TAG Honors English II Spring 2024 Semester Exam

Short Answer Questions

Character strength

The postivie parts of personality that impact how you feel, think, and behave. There are 24 possible character strengths that all people possess.

Relationship between strenghts and virtues

Virtues (ethical principles taht guide a character’s actions/decisiosn) provide a foundation for character strengths.

Signature strengths

The defining strengths of a character/person. They are essential to their identity

Optimal strengths vs. overuse/underuse of strengths (+example)

Optimal use is good use of strengths to the right degree at the right time. Overuse/underuse of strengths are often correlated with unhealthy behavior and negative emotions

Personality

Psychological categorization of people; MBTI groups people based on 8 different characteristics, creaing 16 total unique combinations

How is the crucible a symbol

The connotation means the “bearing of a cross” (crux, crusis +ferre)

How does The Crucible function as an allegory

Allegory for the Red Scare and McCarthyism, which were compared to Salem’s witch trials. The characters were personifcations of abstract ideas and were given names that represent said ideas

Miller’s use of dramatic license in The Crucible

He distorted facts and omitted details; he combined all trial judges into one character (Judge Danforth) and raised Abigail’s age to 17

Miller’s use of authorial intrusion

He inserted his opinion, commentary, and judgement

Allusions in The Crucible

Allusion to the Devil, “until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.” Allusion to Pontius Pilate, the governor who presides of the trial of Jesus in Rome, “God will not let you wash your hands of this!”

Miller’s use of metonymy

Miller refers to all individuals who stand up to the inadequacies of society/the church as proctors. “In Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly—and a Proctor is always marked for calumny after.”

Dynamic character vs. static character

Dynamic characters change and evolve through the story (as their character arc progresses) (ex. Reverend Hale). Static characters don’t change (ex. Abigail)

Foil character

Reveal information, traits, values, or motivations through compare and contrast with another character. (ex. Reverend Parris vs. John Proctor, Elizabeth vs. Abigail)

Verbal irony

What is said is the opposite of its meaning

Situational irony

Outcome is different from what was expected

Dramatic irony

The audience understands but the characters don’t understand

Thematic statement for The Crucible

Through Miller’s use of mass hysteria and fear to present an allegory, he demonstrates the importance of reputation and what happens when logic and authority conflict.

Realism vs. formalism

Realism portrays realistic situations that would appear in everyday life. Formalism presents unrealistic situations and incorporate style into the narrative

Archetype

Common characteristics of a character that reoccur across different works who play specific roles to progress the narrative (ex. Mentor character —> The Great Deku Tree)

3 stages of the hero’s journey

Separation (separation from what is familiar) —> initiation (trials and challenges/ crossing the threshold) —> return (the hero accomplished something of value and returns)

Allusion in Tyger Tyger

The Lamb alludes to Blake’s other work and to Jesus of Nazareth

Thematic statement for Dover Beath

Arnold explores the uncertainty and ever-changing nature of human existence. The poem reflects the loss of religion in the modern world, suggesting that solace can only be found in personal connections and mutual support

Rhetorical question in Tyger Tyger

“What immortal hand or eye, dare frame they fearful symmetry?” Blake marvels at the nature of the Creator

Rhymed couplet

A stanza made of two lines, both with end rhyme and the same meter. ‘So call the field to rest, and let’s away / To part the glories of this happy day.’ —spoken by Octavius at the end of Julius Caesar

Refrain

Group of lines repeated in between stanzas or at the end of stanzas. ex. ‘Tyger Tyger burning bright/ In the forests of the night:/ What immortal hand or eye/ Dare frame they fearful symmetry” x2 at the beginning and end of Tyger Tyger

Thematic Statement of Tyger Tyger

Through imagery and rhetorical questions, Blake contemplates the nature of divine power and the coexistence of good and evil

Repetition in ‘Dreams’

“Hold fast to dreams” repeated first line of each stanza, which emphasizes the importance of holding onto dreams

Thematic statement for Ozymandias

Through contrast and narratie, Shelley asserts that all power will fall to nature

End rhyme vs. internal rhyme

End rhyme: words at the end of the lines rhyme. Internal rhyme: words within the same line rhyme

Near rhyme/slant rhyme vs. eye rhyme

Near rhyme/slant: words that almost rhyme. Eye rhyme: words that look like they rhyme but have different pronounciations when spoken out loud

Enjambment vs. caesura

Enjambment: sentences that span multiple lines. Caesura: pause/punctuation in the middle of a line

Meter vs. scansion

Meter: the rhythm of a poem formed by a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Scansion: analyzing a passage or verse to determine its meter

Quatrain

4 lines that make up a stanza with an alternating rhyme scheme

Iambic pentameter vs. Blank verse

Type of metric line in English that combines groups of stressed and unstressed syllables into groups of 5; lacks rhyme but still has iambic pentameter

Free verse

no rhyme or rhythm, no set structure (ex. Hope is a Thing With Feathers)

Sonnet vs. Villainelle

14 lines couplet at the end, 10 syllables per line, end rhyme, iambic pentameter. 19 lines, iambic pentameter, 5 tercets and a quatrain, rhyme scheme with only 2 different sounds

Epic vs. Ballad vs. Elegy vs. Ode

Lengthy narrative about a hero’s journey (The Odessey); vesre usually set to music, narrates a story in short verses (Ballad of Reading Gaol); peom driven by sorrow and mourning, may be about people who died (O Captain!); poem to praise an idea, person, or thing (Ode to Nightingale)

Narrative poem vs. lyrical

Tells a story; expresses personal emotions, often in 1st person

Satire in Harrison Bergeron

Totalitarian government control to where it obstructs individuals’ ability to think, act, move, and develop their potential. People are also reduced to the level of the lowest members of society through handicaps, rather than the other way around.

Literary devices in Harrison Bergeron

Hyperbole: “Harrison tore the weights of his handicaps like wet tissue”—symbolizes him breaking free of oppression and communicates to reader how strong he is; symbolism: Diana Moon Glampers symbolizes the status quo and what is considered average

Harrison Bergeron’s character strengths

He has courage by rebelling against the oppressive government through destroying his restrains and trying to assume the position of Emperor. He has leadership because he tries to liberate other oppressed people (his empress); he wants to lead others to a liberated society

Tone of Harrison Bergeron

Satirical, “all this was possible due to the… amendments to the consitution.” —mocks government policies and American ideology; uses satire to critique American society

Thematic statement for Harrison Bergeron

The author uses satire to assert that power and propaganda used by the governmentj to create fear and keep society under control is dangerous to personal freedoms and rights

How are Brutus and Cassius different?

Brutus is motivated by idealism (“not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more”), Cassius is motivated by personal ambition for power; in manipulating Brutus he says “Well Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see, They honorable mettle may be wrong/ from that it is disposed”

Central Conflict of Julius Caesar

A group of conspirators, lead by Brutus and Cassius, want to preserve Rome’s republic and fear Caesar’s desire for power. Caesar is killed on his way to the Senate —> Antony and Octavious rally support against the conspirators —> Battle of Philip —> Brutus and Cassius are defeated

How does Antony change the minds of the Roman people?

Antony predicts and utilizes the people's sense of injustice at being stripped of so generous a ruler. The people completely forget their former sympathy for Brutus and rise up against the conspirators. He also says, “But Brutus says he was ambitious; and Brutus is an honorable man,” repeating it multiple times and sowing doubt among the crowd.

Fate vs. free will in Julius Caesar

All signs of Caesar’s death were forshadowed (Calpurnia’s dream), meaning that his death was fate. However, Caesar also died because he chose to go to the Senate house that day despite being warned not to

How are the plebians protrayed in regard to politics

Fickle and easily swayed, and their political ideas shift based on influence of persuasive leaders, showing the as vulnerable to manipulation

Thematic statement of Julius Caesar

Through exporing conflicts between ambition and public duty, Shakesphere illustrates how the pursuit of greatness can lead to betrayal and tragedy

Thematic statement of The Case Against High School Sports

The priortization of athletics in American hgih schools undermines academic achievements and is a financial burden on the school. Through statistics and use of logic, she argues that shifting to focus on academics can lead to improved education and test scores.

Thematic Statement for The Case For High School Sports

Sato argues that participation in athletic programs fosters teamwork and discipline, which contribute to academic success

Thematic statement on High School Sports Aren’t Killing Academics

High school sports positively correlate with academic success, highlighting their role in shaping a well-rounded student

Parallel structure

Petrovich was captured, restrained, and tortured

Passive voice

Petrovich is being beat by Raskilnikov

Using a colon

I have read three of Dostoevksy’s works: House of the Dead, Crime and Punishment, and Notes from the Underground.

Using a semicolon

Crime and Punishment is one of the best works of modern literature; all critics greatly praise Dostoevsky’s works

MLA in-text citation

“Pain is always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart” (Dostoevsky 463).