Verily, A New Hope

 Read the following passage from William Shakespeare's Star Wars:

C3P0:
Now is the summer of our happiness
Made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!
Our ship is under siege, I know not how.

In the above passage, the word 'winter' is used to mean:
a. a season of cold weather
b. an ending
c. a new hope
d. an attack from an opposing force

Scroll down for the answer.

___________________________

a. is incorrect.  If the state test asks you about something that seems really easy, look again.  Chances are that is a false answer.

b. is correct.  Winter ends summer, just like this attack ends their happiness.  Congratulations!  You just figured out a metaphor.  These can be tricky sometimes.

c. is incorrect.  

d. is incorrect.  There is an attack being referenced, but it is not what winter is meaning.

Night - Chapter 7

 Read the quote from chapter 7 of Elie Wiesel's Night:

  
“I went to look for him. Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind. If only I didn't find him! If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care only of myself…. Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever”


The __________ helps to convey Elie Wiesel's characterization:

a. simile

b. internal conflict

c. verbal irony

d. hyperbole

Scroll down for the answer 

___________________________________________________

The struggle going on here is a type of character vs. self conflict.  Conflict comes in two forms - external conflict and internal conflict.  Character vs. Self happens in the characters mind, heart, or soul - so that makes it internal.  The correct answer is B.

Thanks to Ms. Willis - that awesome teacher from Manteo High School for this question.  You rock, Ms. Willis!

It's Crazy! It's So Crazy It Just Might Work!

Read the following passage from the novel The Giver:

"It would work. They could make it work.  Jonas told himself again and again throughout the day.  

But that evening, everything changed - All of it - all the things they had thought through so meticulously - fell apart."

What effect does the foreshadowing have in the above passage?

A.  It fully explains what will later happen in the novel

B.  It increases the suspense because it hints that something is now going to be different

C.  It makes it easier to understand why Jonas is so happy

D.  It reveals the theme of the importance of planning.

Scroll down for the correct answer:

________________________________________________

Correct answer- B

Thanks to Mrs. Brooks Honors English II class for this question!  No suspense for you guys, though.  I feel this great question foreshadows top scores on your EOCs!

By the way, I know your teacher refers to this as DD, but when I hear DD, I always think Daredevil.  I guess that could be because I'm either way cool, or just a nerd.  Feel free to weigh in on the comments - cool or nerd

Ah... the Beach!

 Read "Sea­Wash" by Carl Sandburg:

The sea­wash never ends.
The sea­wash repeats, repeats.
    Only old songs? Is that all the sea knows?
    Only the old strong songs?
    Is that all?
The sea­wash repeats, repeats.

Read the short poem three times. What is the effect of the rhythm and sounds?

a.­ Alliteration is used to put the reader to sleep.

b­. Alliteration, Consonance, Repetition, and Rhythm are used to mimic the crashing waves.

c­. Personification is used to give the ocean human-­like qualities.

d­. All of the above.

Scroll down for the answer.

____________________________________

a­ INCORRECT­ Alliteration is used, but the intended effect is not to put the reader to sleep.

b­ CORRECT­ All four devices are used to mimic the sound of crashing waves.

c INCORRECT­ Personification is used, but the question addresses RHYTHM and SOUNDS.

d­ INCORRECT­ You should be able to eliminate “C” quickly, which lets you know that you can eliminate “D” as well.

Poem is from from: poetryfoundation.org

Thanks to Ms. Brookshire for the question!   

Pay Attention!

Watch this short video:

This is an example of:

a. tone
b. hyperbole
c. personification
d. irony

Scroll down for the answer.









__________________________
d. is the correct answer since it is unexpected that this would be an Adidas commercial instead of a Nike commercial.

Take a shot at this one

 Look at the following image:

This is an example of which literary term?

a. pun
b. situational irony
c. metaphor
d. alliteration







Scroll down for the answer.







________________
The correct answer is:
   a. pun



See teachers, this is why you should consider creating some questions yourself or having your students do it as a project and send them to me.  Otherwise, you're in for a lot of these corny ones.  Fair warning.

I Am the Iron Fist

 Look at this panel from the first appearance of Marvel's Iron Fist:

What is the purpose of writing these captions in 2nd person point of view?

a. to mimic Asian writing styles
b. to make the reader feel like he or she is the main character
c. second person is the traditional style used to write comics
d. the point of view is awkward, so it shows that Iron Fist will be a fallen hero or villain as the series progresses.






Scroll down for the answer.














_______________________


a. is a problematic answer because how many of you know enough about Asian literature to know if second person point of view is popular or not?  The state test, for all of its unfairness, usually does not ask a question that requires knowledge outside of the text to answer.  The big exception is mythological allusions.
b. is the correct answer.  Often writers will use first person to achieve this since second person is so unwieldy.
c. is wrong for the same reason a. is wrong
d. Nope.  Nope. Nope.