EOC Literature Review

When the reader learns what a character is like through what the character says and does

• falling action

• direct characterization

• indirect characterization

• simile

A reference to a well known person, place event, literary work, or work of art.

• Allegory

• Allusion

• Alliteration

• Analogy

Theme is best described as____________

• love from a poet

• Message or lesson learned

• main idea

• summary

A student is writing an essay for an American literature class. Read the draft of a paragraph from the essay. Zora Neale Hurston was an American writer whose work often portrayed the culture of African Americans living in small towns in the southern United States. She is perhaps best known for her novels Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and Tell My Horse (1938) as well as her stunning autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road (1942). Hurston was also a college professor and enjoyed a fruitful career as a writer, but as she grew older, much of her work seemed to be forgotten. In the late twentieth century—a number of decades after her death in 1960—her work became popular once again and her readership dramatically increased. The thematic importance of her literary contributions was once again recognized. Which research question would BEST help further develop the student’s topic?

• What did Hurston study as an undergraduate in college?

• Which themes is Hurston best known for exploring in her work?

• What are some common causes of an increase in readership of an author’s work?

• What are some of the most popular autobiographies written by modern authors?

Which statement describes George’s interaction with the townspeople in paragraphs 7 and 8 of the story?

• The townspeople wish George well, but their attention makes him uncomfortable.

• The townspeople eagerly await George’s departure, and he is glad to be seeking new adventures elsewhere.

• The townspeople support George’s ambitions, and he resolves to fulfill their hopes for him.

• The townspeople and George will miss each other, but he is comforted by their heartfelt goodbyes.

Which statement best describes a central theme of the story?

• Leaving home is a common rite of passage that can be marked by a variety of emotions.

• People who choose to pursue a new life elsewhere can cause resentment in those who stay behind.

• Leaving familiar surroundings can prompt one to place added importance on family and friends.

• Major life changes are generally accompanied by a focus on important events in one’s life.

Which sentence from the passage provides the best evidence to support the answer in Part A?

• “Young George Willard got out of bed at four in the morning.”

• “George came downstairs into the hotel office carrying a brown leather bag.”

• “Since two o’clock he had been awake thinking of the journey he was about to take and wondering what he would find at the end of his journey.”

• “George crept past the cot and went out into the silent deserted main street.”

What is the significance of the fact that townspeople have come to the train station to see George off?

• It emphasizes that many Winesburg residents think George will find success in the city.

• It suggests that to most people of Winesburg, the chance to witness someone leaving is unusual.

• It implies that George will stay in touch with those he leaves behind in Winesburg.

• It shows that Winesburg residents disapprove of George’s choice.

Which two sentences from the passage best develop a theme of a new beginning?

• “It was April and the young tree leaves were just coming out of their buds.”

• “The boy who slept in the hotel office lay on a cot by the door. His mouth was open and he snored lustily.”

• “George crept past the cot and went out into the silent deserted main street.”

• “The east was pink with the dawn and long streaks of light climbed into the sky where a few stars still shone.”

• “The fields are owned by farmers who live in town and drive homeward at evening along Trunion Pike in light creaking wagons.”

Which statement below best describes how the author’s choices regarding time and structure help advance a theme of the story?

• The author contrasts George’s sociable nature to Winesburg’s unfriendliness to suggest that George will be happier elsewhere.

• The author highlights the tension between George and his father by having George experience flashbacks about Winesburg while he rests on the train.

• The author focuses on the many pleasant things about Winesburg in order to emphasize George’s fear about leaving his home.

• The author adopts a slow pace with few notable events in order to illuminate how quiet life is for George in a town like Winesburg.