Westhill Institute
Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum Subject: English 9 -­‐ Intermediate Grade / Group: 901-­‐902-­‐903 Study Guide for Semester Exam Teacher’s Name: Mr. Grant Fuller Date: May 24, 2011 English 9 – Semester Exam Study Guide
Students should use this guide along with all edited essays presented in class and class handouts. IT IS VERY
IMPORTANT TO STUDY PAST QUIZZES AND REVIEW ALL HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS IN PREPARATION
FOR THE FINAL EXAM. Many questions will be very similar to questions on past quizzes and on the 4th Bimester
Exam. There will be several short essay questions as well. Students must back up their responses with evidence from the
books and examples from class discussion.
Format: 100-200 word essay prompts, short-answer questions, and multiple-choice questions.
I. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank:
Review the major themes that run throughout the story. Analyze the importance of personal development and how each
character develops through the book. Understand the importance of interpersonal relationships and how each character’s
actions affect the story as a whole.
Scope of questions
Students will have to answer questions demonstrating critical understanding and ability to analyze elements of the work of
fiction. Students will be asked to identify the main characters in the story and points in the story that significantly
changed any specific character. They will be asked to consider the time period and setting of the book and discuss how
the events going on outside the Annex affect the characters inside the Annex, and those helping the Franks. Students may
be asked to expand and explain statements made about the book and Anne Frank.
II. “The Black Snake” by Mary Oliver
This section will test the student’s ability to analyze a poem and explain the symbolism, themes, mood, imagery and
parallelism that run through it. The student may be required to discuss all of these with respect to “The Black Snake.” It
will be very helpful for students to study past quiz and exam questions on the same topic.
Scope of questions
Students will be asked to explain and show examples of symbolism, mood, imagery and parallelism in the poem. They
will be asked to share their views on the poem and its meaning. In order to complete this section it will be essential for
the student to have a good understanding of the different concepts used in poetry to make a statement.
III. Newspaper Articles
This section will test the student’s ability to critically analyze a short newspaper article. As practiced in class, they will
need to discuss the main points of the article and elaborate on why the author chose to discuss the topic at hand. This
section will show the student’s ability to extract important information from a short piece of writing.
Scope of questions
Students will be expected to critically analyze the content and intention of each article. They will be required to
understand the main purpose of the article and highlight the important information given as proof or supporting evidence
in each article. Students may be asked to write a short essay discussing their opinion of the newspaper article or their
opinion on a topic related to the newspaper article.
IV. SAT Essay Writing
Students should review their edited essay about the responsibility of power, understand their mistakes and be ready to
write another essay from a similar prompt.
Requirements
This section will be graded based on a student’s ability to plan and organize an essay based on a basic prompt from the
potential options given in class. Students are expected to write an introduction, at least two supporting paragraphs, and a
conclusion. It is very important to answer the question posed in the essay prompt.