great friend. ________________________________
2. Amber looked outside and saw big dark clouds, the sky was so grey that it was almost
black. She knew a storm was brewing. ________________________________________
3. Raven had a vision that she was going to get into a fight with Chelsea and Eddie in 4th
period. She had to do something to make sure that did not happen. __________________
4. After Mary woke up from her coma, all sorts of memories started coming back to her.
She remembered her first kiss, learning to walk, and even her first day of kindergarten.
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 5. J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, is the story of the young Holden Caufield.
Holden, who is in a mental hospital, tells the story about how he got there. He begins his
story by saying: “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want
to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents
were occupied and all before they had me….”
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ELAGSE11-12RI5: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his
or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing,
and engaging.

Describe the following informational text structures:

1. Cause and Effect:

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2. Description:
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3. Problem and Solution:

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4. Chronological Order:
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5. Compare and Contrast:

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ELAGSE11-12RI6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the

rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

TO DETERMINE AN AUTHOR’S PERSPECTIVE (SOMETIMES INCORRECTLY

REFERRED TO AS “POINT OF VIEW”)

1st: Determine the author’s purpose. Why is the author sharing this information? Ask
yourself…

· Are they trying to Persuade you? (The author writes to persuade you to do, think, or
believe something)

· Are they trying to Inform you? (The author writes to give you information about
something.)

· Are they trying to Entertain you? (The author writes to give you some enjoyment.)
 - Are they trying to Describe something?

2nd: When you determine WHY (purpose) an author wrote a text, then you can determine how
they feel about the topic of the text. Imagine how the author would debate the topic.

Follow these steps:

· Consider the topic

· Think about possible pros and cons of the topic

· Reread & identify language:

*Rhetorical appeals

*Biases

*Descriptions

*Verbs

ELAGSE11-12RL6: Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing

what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or
understatement).

Point of View – Define each of the following terms and provide examples of the type of words
used for each:

1. 1st Person:

2. 2nd Person:

3. 3rd Person:

a. Omniscient:

b. Limited:

c. Objective:

For each of the following statements/passage, determine the Point of View (1st Person, 2nd
Person, 3rd Person, 3rd Person Omniscient, 3rd Person Limited, 3rd Person Objective):
1.Harry Potter: “Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came
to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever
remembered it before -- and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high,
cold, cruel laugh. Hagrid was watching him sadly.” ____________________________________
2. “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway: “The American and the girl with him
sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona
would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went to Madrid.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney: “You have friends who actually care about you
and speak the language of the inner self. You have avoided them of late. Your soul is as
disheveled as your apartment, and until you can clean it up a little you don’t want to invite
anyone inside.” _________________________________________________________________
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: "It was times like these when I thought my father,
who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived."
______________________________________________________________________________
5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At
small parties there isn't any privacy.”________________________________________________
6.“Hansel walked ahead of Gretel.  Gretel dropped breadcrumbs behind her as she
went, knowing that her bumbling brother couldn’t be counted on to find his way home from the
outhouse, let alone from the middle of the
woods.”_____________________________________
7. Room by Emma Donoghue: “Today I'm five. I was four last night going to sleep in
Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I'm changed to five, abracadabra. Before that I
was three, then two, then one, then zero.” ____________________________________________
8. Harry Potter: “The Dursleys hadn’t even remembered that today happened to be Harry’s
twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn’t been high; they’d never given him a real present, let
alone a cake – but to ignore it completely…”

ELAGSE11-12RI8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the
application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court
majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public
advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses.)

Whenever you need to delineate (describe or portray something exactly) and evaluate (assess)
the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles or legal
reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) just follow these 3 easy
steps!!

Step 1: Determine the central idea or argument of the text.

Step 2: Then, evaluate the claims using the following indicators:

For each claim supporting the central idea/ argument (the reasoning), ask
yourself:

1. Is there enough evidence to support the claim?

2. Is the evidence relevant?

3. Is the evidence valid?

4. Are there Constitutional principles present?

Step 3: Analyze whether the reasoning fully supports, partially supports, or does not
support the central idea or argument.