English Exam Outline

Grade 7 English Language Arts

Final Exam Study Guide

Final Exam Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Value: 20% of your overall English Language Arts grade

The exam will consist of 3 sections and you will be given 2 hours to complete the exam.

Section 1: Short Story (20 marks)

This will consist of an unseen story, multiple choice questions and 3 constructed (long answer) questions. Please study the following:

-          Short Story terms

-          Proper answer format for the following terms: setting, conflict, theme and character (character sketch) 

Section 2: Poetry (20 marks)

This section will consist of an unseen poem, multiple choice questions and 3 constructed (long answer) questions. Please study the following:

            - Poetry terms

            - Proper Answer format for the following terms: metaphor, simile, imagery, text-to-self connection, text-to-text connection and text-to-world connection.

Section 3: Demand Writing (40 points)

You will be asked to complete a brainstorming activity on a given topic and to write a multi-paragraph response. Your brainstorming may take the form of a thought web, chart, list, outline, etc. and should show evidence of thinking of ideas before you write.

You should be familiar with the following forms of writing: letter, newspaper article, journal entry, short story and blog. For your repsonse, you may select a form of writing, but be sure to add details and elements of the selected form!  

Short Story Definitions

Plot:

Rising Action (Suspense) Exposition (Characters and Setting) Resolution Conflict

Characters:                          The “people” in the story.

Setting:                                 The time, place and circumstances of a story.

Conflict:                                A struggle or fight.

Internal Conflict:               A struggle within oneself.

External Conflict:              A struggle between two or more opposing forces.

i.e.      Man vs. Nature

Man vs. Animal

Man vs. Man

Rising Action:                     The development of the plot or action.

Suspense:                            Being uncertain of what is going to happen or wondering what is going to happen next.

Climax:                                  The moment when the action comes to its highest point of conflict or interest.  Most often, the climax occurs before the resolution.      

Resolution:                         The conclusion of the story.  The wrapping up of loose ends at the end of the story.

Surprise Ending:                An ending where an event is both the climax and the resolution.

Theme:                                 The main idea of the story.  The message that the author intends to communicate by telling the story.

Narrator:                              The speaker who tells the story.

Point of View:                    The perspective from which the story is told.

1^st Person - The narrator is in the story and is telling the story. (Use of “ I ”)

3^rd Person - Told by a voice outside the story.

(Use of “he” or “she”)

Atmosphere:                      The overall feeling created in a story, usually by the setting.

Foreshadowing:                 Hints or clues that tell what will happen later in the story.

Flashback:                            A look back at something that has happened previously.

Verbal Irony:                       A contrast between what is said and what is meant.

Situational Irony:              A contrast between what the reader expects to happen and what actually happens.

Dramatic Irony:                  When the reader knows something that the characters in the story do not.

Symbol:                                When one thing can represent another.

Ex. A dove represents peace.                          

How to answer a literary question:

1.     Opening sentence (include title, author and term being discussed)

2.     Define term

3.     Answer the question (explanation)

4.     Prove your response using direct references from the text (quote)

5.     Closing sentence

How to answer a conflict question:

1.     Opening sentence

2.     Define conflict

3.     Explanation

a.     Which type of conflict is present in this story?  Define the type.

b.     Who is the conflict between?

c.      How did it develop?

d.     Discuss / make reference to the conflict

e.     Is the conflict resolved at the end of the story?

4.     Quote for support

5.     Closing sentence

Sample conflict answer: 

Short story “The Nest” by Robert Zacks

In the story “The Nest” by Robert Zacks, there was conflict.  Conflict is a struggle or fight.  The conflict was internal.  It was between Jimmy and himself.  The conflict develops when Jimmy’s mother doesn’t want him to go on a hike with his new friend Paul because she thinks he is a bad influence.  As a result, Jimmy had to make a decision – listen to his mother or go on the hike.  The conflict was resolved when Jimmy chose to go on the hike and be a good friend to Paul.  In the end, Jimmy’s mom realized Paul was nice.  A quote to support this is, “He told her is a choking voice he was going on a hike.”  This clearly shows that Jimmy decided to go on the hike and resolved his conflict.  To conclude, this is the conflict in the story.

Connections Definitions

Know the three types of connections and their definitions:

Text-to-self: A connection between the text and a personal event in my life.

Text-to-text: A connection between the text and other texts I have read before.

Text-to-world: A connection between the text and bigger issues, events or concerns in society.