English 9–10 (Grades 9–10) Midterm — Units 1–2

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. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. 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
17. How many lines does a sonnet have?
    1. A. 12
    2. B. 19
    3. C. 14
    4. D. 16
18. 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
19. 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
20. 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

Part 2: Written Response

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