9th Grade Pre-AP English Summer Reading Assignment
Materials: Lined paper, a black pen, and a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit
Places to find the novel: The Metropolitan Library System has many copies of this novel. This book has been in
publication a long time and it is easy to find a copy at used bookstores. All chain bookstores carry the novel as well as
most small/private owned bookstores. The book is available through the public library in e-book form as well as on
Kindle and Nook. The Harding Charter Prep. Library has a few copies.
Part 1: Please define the following terms. Use a dictionary, old English textbook, encyclopedia or even the
internet to aid you in defining each term.
1. Abstract
2. Allegory
3. Alliteration
4. Allusion
5. Ambiguity
6. Analogy
7. Anecdote
8. Anthropomorphism
9. Assonance
10. Character foil
11. Climax
12. Colloquial language
13. Comic relief
14. Concrete –(Adjective/not the paving material)
15. Dialect
16. Dialogue
17. Dramatic Irony
18. Exposition
19. External Conflict
20. Flashback
21. Foreshadowing
22. Imagery
23. Internal Conflict
24. Jargon
25. Metaphor
26. Personification
27. Point of View
a. Third person omniscient
b. First person
c. Third person limited
28. Prologue
29. Pun
30. Satire
31. Setting
32. Simile
33. Situational Irony
34. Suspense
35. Symbolism
36. Theme
37. Tone
38. Verbal Irony
Part 2: Read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and take notes in the format listed below. If you read a chapter a
night, you should finish in 3 weeks. If you read 22 pages a night, you will finish in two weeks.
Notes over The Hobbit should follow this format:
Column 1

Record information about Bilbo Baggins’s, Thorin’s, and/or Gandalf’s character, at least 2 quotes per
chapter. Put this quote/detail in quotation marks and cite page numbers within parenthesis (Author’s last
name and page number) (Tolkien 42).
Column 2


Give a short phrase describing the character’s change based on the evidence (highlight it).
Then write at least 3 sentences of commentary that explains how and/or why the evidence leads to or
helps the change.
Column 3

List what types of conflict occur in the entirety of the chapter (Man vs Man, Man vs Nature, Man vs
Society, Man vs Self, Man vs Fate/God, Man vs Supernatural, Man vs Technology). There may be more
than one per chapter.
These notes will help you prepare for the in-class essay questions you will be answering. You will be allowed to
use your notes during the answering of the essay questions.
**The following example is provided as a guide to assist you in the organization and thoughtfulness of your
journal. The example below was using a quote from Brian Jacques’s novel Mossflower.
Chapter #
1
Quote about character
development
“A sturdily built young mouse
with quick dark eyes was
moving confidently across the
snowbound country” (Jacques
5).
Explanation of Quote
Small, but strong, observant, and bold –
The reader is surprised to see that the hero
of the story is a mouse, a small, seemingly
helpless woodland creature. But this young
mouse is “sturdily built” and has “quick
dark eyes,” all images that affirm his
strength and alertness. In addition, the fact
the author shows him moving “confidently”
across the land establishes him as a traveler
who is experienced, self-sufficient, and
bold.
Type of Conflict in
Chapter
Man vs. Nature
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Please give me a few
days to respond to your questions.