The midyear exam consists of four parts.
1. Vocabulary words taken from Beowulf, Frankenstein, and Lord of the Flies.
2. Questions about characters, events, symbols, and themes in Beowulf, Frankenstein, and Lord of the Flies. (Questions are derived from notes and quizzes on these books. Click here for quizzes.)
3. SAT reading comprehension questions.
4. An SAT-style persuasive essay about human nature, monsters, and heroes. (Click here for the prompt.)
Friday, January 14, 2011
SAT-style Essay for Midyear Exam
Writing on the Midyear Exam
The SAT-Style Essay
During the first semester we have studied several works of literature and one film that explores heroism and monstrousness. (These works include an epic poem (Beowulf), a film (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), a "monster" book of your choice, a novel (Lord of the Flies), and a short story ("The Demon Lover"). Below are two quotations that we discussed during the second term.
"I believe that man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature."
William Golding
"Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick."
from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Plan and write a well-organized essay in which you support, refute, or revise one of the quotations. Develop your position with reasoning and examples taken from two works we have studied in English during the first semester and from personal experience and/or observation.
Notes: Be careful. Take some time to understand the quotation you have chosen and the essay prompt. Plan your essay ahead of time. You must have notes. In your notes you might (1) write down your understanding of the quotation including key terms, (2) brainstorm reasoning and examples to support your opinion on the quotation, (3) organize the brainstorm into an outline. Doing this ahead of time will allow you to spend the exam time developing your ideas fully and writing with clarity and accuracy. Notes are worth five points.
Warning: Make sure you go beyond merely identifying “ignorance” or pointing out “heroes” and “sickness”. Make sure you develop an argument. Convince me you're right.
Reflective Personal Epilogue
Then, in an epilogue – an extra paragraph – use first person (I, me, my) to carefully explain and fully develop an insight into human nature you have had while studying heroes and monsters this semester. The epilogue is worth five points.
The SAT-Style Essay
During the first semester we have studied several works of literature and one film that explores heroism and monstrousness. (These works include an epic poem (Beowulf), a film (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), a "monster" book of your choice, a novel (Lord of the Flies), and a short story ("The Demon Lover"). Below are two quotations that we discussed during the second term.
"I believe that man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature."
William Golding
"Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick."
from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Plan and write a well-organized essay in which you support, refute, or revise one of the quotations. Develop your position with reasoning and examples taken from two works we have studied in English during the first semester and from personal experience and/or observation.
Notes: Be careful. Take some time to understand the quotation you have chosen and the essay prompt. Plan your essay ahead of time. You must have notes. In your notes you might (1) write down your understanding of the quotation including key terms, (2) brainstorm reasoning and examples to support your opinion on the quotation, (3) organize the brainstorm into an outline. Doing this ahead of time will allow you to spend the exam time developing your ideas fully and writing with clarity and accuracy. Notes are worth five points.
Warning: Make sure you go beyond merely identifying “ignorance” or pointing out “heroes” and “sickness”. Make sure you develop an argument. Convince me you're right.
Reflective Personal Epilogue
Then, in an epilogue – an extra paragraph – use first person (I, me, my) to carefully explain and fully develop an insight into human nature you have had while studying heroes and monsters this semester. The epilogue is worth five points.
Lord of the Flies Vocabulary #2 and #3 Combined
| Ebullient | Adj. | 1. Zestfully enthusiastic 2. Boiling, bubbling |
| Errant | Adj. | Roving, straying, wandering |
| Exult | Verb | To rejoice greatly |
| Festoon | Noun Verb | A string or garland, as of leaves or flowers To decorate with garlands of leaves or flowers |
| Funk (Put second def. in related word box.) | Noun | 1. State of cowardly fright 2. State of severe depression |
| Furtive | Adj. | stealthy; surreptitious; secretive; shifty |
| Gesticulate | Verb | To make (hand) movements especially while speaking, as for emphasis. |
| Grimace | Noun Verb | A sharp contortion of the face expressive of pain, contempt, or disgust. To make such a face (see above) |
| Impalpable* | Adj. | 1. Not perceptible to the touch; intangible. 2. Difficult for the mind to grasp |
| Inarticulate* | Adj. | Expressed without words Unable to speak; speechless Unable to speak clearly |
| Incantation | Noun | Ritual recitation of verbal charms or spells to produce a magic effect. |
| Inscrutable* | Adj. | Difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable. |
| Interminable* | Adj. | 1. Endless 2. Tiresomely long; tedious |
| Leviathan | Noun | 1. Something unusually large of its kind, especially a ship. 2. A very large animal, especially a whale. 3. A monstrous sea creature mentioned in the Bible. |
| Malevolent | Adj. | exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious |
| Myriad | Adj. Noun | Innumerable A vast number |
Pinnacle | Noun | The highest point [zenith]; the culmination |
Ravenous | Adj. | Extremely hungry; voracious. Rapacious; predatory. Greedy for gratification |
| Sombre | Adj. | Dark; gloomy; melancholy; dismal; serious; grave |
| Specious | Adj. | Appearing true (or plausible) but actually fallacious |
Strident | Adj. | Loud, harsh, grating, or shrill; discordant |
Tacit | Adj. | Not spoken; Implied by or inferred from |
Talisman | Noun | 1. Magic object that lends its power to the wearer or bearer. 2. Something that apparently has magic power. |
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