Study for Midterm 2030

Reviewing for the Midterm

The midterm will have three parts: (1) multiple choice/matching (2) short answers/definitions (3) essay. You will have a choice of questions to answer in sections 2 and 3.

Taking the quizzes in the study guide will help you review. Taking the quizzes on the website will also help you review.

The midterm will emphasize the short story. You may be asked a couple of questions about "Trifles," and there will be some questions about the poetry assigned for this week (see below) but the emphasis will be on the short story.
The "key terms" sections in the study guide are a good place to begin reviewing, but make sure that you don't spend all your time just memorizing definitions.

You should be able to recognize the author (last name) of all the short stories assigned or of the poems listed below. (Such questions will be multiple choice.)

Short Stories:

You are responsible for the plots, main characters and central ideas of all the short stories that were not labeled "optional" on your syllabus.

You should be able to examine and discuss any of these stories according to the ideas and terms introduced and developed in the telecourse lessons and assigned readings in the study guide or text book. (That is, you are responsible for more than memorizing plots and key terms.)

Poems to Review for the Midterm:

Arnold, "Dover Beach"
Brooks, "We Real Cool"
cummings, "next to of course god america I"
Giovanni, "Nikki-Rosa"
Owen, "Dulce et Decorum Est."
Thomas, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
Robinson, "Richard Cory"
Browning, "My Last Duchess"
Roethke, "My Papa's Waltz"
(Questions about other poems in this section may appear in the final.)

You should be able to identify the setting, main idea/action, speaker and basic situation of the poem. You should note irony, key symbols, etc. while reviewing.

Key Terms:

Of the key terms on pages 43-45, the only ones you can ignore are those concerning the sentence and types of sentence.
Pay attention to the key terms on pages 64, 75, 112, 115 (#1 in "Before Viewing"). Be able to identify different types of narrator and round versus flat characters, for example.
Although all the key terms on page 100 are useful for discussing sentence structure, the only terms I want you to be able identify from this group are: irony, connotation, denotation, tone and style.
Of the key terms on pages 132 and 139, you are only responsible for: allusion, atmosphere, character, dramatic monologue, meter, persona, conflict, figurative language (metaphor, personification, simile), imagery, myth, poem, stanza and setting

(Other terms from these sections may be added for the final.)

Sample Questions:

Multiple Choice:

What is the name of Young Goodman Brown's wife?

(A) Faith (B) Hope (C) Charity (D) Goody

(Matching questions would have two lists of items, definitions, authors, stories and expect you to make the right pairings.)

Short Answer:

What does the bird in "Trifles" and "Jury of Her Peers" represent or suggest?

Definition:

What is a first person narrator? Give an example from one of the stories we have studied.

Essay:

Focusing on three works (at least two of them short stories), discuss the importance of a sense of community.

Focusing on three works (at least two of them short stories), consider the way in which an object or a place can become identified with specific characters or their crises.