English 10 Midterms

English 10 GT Midterm Study Guide

Exam Date: January 22

I. Hero’s Journey

What It Is

The Hero’s Journey is a common story structure where a hero goes on an adventure, faces trials, and is changed by the experience.

The 12 Stages (Know the order + general meaning)

  1. Ordinary World – Hero’s normal life before change

  2. Call to Adventure – Something disrupts normal life

  3. Refusal of the Call – Hero hesitates or resists

  4. Meeting the Mentor – Guidance or wisdom is given

  5. Crossing the Threshold – Hero commits to the journey

  6. Tests, Allies, Enemies – Challenges and relationships

  7. Approach to the Inmost Cave – Preparing for a major test

  8. Ordeal – Central crisis or life-changing moment

  9. Reward – Hero gains something valuable

  10. The Road Back – Consequences begin

  11. Resurrection – Final test, hero is transformed

  12. Return with the Elixir – Hero returns changed

👉 You should be able to identify stages in a story, not just list them.

Hero’s Journey Archetypes

  • Hero – central character

  • Mentor – teacher/guide

  • Threshold Guardian – blocks progress

  • Ally – helps the hero

  • Shadow – villain or dark side

  • Trickster – comic relief / chaos

II. Vocabulary Words

(Know definitions + how they are used in literature)

  • Omen – a sign of what’s to come

  • Seminary – place of learning or growth

  • Conspire – secretly plan (usually something bad)

  • Teem – overflow, swarm

  • Capricious – unpredictable, impulsive

  • Abash – embarrass deeply

  • Incessant – nonstop

  • Sentinel – guard or watchman

  • Scabbard – sheath for a sword

  • Exultant – extremely joyful

  • Golgotha – place of suffering or death

  • Broil – to cook OR to be in trouble

  • Valor – courage, bravery

  • Compunctious – feeling guilt or remorse

  • Consort – associate with

  • Lament – express grief or sorrow

  • Eminence – greatness or distinction

  • Jocund – cheerful, happy

👉 Expect matching, multiple choice, or using words in context.

III. Literary Terms

(These WILL be tested — know definition + example)

Core Terms

  • Theme – central message or insight about life

  • Archetype – recurring character or symbol

  • Foreshadowing – hints of future events

  • Personification – giving human traits to nonhuman things

  • Foil – character who contrasts another

  • Diction – word choice

  • Imagery – sensory language

Sound & Language

  • Alliteration – repeated starting sounds

  • Synecdoche – part represents whole (“all hands on deck”)

  • Allusion – reference to another text, history, myth

Irony

  • Verbal Irony – say one thing, mean another

  • Dramatic Irony – audience knows more than characters

  • Paradox – seeming contradiction that reveals truth

Tone & Purpose

  • Satire – humor used to criticize

  • Euphemism – mild word replacing harsh one

  • Antihero – flawed protagonist lacking heroic traits

IV. Macbeth (Up Through Act 3)

Major Themes

  • Ambition and power

  • Fate vs. free will

  • Appearance vs. reality

  • Guilt and conscience

  • Violence and tyranny

Act-by-Act Breakdown

Acts 1–2 (Quick Review)

  • Witches predict Macbeth will be king

  • Lady Macbeth manipulates him

  • Macbeth murders King Duncan

  • Guilt begins immediately

  • Macbeth becomes king

ACT 3 — VERY IMPORTANT

Macbeth’s Character Shift

  • Becomes paranoid, power-hungry, and independent

  • No longer needs Lady Macbeth’s approval

  • Moves from hesitant murderer → calculating tyrant

Key Events in Act 3

1. Banquo is a Threat

  • Witches predicted Banquo’s sons would be kings

  • Macbeth fears losing power

2. Macbeth Hires Murderers

  • Manipulates them like Lady Macbeth once manipulated him

  • Claims Banquo is their enemy

  • Shows how power has changed him

3. Banquo is Murdered, Fleance Escapes

  • Banquo dies

  • Fleance escapes → prophecy still possible

  • Macbeth’s plan fails

4. Banquet Scene (Most Important Scene in Act 3)

  • Banquo’s ghost appears

  • Only Macbeth can see it

  • Lady Macbeth tries to cover for him

  • Shows:

    • Macbeth’s guilt

    • Loss of control

    • Mental breakdown

Lady Macbeth’s Change

  • Once powerful → now sidelined

  • Says: “What’s done is done”

  • Loses influence over Macbeth

  • Foreshadows her downfall

End of Act 3

  • Macbeth plans to return to the witches

  • Fully embraces evil

  • Scotland suffers under his rule

Macbeth as an Antihero

  • Brave warrior at first

  • Becomes immoral and violent

  • Still human (guilt, fear)

  • Fits antihero definition perfectly

V. What You Should Be Able to Do on the Test

✔ Define literary terms

✔ Apply terms to Macbeth

✔ Explain character changes

✔ Identify themes

✔ Understand symbolism & irony

✔ Recognize foreshadowing

✔ Explain Act 3 in detail