modern american literature final exam study guide
TRANSCRIPT
Modern American Literature
Final Exam
Study Guide
4 SectionsA. Literature Comprehension (20 points)
B. Quote ID and Significance (20 pts.)
C. Semester Reading (20 pts.)
D. Essays (40 pts)
Section A – Literature Comprehension
• 20 multiple choice questions
• Streetcar Named Desire
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Snow Falling on Cedars
• She’s Come Undone
• “Barn Burning”
• “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg”
• Ethan Frome
Part B – Quote Identification & Significance
• 4 easily identifiable quotes from literature we have read
• For each quote, identify the speaker and the plot situation (2 points) and the thematic significance (3 points).
Part C – Semester Reading• Here is your last crack at that ever-popular
quiz format where you are given a word bank and must fill in the blank.
• Excerpts will cover all the literature we have read this semester.
• 20 blanks to fill
Part D - Essays• You have to write 2 essays and they are
prescribed.
• In other words, you don’t choose two to answer from a long list…there are ONLY two questions, and you must answer both.
• Think about themes.
• Think about the conclusion to She’s Come Undone.
Themes - …Streetcar
• Class Conflict
• Sex Roles
• Violence and Cruelty
• Madness
Themes – Grapes…• Hope
• Class Conflict
• Fanaticism
• Individual vs. Society
• Commitment
Themes - …Cedars
• Interracial Love
•Guilt
• Prejudice
Themes - …Undone
• Coming of Age
• The Quest for Happiness
• The Quest for Acceptance
Themes – “Barn Burning”
• Alienation and Loneliness
• Anger and Hatred
• Loyalty and Betrayal
• Morals and Morality
• Order and Disorder
Themes – “…Hadleyburg”• Hypocrisy• Morality, Ethics and the
Innateness of Human Sinfulness• The Eden Myth and the
“Fortunate Fall”• Individual versus Society
Themes – Ethan Frome
• Frustration
• Individual Responsibility
• Loneliness