English 1600 Midterm Study Tips
The midterm is a timed, one attempt-only test. You have four hours. Study before
beginning, so that you can use the time to complete a clear, well-supported essay and
answer ten multiple choice questions within just four hours.
The midterm will have two parts. Part 1 is multiple choice identification. It includes
questions about everything from the course so far, including Candide. The questions ask
you to identify characters, main plot events, and key lines. Also in part one, you will be
held responsible for the short stories and poems assigned for the course in the first seven
weeks. You will identify authors and their works, defining lines from the works, and key
literary terms from assigned readings and Literature. Part two of the test will be a short
essay in which you will write an argument about apiece of literature from the required
reading from class.
Study tips for part 1
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Review all reading, notes, and responses from the course.
Review “The Necklace.” What do the notes, or the text, tell you about Guy de
Maupassant’s style, or position in a literary movement?
Review all poems from the reading list.
Review characters, plot, and important lines in Candide. The last line of the
novel may be on the test, as might Pangloss’s philosophy.
Be familiar with the style of the poems on your selected reading list on the first
page of your Poetry Essay assignment. Be prepared to identify which poem a line
comes from.
Sample question
12) Which poem is the following line from? “cork heeled shoon”
a) “Catch” by Robert Francis
b) “Sir Patrick Spens” Anonymous
c) “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson
d) “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
 Review the definitions of “denotation” and “connotation” and be familiar with
their use.
 Review literary terms such as “verisimilitude” contained in the reading.
Study tips for part 2
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Review weekly 1, parts A and B. Your essay will be an argument. You will
use the present tense to discuss literature.
Reflect on the process you used in creating your Candide essay. Review my
comments on the piece. Was your argument valid? Did you use examples
well and relate them to your thesis? Was your thesis specific and clear?
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Remember not to use summary as argument. Rather, you will use brief
excerpts of the text as evidence to support your thesis.
Prepare to arrive at a thesis, find two examples of the text to work from, and
draft a brief essay.
Review grammar errors you made in weeklies and your Candide essay so as
to be aware of them.
Test requirements
Part one of the test will be objective identification. There are 10 questions which the
above study questions deal with.
Part two of the test will be an essay. You will be provided with two prompts. You may
only choose one to write on. The first prompt will ask a question about a piece of fiction,
from the first three weeks of the class—it may be “The Necklace” or Candide. The way
you answer the question will be your thesis. Then, you will use textual examples from
the piece to support, with your analysis and reasoning, why your thesis is correct. The
essay you write must be at least five paragraphs long. It must be logically valid, with
your best grammar. If you choose to write on the second prompt, you will answer a
similar question about a poem. The way you answer the question will be your thesis.
You will use the same process as above, only arguing about a poem instead of a story.
Sample prompts (these will not be the actual questions)
 How does irony function in the story “The Necklace?”
 What effect does the use of punctuation have in E.E. Cummings’ poem “next to of
course god america i?”
Grading
Objective section is worth 20 points (two points per question)
Essay test is worth 100 point (grading guidelines on next page).
15
15
50
10
10
to
-25
0 to
-15
Argumentative, specific, interesting thesis that directly answers prompt; author’s
name and name of piece in introduction; name of novel or book length work in
italics or name of poem or short story in quotes
Two examples (quotes or paraphrases; correctly cited) from text used as evidence;
examples are appropriate to support thesis
Sufficient analysis of examples to prove thesis logically valid; examples are
discussed in depth and related back to thesis
Examples are correctly documented internally
Grammar, spelling, punctuation
No works cited page required, unless you use additional sources beyond the
primary source which the question deals with.
Must be at least five well developed paragraphs