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

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. What is a frame story?
   1. A. A story with no clear conflict
   2. B. A story told within another story
   3. C. A story that begins at the very end
   4. D. A story told entirely through letters
2. What is a flashback?
   1. A. A scene that shows events from before the present action
   2. B. A detailed description of the story's setting
   3. C. A sudden reversal of fortune at the story's end
   4. D. A hint about something that will happen later on
3. In literature, what is a foil?
   1. A. A villain who wins at the end of the story
   2. B. A character who tells the story from outside the action
   3. C. A character whose contrasting traits highlight another's
   4. D. A minor character who appears only one time
4. Which is a theme rather than a topic?
   1. A. Loyalty can require personal sacrifice.
   2. B. Courage, loyalty, and personal sacrifice
   3. C. Friendship and family in a small town
   4. D. The loyalty between soldiers in a war
5. Read the passage: "The house had stood empty for years. Its shutters hung crooked, and ivy crept over the windows as if trying to hide whatever waited inside." Which word best describes the mood?
   1. A. Ominous
   2. B. Humorous
   3. C. Joyful
   4. D. Peaceful
6. In poetry, who is the speaker?
   1. A. The voice in the poem, not necessarily the poet
   2. B. The person who reads the poem aloud in class
   3. C. Always the poet describing his or her own life
   4. D. The character the poem is written about
7. How many lines does a sonnet have?
   1. A. 12
   2. B. 19
   3. C. 14
   4. D. 16
8. Which is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?
   1. A. AABB CCDD EEFF GG
   2. B. ABA BCB CDC DED EE
   3. C. ABBA ABBA CDE CDE
   4. D. ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
9. What is enjambment?
   1. A. Placing a strong pause in the middle of a line
   2. B. Ending every line with the same sound
   3. C. Repeating the same word at the start of each line
   4. D. Continuing a sentence past the end of a line without a pause
10. What is a caesura?
    1. A. A pause within a line of poetry
    2. B. A comparison using like or as
    3. C. A rhyme at the end of two lines
    4. D. A stanza of exactly four lines
11. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Mark Antony repeatedly calls Brutus "an honourable man" while showing that Brutus betrayed Caesar. This is an example of
    1. A. verbal irony
    2. B. situational irony
    3. C. foreshadowing
    4. D. an aside
12. What is the antagonist of a play?
    1. A. The main character at the center of the play
    2. B. The character who provides humor in the play
    3. C. The character or force opposing the protagonist
    4. D. The narrator who introduces each act of the play
13. In a typical five-act Shakespearean play, the climax usually occurs in
    1. A. Act III
    2. B. Act V
    3. C. Act II
    4. D. Act I
14. In the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, the Chorus calls the lovers "star-cross'd." This phrase suggests that
    1. A. they first met under the night sky
    2. B. they will escape their families' feud
    3. C. they are destined to become rulers
    4. D. their lives are shaped by fate
15. In classical tragedy, what is the protagonist's fatal flaw or error called?
    1. A. Catharsis
    2. B. Epilogue
    3. C. Chorus
    4. D. Hamartia

Part 2: Written Response

16. Select a poem studied this term. Explain how two poetic devices (such as imagery, enjambment, or rhyme) shape its meaning or tone.