English 302
Final Exam—Review
Your final exam is comprehensive, meaning that it will cover the entire semester. This review sheet helps to break
down our semester into the individual units that we studied over the course of the year so far. Although it does not
cover every question from the exam, it will walk you through all of the basic components of the exam.
GENERAL LITERARY/CONTEXT TEMRS—Be able to define each of the following:
Iceberg Principle or “Theory of Omission:
Iconoclast—
Prohibition—
Thesis Statement—
Works Cited—
Part I: Death of a Salesman
Characters—(use this space to briefly define each of the following):
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Willy Loman
Biff Loman
Happy Loman
Linda Loman
Bernard
Charlie
Ben
“The Woman”
Stanley
Howard Wagner
1. Throughout the play, Willy can hear a flute melody. What is the significance of the flute?
2. It is clear that Willy Loman is losing his mind. Give some examples of Willy’s behavior over the course of the
play that demonstrate this.
3. We see at least two specific examples of Willy’s suicidal tendencies. What are these two examples?
4. Explain how Charley has been helping Willy since he has been put on commission. What does Charlie offer to
do to help Willy further?
5. Linda Loman calls Happy a “philandering bum.” Explain this phrase.
6. Why was the family unable to contact Biff Loman for several months?
7. Willy constantly has flashbacks to the boys’ childhood. What events does Willy clearly remember?
8. What is Happy’s plan involving Bill Oliver?
9. What, exactly, happens when Biff meets with Bill Olilver?
10. What happened on the “greatest day” of young Biff’s life?
11. It is clear that Biff and Willy are disconnected throughout the play. What exactly caused their relationship to
splinter?
12. What phrase does Ben, Willy’s brother, keep repeating?
13. What does Willy do outside after he returns from Frank’s Chop House?
14. Explain the proposition that Willy discusses with Ben at the end of the play.
15. Explain the significance of the title “Death of a Salesman”, and explain how the story is bout the dark side of
the American dream.
Part II: The Great Gatsby
Characters—(use this space to briefly define each of the following):
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Jay Gatsby
Nick Carraway
Daisy Buchanan
Tom Buchanan
Dr. TJ Eckleburg
Klipspringer
Meyer Wolfshiem
Henry Gatz
Myrtle Wilson
George Wilson
Owl Eyes
Jordan Baker
1. List all of the major elements that defined the “Roaring Twenties.”
2. What is the Black Sox Scandal, and how is it related to this text?
3. Describe Gatsby’s car, including the manufacturer and the color.
4. What is Gatsby’s green light (both literally and figuratively)?
5. What is the major distinction between East Egg and West Egg?
6. What does Tom want to show to Nick when they take the train into the city?
7. Describe, in detail, Gatsby’s typical party. What is the purpose of these lavish parties?
8. What does Jordan Baker do to make Gatsby believe she is an immoral person?
9. On the way to the meeting with Wolfshiem, Gatsby reveals both true and false information about his past.
What two pieces of evidence does Gatsby offer to prove his story?
10. Gatsby befriends Nick for a very specific purpose. What does he want Nick to do for him?
11. When they take the trip to New York, Tom angrily reveals all that he’s learned about Gatsby. What does Tom
reveal about Gatsby’s past and his fortune?
12. Specifically describe the car accident that took the life of Myrtle Wilson.
13. How, exactly, does Gatsby die and who is responsible?
14. Describe Gatsby’s funeral and list all those who attend.
15. Why are the billboard and the valley of ashes important in the novel?
Part III: Hemingway
Characters:
 Nick Adams
 Ole Anderson
 George
 Al
 Max
 Jig
 Drunk, Deaf Old Man
1. Explain what the Killer’s mean when they call the city a “Hot Town.”
2. Explain what Ole Anderson is doing when Nick goes to find him.
3. What advice does George give to Nick when Nick is upset about Ole?
4. What does Nick say he is going to do at the end of the story?
5. Explain how, in the story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”, the Old Man, the Old Waiter, and the Young Waiter
can all be viewed as a single, symbolic individual.
6. The young waiter says that an old man is a “nasty thing.” What evidence does the old waiter give when he
disagrees?
7. In the story, the characters see a young soldier with a woman, and the waiters talk about how a guard will
likely get him. What information does this reveal about the story’s setting?
8. What has the old man tried to do, and why, according to the waiters, does he feel despair?
9. In “Father’s and Sons”, why does young Nick Adams receive a whipping?
10. What does Nick do as he sits in the woodshed?
11. What happens between Nick and Trudy in the woods?
12. What did Nick’s father teach him that he feels grateful for?
13. What does Nick’s son want to go and do?
Part IV: Grammar
*Please be sure to review ALL of the grammar from our first unit (i.e. look at the notes!), but I have pulled out a few
sections in order for you to receive special practice.
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. The author of the stories (is, are) Leslie Silko.
2. Jobs for teen-agers during the summer (is, are) scarce.
3. Electronic options, as well as performance, (is, are) important to buyers of new cars.
4. Tsetse flies, which carry the dreaded disease called sleeping sickness, (attacks, attack) both humans and cattle.
5. A single milk pail, in addition to a rotting log and bird tracks, (appears, appear) in a painting by Andrew
Wyeth.
Run-ons and Comma Splices—Determine where to break each of the following sentences.
1. In the past a college education in America was a privilege for a few people, today, higher education has
become widely available.
2. In the year 1295, Edward I of England gave the Dutch permission to fish in English waters later the English
regretted the generosity when the Dutch became a wealthy and powerful competitive nation as a result of the
prosperity of their fishing industry.
3. Artifacts from the sixth century have been found at Cadbury Castle in England, this might be the actual site of
King Arthur’s Camelot.
4. Proper Names, spelled with a capital letter, sometimes become common nouns, spelled with a small letter and
used to name one of a class of things, an example of this kind of language evolution is the word maverick.
5. About three of every four Americans graduate from high school, many millions of young people every year
have difficulty finding work in a society that places value on a high-school diploma.
Comma Use—place the commas in the correct places in the sentences below.
1. Soon after you fall asleep at night you begin a series of dreams.
2. Ms. Scott the substitute teacher walked into the study hall demanded that everyone turn around be quiet and
start studying.
3. On the spice shelf you will find parsley and basil which we need for the recipe.
4. Having cut lawns all morning Chen was tired but richer by the end of the day.
5. Determined to continue her education once her children had grown up my grandmother returned to college.
Apostrophe—add in or cross out the apostrophes where appropriate.
1. The blouse is her’s.
2. This is the womens’ department
3. Don’t run over the mices’ tails.
4. The car rolled over on it’s top.
5. That is my father-in-laws house.
Quotation Marks—place the punctuation marks where appropriate in the sentences below.
1. On the other hand, he said, your decision may be the correct one.
2. Will you call the doctor tomorrow? She asked.
3. Langston Hughes wrote the line My soul has grown deep live rivers.
4. You look very nice, Maria, said Mrs. Alvarez, but why are you so dressed up to go to a rock concert?
5. I read the short story Hills Like White Elephants.