English Unit 3

Part I: What is the significance of reading historical fiction? Name a historical fiction text that you have read previously and give a synopsis of the work.

Part II: How do you analyze themes in historical fiction?

Part 1: Historical fiction is important because it helps readers understand the past. It teaches history by showing people's feelings and how they experienced real events. Historical fiction can also provide multiple perspectives, helping readers see more than just facts. For example, historical events can show emotions and personal experiences. One example of historical fiction is "Bringing Jamie Home" by Margaret Frey. This story is about a mother named Addie who saw miners bring home the body of her son Jamie after a mine explosion. It shows difficult working decisions people had in the past.

Part 2: It is important to understand how historical setting affects plot and character development. This will help to analyze themes in historical fiction. It is important to pay attention to working and living conditions and rules of the time period. This will affect characters' behavior and choices. The reader should understand how historical events affect the plot and create conflict.

What elements are important to consider when analyzing any type of fiction?

A. setting and historical details

B. imagery and theme

C. plot and character development

D. theme and sound effects

C. plot and character development

An analysis of fiction should focus on the way the plot influences character development and on identifying the story's theme.

What is true about details of setting and plot in historical fiction?

A. They are seldom factual.

B. They are sometimes factual.

C. They are always factual.

D. They are always fictitious.

B. They are sometimes factual.

Historical fiction is a mixture of factual details and fictional elements.

What kind of document would summarize and discuss eyewitness accounts of an event?

A. newsreel

B. primary source

C. diary or letter

D. secondary source

D. secondary source

Secondary source documents summarize, analyze, and interpret primary sources.

What types of sources have you previously utilized when researching and writing essays and papers? Why? Be specific.

I remember writing a comparative essay "Heart Attack vs Panic Attack". My essay included general medical knowledge. I used primary sources about heart attack, panic attack, and symptoms. These were primary sources because these articles were written by medical professionals who study these diseases. I also used secondary sources which summarized the difference between heart attack and panic attack. These articles were written for general audiences. These articles were secondary sources because they explain and summarize existing knowledge rather than present original research.

What is one possible benefit of a secondary source that is not available from a primary source?

A. It is always more accurate than a primary source.

B. It is always more fun to read than primary source material.

C. It can include firsthand accounts of an event.

D. It can provide an overview of a historical topic or event.

D. It can provide an overview of a historical topic or event.

Because they are written after events took place, secondary source materials can provide an overview of a historical event or period and also can guide you to relevant primary sources.

Which part of this sentence is a phrase that modifies the subject of the sentence?

Showing his mischievous nature, Jerome played an unfortunate trick on his best friend Kurt.

A. on his best friend Kurt

B. Jerome played

C. an unfortunate trick

D. Showing his mischievous nature

D. Showing his mischievous nature

This sentence includes several phrases, but only one describes Jerome rather than what Jerome did.

How can these two simple sentences be combined to create a complex sentence?

The birds flew south for the winter. It was time to get out the sweaters.

A. The birds flew south for the winter, and it was time to get out the sweaters.

B. The birds flew south for the winter; it was time to get out the sweaters.

C. The birds, flying south for the winter, told us it was time to get out the sweaters.

D. When the birds flew south for the winter, it was time to get out the sweaters.

D. When the birds flew south for the winter, it was time to get out the sweaters.

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one dependent, or subordinate, clause.

Which type of sentence is this one?

Since she forgot the key to the lock, Andrea could not open the mailbox.

A. simple

B. compound

C. compound-complex

D. complex

D. complex

The sentence contains both a dependent clause and an independent clause, and the two parts are connected by a subordinating conjunction.

Which of the following is a dependent clause?

A. after the show let out

B. Sara left the concert early

C. eating a cupcake

D. to wait a long time

A. after the show let out

Any clause must include both a subject and a predicate. A dependent clause, though, is unable to stand on its own—it depends on another clause for its meaning.

Choose one of the following three sentences and vary the sentence, making it a stronger sentence.

Hiking is fun.

A puppy went home with its new family.

Please chop the vegetables and cook them.

Choose the second sentence.

I choose the second sentence. A puppy went home with its new family.

Here are several ways that I can vary the sentence and make it stronger:

Everybody in the animal shelter was happy that a puppy went home with its new family.

After waiting for weeks, the puppy finally went home with its new family.

The puppy went home with its new family, bringing joy to everyone at the shelter.

What organizational pattern is most appropriate for writing about history?

A. cause and effect

B. chronological order

C. compare and contrast

D. problem/solution

B. chronological order

History is a sequence of events; therefore, writing about historical events in time order is logical.

What is one purpose for writing nonfiction text about historical events and issues?

A. Describing and analyzing history helps us learn from the past.

B. Nonfiction histories are more widely read than fictional narratives.

C. History texts can predict future occurrences with great accuracy.

D. Nonfiction texts about history cause readers to doubt historical events.

A. Describing and analyzing history helps us learn from the past.

Writers share what they know about events and issues from the past to help readers understand how history has affected and changed people and places over time.

How can you, as a writer, help readers visualize historical events more clearly and vividly?

A. Organize the writing in an appropriate organizational pattern.

B. Integrate interesting quotations from other sources.

C. Use transitions that connect the ideas and sections.

D. Include concrete details that appeal to the senses.

D. Include concrete details that appeal to the senses.

Concrete details “show” the reader the historical event, while abstract language can only “tell” about the event.

The writer of these sentences needed to revise his essay to make sure all of the facts he included were relevant. Which fact seems poorly chosen for a historical essay about the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima?

A. The aircraft that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima was the Enola Gay.

B. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people were killed in the blast.

C. An atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

D. Hiroshima means “wide island” in Japanese.

D. Hiroshima means “wide island” in Japanese.

One important task when revising historical writing is to make sure the facts you include truly belong in the essay.

For an author of historical fiction, what helpful information could secondary source material provide?

A. an overview of people’s experiences in a particular time period

B. suggestions for the development of an imaginary plot

C. a critique of other authors’ works of historical fiction

D. an in-depth, firsthand account of life in a particular time and setting

A. an overview of people’s experiences in a particular time period

Secondary sources contain interpretations of primary sources, and include summaries and analysis.

Which statement would most likely appear in a historical essay?

A. I believe the study of Ancient Greece should be removed from the curriculum.

B. That is why visiting Greece should be on your bucket list.

C. The influences of the Ancient Greeks are everywhere in modern culture.

D. The slave girl poured Cesar water and gazed at his noble eyes.

C. The influences of the Ancient Greeks are everywhere in modern culture.

Historical essays inform readers about historical events and issues and explain their significance.

When you write a historical essay, which step should complete first?

A. Gather factual details from primary and/or secondary sources.

B. Select the organizational pattern most appropriate for the draft.

C. Read other historical essays, to use as guides for structure.

D. Determine which point of view you will use in your essay.

A. Gather factual details from primary and/or secondary sources.

To write accurately about historical events, you need to take careful notes from primary and/or secondary sources.

How can these two independent clauses be combined to make one simple sentence?

The sunset was dabbing the clouds with soft violet hues. It made me feel at peace.

A. Dabbing the clouds with soft violet hues, the sunset made me feel at peace.

B. While the sunset was dabbing the clouds with soft violet hues, I felt at peace.

C. The sunset was dabbing the clouds with soft violet hues, which made me feel at peace.

D. The sunset was dabbing the clouds with soft violet hues, and it made me feel at peace.

A. Dabbing the clouds with soft violet hues, the sunset made me feel at peace.

Remember that a simple sentence is comprised of one independent clause.

How is analyzing historical fiction similar to analyzing other types of fiction?

A. Setting is equally important in all types of fiction.

B. All authors of fiction simply want to entertain the reader.

C. The plot of the story is less important than the setting.

D. You should focus on character development and theme.

D. You should focus on character development and theme.

Plot, character development, and theme are important to consider in all types of fiction.

Which sentence best states the purpose of elaboration in historical writing?

A. to help readers understand and engage with historical texts

B. to help readers compare and contrast historical and current events

C. to help readers make judgments about historical figures

D. to help readers imagine future events that will evolve from past events

A. to help readers understand and engage with historical texts

Quotations, well-chosen and relevant facts, and concrete details help a writer make history come to life for readers.

Which elements of a work of historical fiction would require the most research to develop?

A. characters and theme

B. setting and suspense

C. plot and theme

D. setting and plot

D. setting and plot

The setting and plot of a work of historical fiction must be realistic for the place and time of the story.

Which of the following details would be most appropriate in a presentation about the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center?

A. the names of the people who died in the attacks

B. the number of people from each floor of the towers who died in the attacks

C. the names of the firefighters who died during the aftermath

D. the number of people who died in the attacks

D. the number of people who died in the attacks

Limit the details you include to only the most significant and memorable.

How can these two sentences be combined into one compound sentence?

The dog wanted to jump into the water. The owner wouldn’t allow it.

A. As the dog wanted to jump into the water, the owner wouldn’t allow it.

B. Although the dog wanted to jump into the water, the owner wouldn’t allow it.

C. The dog wanted to jump into the water, but the owner wouldn’t allow it.

D. The owner wouldn’t allow it: The dog wanted to jump into the water.

C. The dog wanted to jump into the water, but the owner wouldn’t allow it.

Remember that a compound sentence is comprised of two independent clauses connected by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon.

The Japanese Relocation video is a short 1942–1943 U.S. government film produced by the Office of War Information. It was created during World War II to explain and justify the forced relocation and incarceration of Japanese Americans.

What makes the Japanese Relocation video a primary source?

A. It gives a firsthand account of the assumptions behind the events of 1943.

B. It includes firsthand interviews with relocated Japanese Americans.

C. It contains both firsthand accounts and objective analysis of the situation.

D. It was made many years after 1943, when the evacuations occurred.

A. It gives a firsthand account of the assumptions behind the events of 1943.

Although the film summarizes the initial relocation and internment of Japanese Americans, it does so while the people are still being detained. The film provides a firsthand window into the mindset of non-Japanese Americans at the time.