(last updated 11/28/2008 04:25 PM)

Part I. Identification:  Choose 4 of the 6 quotations and identify author and title of the work (1 pt.).  Then in two or three sentences explain the significance of the lines (why the lines are especially important to the work). (4 pts.). (5x4=20 total points) You may not use your books for this section.  These quotes will only come from the survey of stories from the first 2/3 of the class. 

Part II. Short Answer: Choose 2 of 3 of the questions I provide and write a well-developed paragraph with topic sentence, direct evidence (quotations), and explanation to support your answer.   (2x10=20 points)  You may use your books for this section.  Questions will be related to all stories (not just the survey section--in other words, you need to review all of the stories to be prepared to answer these questions.)

Part III.  Synthesis Essay: Choose 1 of 3 authors from the list of major authors we have read this semester (Maupassant, Chekhov, Kipling, O'Connor, or Munro) and provide an overview of the features that make him/her distinctive (at least one of the features must be stylistic or structural).  After you define and explain each feature, illustrate it with specific examples from his/her works.  Then, explain how the author might have been influenced by and/or may have influenced 2 or 3 authors from our syllabus and use specific quotations to support your paragraphs.

Begin your answer with a brief introduction and clear thesis statement that forecasts your answer, and then develop your thesis with organized paragraphs that include topic sentences, use specific evidence from the stories, and have clear analysis which addresses the topic.  Take time to proofread your answer before you turn it in.  (60 points)  You may use your books for this section.  You may not write about the author for which you did your presentation. 

A Few Other Guidelines and Tips

• For Part III, you may put notes on one side of a 4x6 index card--you can also bookmark/highlight your books.

• Don't feel obligated to base your essay for Part III on the work of the group that did a report--you might use all, part, or none of their work.

• Bring a laptop computer if you have one, just in case the computers in the lab aren't working properly. 

• Take time to review all of the major authors on your own time--working with a group can be effective, but definitely spend some time reviewing on your own as well.  Don't base your answer on the work of a classmate without considering/reviewing her work.  In the past, sometimes people's grades have suffered because they got bad information from a group member. 

• Use direct quotes to support your answers in parts II and III.