English 9–10 (Grades 9–10) Midterm — Semester 1, Form A

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. What is an unreliable narrator?
   1. A. A narrator who speaks directly to the reader as 'you'
   2. B. A narrator whose account cannot be fully trusted
   3. C. A narrator who appears only in the final chapter
   4. D. A narrator who knows every character's thoughts
2. What does it mean for a story to begin in medias res?
   1. A. It starts with a long description of the setting.
   2. B. It starts in the middle of the action.
   3. C. It starts with a list of characters.
   4. D. It starts with the story's resolution.
3. Which describes third-person limited point of view?
   1. A. A narrator outside the story reveals one character's thoughts.
   2. B. A character in the story narrates using 'I.'
   3. C. A narrator outside the story reveals every character's thoughts.
   4. D. The narrator reports only actions and speech, never thoughts.
4. Which is an example of situational irony?
   1. A. A hero defeats the villain, just as everyone expected.
   2. B. A character says 'Lovely weather' during a storm.
   3. C. A fire station burns down.
   4. D. The audience knows a thief hides behind the door, but the hero does not.
5. Read the passage: "Every spring after her grandmother died, Lena planted yellow tulips by the porch, just as the two of them had done together for years." The tulips most likely symbolize
   1. A. the start of a long summer vacation
   2. B. Lena's growing dislike of yard work
   3. C. Lena's lasting connection to her grandmother
   4. D. the family's plan to sell the old house
6. In Emily Dickinson's lines "'Hope' is the thing with feathers - / That perches in the soul -," hope is compared to
   1. A. a bird
   2. B. a flower
   3. C. a song
   4. D. a cloud
7. In poetry, what is a volta?
   1. A. A turn or shift in thought or argument
   2. B. A line that repeats throughout the poem
   3. C. A pause in the middle of a line
   4. D. The final word of each stanza
8. What is assonance?
   1. A. Exaggeration for emphasis or effect
   2. B. Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words
   3. C. Repetition of beginning consonant sounds
   4. D. Words that imitate the sounds they name
9. What is an elegy?
   1. A. A short poem that tells a story as a song
   2. B. A poem that praises an object or person
   3. C. A humorous five-line poem
   4. D. A poem that mourns a death or loss
10. Which describes iambic pentameter?
    1. A. Ten syllables per line in five unstressed-stressed pairs
    2. B. Lines with no regular rhythm or rhyme
    3. C. Three lines of five, seven, and five syllables
    4. D. Eight syllables per line in stressed-unstressed pairs
11. Romeo believes Juliet is dead, but the audience knows she took a potion that only makes her appear dead. Which device is this?
    1. A. Verbal irony
    2. B. Comic relief
    3. C. Soliloquy
    4. D. Dramatic irony
12. What is comic relief?
    1. A. A happy ending that resolves every conflict
    2. B. A humorous scene that eases tension in a serious work
    3. C. A speech in which a character mocks the audience
    4. D. A play that is entirely comedic from start to end
13. In a script, what is the dramatis personae?
    1. A. The opening speech of the play
    2. B. The instructions for building the set
    3. C. The final scene of the play
    4. D. The list of characters in the play
14. What is catharsis?
    1. A. The emotional release an audience feels after a tragedy
    2. B. The moment the hero first meets the villain
    3. C. A comic scene placed inside a serious play
    4. D. The final speech that summarizes the plot
15. In theater, what is blocking?
    1. A. The planned movements and positions of actors
    2. B. Lines an actor forgets during a performance
    3. C. A scene cut from the script before opening night
    4. D. The painted backdrop hanging behind the actors

Part 2: Written Response

16. Choose a short story from this unit. Analyze how the author uses one literary element (symbol, point of view, irony, or setting) to develop a theme. Cite at least two specific details.