Contemporary Lit Unit Test Study Guide

Grammar covered

Grammar

Subjects/Predicates

Punctuation - comma use - especially with appositives and introductory elements

How to treat titles of complete works vs. titles of selections (i.e, CD titles vs. song titles)

Literature

¡         Essay: “Serving in Florida” (handout)

¡         Essay: “Dumpster Diving” (handout)

¡         Essay: “Sex, Lies and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other?” (page 382 of Contemporary Lit book)

¡         Poems from Contemporary Lit book presented on Tuesday

¡         The Things They Carried

Vocabulary

All words are fair game.

Essay Question

You have the option to bring in a 3 x 5 inch notecard with PREWRITING ONLY for your essay.

Choose one of the following questions and write a 3-5 paragraph response (on a separate sheet of paper) based on your understanding of the novel. Be sure to use paragraphs, have a clear introduction and conclusion, and support your assertions with examples from the text.  Essays will be assessed on both the quality of the writing as well as demonstration in your essay that you have read and understand the literature selection.

1. In “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong,” what transforms Mary Anne into a predatory killer?  Does it matter that Mary Anne is a woman?  How so?  What does the story tell us about the nature of the Vietnam War?

or

2. According to O’Brien, how do you tell a true war story?  What does he mean when he writes of one story, “That’s a true story that never happened?”  Use one of his war stories from the novel to illustrate and support your response.

Practice

Correct the errors in diction and grammar in the paragraph.

You might have wondered why people left N. Korea and became refuges.  One big reason is the economy.  North Korea's state-controlled economy struggled throughout the 1990s primarily due to the loss of strategic trade arrangements with the USSR. On top of these economic challenges North Korea experienced in 1995 and 1996.  Followed by several years of drought.  These events had the affect of causing thousands of people to leave, and to seek a better life.  One refugee said “I think my father was right when he said nature is more powerful then any government.”

Short Answer

How would you best describe Jimmy and Martha’s relationship?

What does the phrase "mostly chatty" tell you about Martha's feelings toward Jimmy?

Why does Ted Lavender take tranquilizers?

How does Ted Lavender die?

How do Jimmy Cross and Martha reunite?

How do you know Martha enjoyed writing letters?

What do you think the letters really meant to Jimmy?

In “On the Rainy River,” what is the primary objection the narrator has to the war?

What are three reasons O’Brien resents Jorgenson?

Rat Kiley shoots himself in the foot thus removing himself from duty.  How do his company members react to this?

What are some things that show us Rat Kiley’s descent into madness?

List three people that Norman Bowker feels that he could once confide in (See “Speaking of Courage”)