9.4

The final exam will give you an opportunity to show your mastery of skills that you have been practicing throughout the semester. The following are some key areas that you can expect to see on the exam:

1) Questions that test your understanding of a reading selection.

2) Questions that test your understanding of the way in which a selection is written.

Examples:

- The main purpose of the first paragraph is to...
- The main purpose of the essay is to...
- Identifying examples of irony, metaphor, hyperbole, simile,symbolism, and personification in the selection.
-Identifying the use of extended metaphor, hyperbole, logical persuasion, and sensory language.
- Which details support the idea that____?

3) Questions that ask you to analyze the way in which a selection is written.

Examples:
- What is the author's purpose in writing this article?
- What is the author's position?
- How does the author organize and present ideas in the essay?
- How does the author support his ideas?
- How does the author's personality affect his writing?
- How does that author express his ideas? ( allusions, use of irony, persuasive argument,or use of allegory)
- What bias does the author reveal in his/her writing?
- Describe the mood in the first half of the story and tell how it changes in the second half.

4) Questions that ask you to analyze and evaluate a passage.
Examples:
- Is the author's argument still valuable today? In which ways is it archaic and outdated?
- Describe the tone of the essay.
- What theme is expressed in the first paragraph of the essay?
- Which statements show the use an emotional appeal to a person's conscience rather than an appeal to reason?
- Why does the author draw a comparison between ____ and ____?
- In your opinion, how persuasive is the author's argument and why?

5) Proofreading and Revision:
- subject/ verb agreement
- correct word usage ( that, which/ who/ whom)
- sentence structure
- correct capitalization and punctuation
- use of transitions
* For practice on revision and proofreading, go to the textbook link from the Parkview website and select "High School Language Arts" and then "Test Practice."


Terms to know:
Allusions

Irony

Allegory

Simile

Personification

Hyperbole

Metaphor


I will be adding to this post over the next few weeks, so check back. Use this forum to study with your classmates. Share websites and how you prepare for finals and standardized tests.