10th Grade Literature & Composition Final Exam Study Guide

Final Exam Overview

  • Format: 50 multiple choice questions
  • Content:
    • Two cold read passages (unfamiliar texts)
    • Two poems
    • Literary & rhetorical devices
    • Grammar, usage, mechanics, & spelling (via NoRedInk topics)
    • Vocabulary in context
    • Theme

Literary & Rhetorical Devices

  • Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds
    • Example: "She sells seashells by the seashore."
  • Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, place, or event
    • Example: "He was a real Romeo with the ladies."
  • Anaphora: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
    • Example: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds…"
  • Anecdote: A short, amusing or interesting story about a real event
    • Example: "I remember one time when I forgot my lines in the play…"
  • Antithesis: Two opposite ideas put together for contrast
    • Example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
  • Apostrophe: Addressing an absent or imaginary person or object
    • Example: "O death, where is thy sting?"
  • Asyndeton: Omitting conjunctions between parts of a sentence
    • Example: "I came, I saw, I conquered."
  • Epistrophe: Repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses
    • Example: "…government of the people, by the people, for the people."
  • Foreshadowing: Hinting at future events in a story
    • Example: "The dark clouds gathered above…"
  • Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect
    • Example: "I’ve told you a million times."
  • Hypophora: Asking and answering your own question
    • Example: "Why should we care? Because it affects all of us."
  • Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality
    • Example: "A fire station burns down."
  • Juxtaposition: Placing two elements side-by-side for contrast
    • Example: "Light and darkness imagery in literature."
  • Litotes: Understatement using double negatives
    • Example: "He’s not unlike his father."
  • Metaphor: A direct comparison (no \"like\" or \"as\")
    • Example: "Time is a thief."
  • Metonymy: Substituting a word with something closely related
    • Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword."
  • Parallelism: Using similar grammatical structures
    • Example: "She likes running, swimming, and biking."
  • Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things
    • Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."
  • Polysyndeton: Using many conjunctions
    • Example: "He ran and jumped and laughed and played."
  • Repetition: Repeating words or phrases for emphasis
    • Example: "Never give in. Never, never, never."
  • Rhetorical Appeals:
    • Ethos: Credibility
      • Example: "As a doctor, I can say…"
    • Pathos: Emotion
    • Logos: Logic
  • Rhetorical Question: A question asked for effect, not answer
    • Example: "Who doesn’t want success?"
  • Simile: A comparison using \"like\" or \"as\"
    • Example: "She’s as fast as a cheetah."
  • Synecdoche: A part represents the whole
    • Example: "All hands on deck."
  • Tone: The author’s attitude toward the subject
    • Examples: Sarcastic, hopeful, somber, etc.

Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, and Spelling (via NoRedInk)

  • THAMOs – Conjunctive Adverbs
    • Therefore
    • However
    • Also
    • Moreover
    • Otherwise
    • Used to connect complete ideas; often needs a semicolon before and a comma after when in the middle of a sentence.
      • Example: I was tired; however, I kept working.
  • Colons vs. Semicolons
    • Colon (:): Introduces a list or elaborates
      • Example: She had one goal: win the game.
    • Semicolon (;): Connects two independent clauses closely related
      • Example: I wanted to stay; I had to leave.
  • Parallel Structure
    • Matching grammatical forms
      • Incorrect: She likes reading, to swim, and biking.
      • Correct: She likes reading, swimming, and biking.
  • Active vs. Passive Voice
    • Active: Subject does the action → The cat chased the mouse.
    • Passive: Subject receives the action → The mouse was chased by the cat.
  • Commonly Confused Words
    • Have / Of
      • Correct: should have, NOT should of
    • Your / You’re
      • Your = possessive; You’re = you are
    • It’s / Its
      • It’s = it is; Its = possessive
    • Who’s / Whose
      • Who’s = who is; Whose = possessive
    • Accept / Except
      • Accept = to receive; Except = excluding
    • Good / Well
      • Good = adjective; Well = adverb
    • Who / Whom
      • Who = subject; Whom = object
    • Then / Than
      • Then = time; Than = comparison
    • Quite / Quiet
      • Quite = very; Quiet = silent
    • Less / Fewer
      • Less = uncountable; Fewer = countable
    • Affect / Effect
      • Affect = verb; Effect = noun (usually)
  • Misplaced Modifiers
    • Modifier must be close to the word it describes
      • Incorrect: Running quickly, the finish line was crossed.
      • Correct: Running quickly, she crossed the finish line.

Vocabulary in Context

  • Understand how words are used in the sentence or passage
  • Use context clues: synonyms, antonyms, examples, definitions within the text

Theme

  • Definition: Central message or insight about life conveyed by a work
  • Common Themes:
    • Coming of age
    • Power and corruption
    • The struggle between good and evil
    • Identity and self-discovery
    • The effects of societal expectations
  • To identify theme:
    • Look at character growth
    • Identify central conflicts and their resolution
    • Note recurring ideas or symbols

Tips for Cold Read Passages and Poems

  • Read the questions first to guide your reading.
  • Annotate as you read – underline key ideas and unfamiliar words.
  • Pay attention to:
    • Tone
    • Word choice
    • Imagery
    • Structure
  • For poetry:
    • Understand the speaker and their emotions
    • Analyze figurative language and sound devices
    • Look for shifts in tone or perspective