Midyear Exam Review Sheet
American Literature
Mr. Tallman
Introduction
The completion of this review material is vital to your success on the semester exam (midyear).
Shortly (next section), I will lay out the exam format along with a section breakdown and score
distribution. But first, it’s imperative I emphasize that this is a very important assessment that
is worth 20% of your semester grade. The material on this review sheet will survey the scope of
the entire first semester. I would suggest that in order to attain true success (B+ or higher), one
should also revisit all past readings and class notes. While the completion of this review sheet is
vital, it will not guarantee true success to the same degree that completing this review sheet,
rereading key passages, and reviewing old notes and prior assessments will. I’m not asking
you to spend six hours a day studying for your English exam; I understand that you have other
exams to take as well. I suggest you study your vocabulary words the same way you have in
the past – chunk (only the words you do not know) a few words a day and use your own
creative pneumonic devices. If you’ve actually been studying the words and succeeding on
quizzes, you should have, at most, half the words from Lessons 1-10 to relearn. When revisiting
your readings, be able to apply all of the “key terms” to respective works. Moreover, you
should be able to articulate the dominant impression or thesis of each text, understand how the
Aristotelian (Rhetorical) Triangle pertains to each text, understand the bias and persona of the
author of each text, and identify the employment of literary devices in a given text. Lastly, you
should have the ability to contextualize (who, what, when, where, how) the vital passages –
ones that we reviewed over and over in class -- for each text.
Exam Breakdown
Vocabulary – 40 multiple choice questions. Lessons 1-10 (20pts).
Grammar Practice – DGP sentence (10pts).
Reading Multiple Choice – 30 questions pertaining to literary analysis, literary terms, and basic
plot.
Prose Excerpts (Open ended, short answer) – You must choose 3 out of the 7 passages and
respond to the questions, including knowing the title and author of each passage.
Close Read – You will complete a close reading of a text you’ve never read (10 pts).
Vocabulary
Lessons 1-10. The vocabulary section will be multiple-choice on the exam.
Texts
Native American Literature
The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
Preface to Native American Oral Tradition: Voices of the Spirit and Soul by Lois Einhorn
Native American “Myths”: “How Coyote Got His Cunning” (Karok), “Men and Women Try
Living Apart” (Sia), “Great Medicine Makes A Beautiful Country” (Cheyenne), “The Man to
Send Rain Clouds” by Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo)
Puritan Literature
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
American Revolution
“Common Sense” by Thomas Paine
Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty” Speech at the Second Virginia Convention
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin
The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
Transcendentalist Literature
“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau
“Solitude” from Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Literary Terms (define these terms on a separate sheet of paper): simile, metaphor, symbolism, motif,
theme, characterization (direct/indirect), setting, foreshadowing, flashback, imagery,
personification, point of view (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd omniscient), purpose (thesis), persona, bias,
rhetoric, rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, pathos), speaker, audience, narrative, magical realism
(reservation realism), oral tradition, figurative language/trope, foil, fiction, non-fiction,
aphorism, anaphora, juxtaposition (compare/contrast)
Key Terms for Reading (define these terms on a separate sheet of paper): close reading, stereotypes,
myth, east/west dichotomy (worldview), assimilation, secondary characters,
protagonist/antagonist, genre (oral tradition, essay, sermon, pamphlet, novel, play,
autobiography, memoir), McCarthyism, hysteria, value tension
Review Questions
1.) Identify 2 similarities and 2 differences (compare/contrast) between the “Men and Women
Try Living Apart” and “How Coyote Got His Cunning”
2.) According to Tamarack Song in the preface to Lois Einhorn’s book titled Native American
Oral Tradition: Voices of the Spirit and Soul, the word “myth” can be considered offensive because:
3.) Identify three elements of Native American literature present in Leslie Marmon Silko’s short
story “The Man to Send Rain Clouds”.
4.) Write a three sentence biography on Sherman Alexie (hometown, style, subject matter)?
5.) What are three major themes from The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven?
6.) Name three characters from The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Also, describe an
example of direct and indirect characterization for each character using textual support:
7.) What is the setting of The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven?
8.) Identify and defend two examples of The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven being
autobiographical:
9.) How does Jonathan Edwards view God in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”?
10.) How is Edwards’ perception of God similar or different than yours?
11.) In three sentences, describe the Puritans -- their beliefs, lifestyle, and origins
12.) What inspired Arthur Miller to write The Crucible?
13.) What is the setting of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible?
14.) Who are the two most influential secondary characters in The Crucible, (why/how)?
15.) Define and describe characteristics of the literature of the American Revolution:
16.) Define and describe three characteristics of the Transcendentalist literary movement:
17.) Who is Ralph Waldo Emerson? What did he write? What was the dominant
impression/thesis of his work that we read?
18.) Who is Henry David Thoreau? What did he write? What was the dominant
impression/thesis of one of his works that we read?
19.) Describe the personas of both Patrick Henry in his speech at the Second Virginia
Convention, and Thomas Paine in his pamphlet Common Sense:
20.) Identify a literary title, motion picture, or popular television show influenced by
Puritanism, Rationalism (American Revolution), or Transcendentalism (Romanticism). Explain
how the text was influenced by one of the aforementioned periods:
Short Written Response
Analyzing the philosophical underpinnings of Puritanism, Rationalism, and Transcendentalism,
identify and explain the pros and cons of one of the movements. Do the philosophies of the
movement create any particular value tensions throughout society?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________