Final Exam Study Guide-American Satire
You will not be allowed to take the test without first handing me/having on hand the following:
1. Your English portfolio. You should include your copies (clean or graded) of your Vonnegut Analysis
Essay, Substitution Satire, Exaggeration Satire, and your Parody Project. I will grade your Portfolio while
you take the exam. You must take your portfolio with you to keep your score, or you will lose those
points if you leave it behind. Those of you who have me next semester you may place it back into your
drawer for class in January.
2. Your Movie Parody or Satiric Cartoons COMPLETED. No Movie Parody or Cartoons= 20 points
gone from your total exam score.
3. LATE WORK NOT ACCEPTED FOR THIS EXAM.
WHAT TO PREPARE FOR THE EXAM:
From Welcome to the Monkey House: READ AND ANALYZE: “Unready to Wear” pp. 254-269
REVIEW:
“Welcome to the Monkey House”
“Harrison Bergeron”
“The Report on the Barnhouse Effect”
“The Manned Missiles”
“Epicac”
“The Euphio Question”
Other Readings: REVIEW: “Some of Us Had Been Threatening our Friend Colby”
Tone examples
The Exaggeration reading examples
The Substitution reading examples
FILMS (and their themes):
All the King’s Horses from “Welcome to the Monkey House”
Harrison Bergeron
Catch-22
Thank You for Smoking
SATIRE TERMS:
Know the definitions and how to use these terms if they are addressed in an essay or if
you are asked to identify them within an essay. I will not define them for you on the day of the test.
1. satire
5. hyperbole
9. vice
13. tone
17. understatement
2. irony
6. parody
10. absurdity
14. persona
18. euphemism
3. substitution
7. attack
11. target
15. sarcasm
19. parable
4. exaggeration
8. folly
12. juxtaposition
16. wit
20. fable
THE EXAM
Please bring a blue or black ink pen. You may not take this test in pencil. I’m old and I wear glasses, give
me a break. Thank you. If you borrow a pen from me, I get to have five dollars from your pocket or five
points from your test. You decide. So, what will it be? I’m hoping you don’t bring the pen, I like money.
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Please do your Movie Parody BEFORE the test. Easiest way to fail this exam is NOT to do this part
of the exam.
The test will include five sections (10 to 20 points each= total 80 points) where you will need to
respond to the satiric terms, stories and themes that we have discussed over the semester.
You will not be expected to have memorized the stories, but you will be expected to have
working/strong knowledge of “Unready to Wear” SO READ IT BEFORE THE TEST. If you do
not read it before the test, you can kiss 20 points goodbye before you even take the exam.
You will be asked to analyze the satiric focus of one of the readings from the semester. This reading
will be of your choice, so choose two readings you are comfortable/familiar with from the list
above and review those closely. They must be different readings than “Unready to Wear” (did I
mention you need to read that one BEFORE the test? I did? Good, so that means you will read it
right?).
Basically, if you have done your best to participate in class, read the stuff I’ve given you, understood
the concepts, themes and basics to what Satire is—you should do well. If you have not been reading
and expecting me to spoon-feed your brain, then you’re in big trouble. Oh, and you may fail the test.
But that is completely up to you, so MAYBE YOU SHOULD STUDY? Or bring me a really nice
Christmas present on the day of the final.