English 9 Mr

English 9 Mr. Tillman, Ms. Coit, Mr. Tucker & Mr. Gilsenan

Second Semester Exam Review Sheet

Exam Scheduled for 9:00 am Tuesday, May 27, 2003

In order to do your best on the semester exam, you will need to prepare yourself thoroughly. This review sheet should aid you in your preparation.

Getting Started

Make a plan! You should prepare to devote approximately 8 hours of study for the English exam (4:1 ratio of preparation to performance). You will need to secure the following in order to begin your review:

· A quiet, comfortable space free from distractions. NOTE: T.V. and music are significant distractions. Research has conclusively demonstrated that you cannot study to rock & roll.

· Appropriate texts (as noted below)

· All quizzes and tests

· Corrected papers (consider the topics)

· Class notes

Major Themes

The Hero/The Individual

· What are the defining qualities of the hero? How are they expressed in the works we have read?

· Quest for knowledge and wisdom > self-knowledge and understanding

· Public face vs. private face: what people think of the character versus his own knowledge of himself.

· Relative success and failure of the hero to function in contemporary (as well as future) societies.

· The hero as an expression of the epitome of "manly virtues."

· What are the corrupting forces the hero faces?

How does each hero/individual best handle (or not) the environment he is placed in?

How does each hero/individual better (or not) the environment he is placed in? What actions does he take? How honest is he with himself?

First Steps

· Organize the above material into distinct areas along the following lines:

· Grammar Chapters covering Pronouns, Verbs (Lie/Lay, etc.) & Verbs (Tense, Mood, Voice), Clear Reference, Placement of Modifiers.

· The Red Badge of Courage

· "The Veteran"

· Catcher in the Rye

· 1984

· Lord of the Flies

· Be sure you have completed, collected and collated the review questions/sheets.

· Review the various material, test and quiz questions, notes, essay topics, etc. Read over all of these.

· Be sure that you understand and can answer all of the quiz and test questions.

· Know the grammar concepts we have covered.

· Spread your studying time out over several days. Cramming an entire semester into one night is counterproductive.

**Poetry: There will be one section on poetry. Your teacher will hand out the poem ahead of time so you can prepare for it beforehand. You will not be allowed to bring any notes to the exam but you can certainly greatly prepare for this part of the exam. The poem will be Robert Herrick's "To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time."

Write down any unanswered questions and bring them to class for discussion

Each review day is as only good as you make it: come to class ready to speak, ask, comment, and discuss--we are here to help you so ask for help.

Taking the Exam

Get a good night's sleep prior to the exam.

Work carefully, quickly and confidently. If you think you have the right answer, you probably do.

Study Plan:

Tues.

Weds.

Thurs.

Fri.

Sat.

Sun.

Mon.

27 EXAM