The director uses cinematic techniques to set the tone of the film. He also uses them to establish point of view. He uses cinematic techniques to advance the plot as well. Which sentence combines the ideas effectively to create a coherent sentence using parallel structure?
- The director uses cinematic techniques to set the tone, establish the point of view, and advance the plot.
- The director uses cinematic techniques to set the tone, point of view, and advance the plot.
- The director uses cinematic techniques to set the tone of the film establish point of view and to advance the plot as well.
- The director uses cinematic techniques to establish point of view and advance the plot.
3. Doug is revising the thesis of his style analysis essay. His first draft included the following sentences.
The director uses camera movement to establish a sense of action. It is in his use of editing techniques that he truly advances the storyline of the film. Which sentence combines the ideas effectively to create a compound sentence using an appropriate conjunction?
A. The director uses camera movement to establish a sense of action however it is in his use of editing techniques that he truly advances the storyline of the film.
B. The director uses camera movement to establish a sense of action, it is in his use of editing techniques that he truly advances the storyline of the film.
C. The director uses camera movement to establish a sense of action; however, it is in his use of editing techniques that he truly advances the storyline of the film.
D. The director uses camera movement to establish a sense of action; or it is in his use of editing techniques that he truly advances the storyline of the film.
4. Which of these is a valid thesis, if supported by detail, when writing about a literary work?
- The film was so exciting I could not stop watching it.
- Camera angles deal with the location of the camera when filming the subject.
- The film reminds me of a story I recently read about a little boy who lives with his grandparents.
- The director attempts to portray Charlie as a tragic character through his use of lighting and editing techniques.
5. Becky is writing a style analysis essay on Steven Spielberg’s use of cinematic techniques to establish tone and theme within his work. Her draft topic sentence is:
Steven Spielberg, in E.T., uses lighting in order to create a suspenseful tone.
Which statement would provide the BEST textual evidence to support Becky’s topic sentence?
- For example, many directors use low-key lighting to scare and intimidate the audience and make us feel as if something bad is about to happen.
- For example, the scene in the beginning of the movie when the aliens are being chased by the men primarily uses low-key lighting.
- The lighting used in a film can help set any mood, depending on what the director is attempting to convey.
- E.T. is about an alien that gets left behind on the planet Earth and is eventually befriended by a little boy named Elliot.
6. Edgar is writing a style analysis on Tim Burton’s use of cinematic techniques to establish tone and theme within his work. His draft topic sentence and textual evidence are:
Tim Burton, in Edward Scissorhands, uses lighting in order to create a suspenseful tone. For example, the scene when Peg, the Avon Lady, climbs the stairs in Edward’s mansion on the hill primarily uses low-key lighting.
Which statement would provide the MOST effective commentary to connect the textual evidence to the topic sentence?
- The director also uses eerie music and sounds to make the scene appear strange and unknown to the audience.
- The Avon Lady is obviously a careless intruder, who rudely walks in on Edward.
- Low-key lighting uses shadows and darkness rather than bright light; high key lighting tends to flood the scene with light.
- The use of shadows and darkness conveys a mysterious tone for the audience,which is expecting that the character will confront some kind of danger at the top of the stairs.
7. What would be the BEST first step in writing an analysis of a short story?
A. Conduct a close reading of the story.
B. Examine critical reviews of the story.
C. Journal likes and dislikes about the story.
D. Research the historical period in which the story happened.
8. What would be the BEST primary source to help a student write a literary analysis of an author’s work?
- an autobiography by the author
- a collection of the author’s writing
- an interview with the author’s sister
- a critical review of one of the author’s books
Read the following:
The Quilt
The unpleasant sensations of feeling chilled from the weather and overheated and exhausted overtook Nettie. Although she searched the recesses of her mind, there was nothing to contemplate that would take her mind off her immense weariness. She felt as tattered as the worn clothes piled high in the mending basket. The laundry was backbreaking labor—all that water to carry and humongous iron pots to hoist onto the fire. The quilt was immersed and soaking in the kettle, waiting until Nettie had scrubbed the linen napkins. The napkins, which made Nettie smile momentarily, in spite of herself, were Mama's way of holding onto her family traditions of formality, no matter how ridiculous it might seem on the rough prairie. She always insisted that their mealtimes be observed with some decorum. No one from their family would wipe their dinner drippings on their sleeve. This seemed a frivolous practice to Nettie, her prairie-born child—Nettie, the one who invariably did the scrubbing. To her, Mama's tradition just meant more laundering—more water to carry, more kettles and pots to hoist, more scrubbing to numb and damage her hands. She yearned for an idyllic location where she could stretch out her back and melt away her aches in the sunshine. Daydreams of peaceful slumber clouded her mind.
Mama roused her from her musings to help heave the quilt from the ancient kettle. Nettie watched as the steam escaped into the frosty October air, and her mother grabbed the two thick branches Papa had whittled and handed one to Nettie. "Now come on, child, and help me with this quilt. We've practically boiled it to death."
Plunging the wooden branches into the kettle, Nettie and her mother maneuvered them under the quilt to haul the soaking mass out of the pot. Nettie staggered under the cumbersome weight of the quilt before regaining her balance, but Mama's feet were steady and sure; as always, this gave Nettie comfort. Mama may have been slight in stature, but she had the strength of a team of horses. Mama always gave the appearance of being hard and uncompromising, but her interior was nothing but softness—nothing but a loving and affectionate soul.
Together they hefted the quilt and hung it on the clothesline, which nearly collapsed to the ground under its heavy burden. Why they needed that ancient quilt was a mystery. You would have thought Papa had discovered gold when he brought it home from the trading post, bursting into the cabin and practically flinging it at Mama.
Mama's eyes were gleaming, and her smile transformed her face, removing all traces of hardship and leaving only radiance in its place. "Now, Oliver, I hope that's not the only thing you brought back."
He affectionately kissed her cheek. "There's more in the wagon," he replied and then collapsed in the chair like the bucket dropping to the bottom of a well.
"That pitiful quilt looks like a collection of discarded rags," Nettie heard herself say.
"It's an heirloom, Nettie. After some mending and a thorough washing, this handsome quilt will be magnificent. You won't refer to it as a collection of rags when its encompassing folds shield you from the harsh winter winds and bitter cold," added Mama in mild reproach.
Papa just laughed, finding humor in life's experiences as he always did; his was the way of the optimist, and he faced every day on the prairie as an adventure to be encountered gladly. Though the deep creases on his forehead told another story, Papa never indicated that he felt anything but lighthearted.
"Nettie, quit fantasizing and grab an end so we can smooth this beauty out."
Nettie's hands were a brilliant crimson, and they stung fiercely, but she took heed and helped Mama straighten the quilt. Water pooled into a murky puddle as it cascaded from the cloth. Nettie stepped away gingerly, not wanting to drench her shoes any further in the all-encompassing puddle forming under the quilt. That menacing puddle reminded her of what it felt like when she had to do the washing, as if she were about to submerge herself into the deepest darkest depths, only to resurface when she had discovered some way to escape from the tedious task. She looked up, and there was the quilt suspended from the clothesline. For the first time she saw something other than a collection of patchwork rags. Instead, she saw beautiful depictions delicately embroidered in the patchwork: a tree in summer, boughs laden with an abundance of speckled apples; the dark silhouettes of horses at pasture against a sunset; a portrait of a young girl; waves of golden wheat blanketing fields. Nettie reached out and traced these pictures with her fingertips. Who knew it was so beautiful? No wonder Papa had borne it home in triumph; no wonder Mama had spent countless hours repairing and restoring it. When it was finally dry, that lovely old quilt would surround her in tenderness and warmth and protect her through all of the frigid prairie winter nights. No howling wind, no piercing cold could ever touch her again.
9. Lisa is designing a storyboard to film “The Quilt.” She would like her opening shot to reflect the story’s setting. Which establishing shot would BEST capture her purpose?
- a close-up of the delicately embroidered, lovely depictions of natural scenes on the quilt
- a medium shot of Nettie standing next to the quilt on the clothesline
- a close-up of Nettie’s mother and father unpacking the wagon of goods from his trip
- a long shot of a prairie home with a steaming iron kettle in the front with Nettie standing over it
10. Lisa is continuing her work on her storyboard on “The Quilt.” The fifth frame of her storyboard is designed to show Nettie’s mother’s strength and determination as she helps Nettie with the laundering task. Which shot and angle would be MOST appropriate to convey her purpose?
- a medium shot of Nettie’s mother’s upper body and face, shot from a low angle
- a long shot of Nettie’s mother’s body and face, shot from eye level
- a long shot of Nettie’s mother’s body and face, shot from a high angle
- a medium shot of Nettie’s mother’s upper body and face, shot from a high angle
11. Lisa is creating a storyboard on “The Quilt.” The third frame of her storyboard is designed to show Nettie’s pain and weariness during her laundering task. Which cinematic technique would BEST capture this image to convey her purpose?
- a long shot of Nettie standing next to the iron pot full of laundry
- a close-up panning shot of the quilt hanging on the clothesline
- a close-up of Nettie’s hands and face as she works with the laundry
- a medium shot of Nettie and mother discussing the quilt
12.Which statement BEST reveals the relationship between mood, conflict, and plot in the story?
- Because the plot in this story is about doing the laundry, the conflict is between Nettie and her mother and so the mood remains gloomy and depressed.
- Because the plot involves a great deal of external action, the mood shifts very little, even after the conflict is resolved
- Because the conflict of this story is internal, the plot contains very little action, and the shift in mood reflects a resolution to Nettie’s conflict.
- Because the conflict remains unresolved, the plot never reaches a climax and the mood reflects this lack of action.
13. Which statement best describes the point of view and its effect in this story?
- First-person point of view gives a strong sense of the main character’s internal conflict
- Third-person limited point of view allows us only to know what Nettie thinks and feels
- Second-person point of view gives the reader the feeling of being in the story and part of the action
- Third-person omniscient point of view allows the author to tell the reader what all the characters think and feel
14. Which statement reflects a major theme of the story?
- Life on the prairie was especially hard for young people because they did most of the work
- Quilts represent a more formal and civilized form of life to be treasured in the rough life of the prairie
- Seeing the beauty and usefulness of ordinary objects can raise one’s spirit out of the tedious and difficult tasks of ordinary life.
- Optimism and kindliness are important characteristics of prairie homesteaders.
15. What symbolic significance do the linen napkins represent to Nettie’s mother?
- more scrubbing and laundering
- family unity
- all that’s left of a family inheritance
- a more civilized existence
16. How do Nettie’s feelings about the quilt change from the beginning to the end of passage 1?
- from envious to accepting
- from disdainful to appreciative
- from bewildered to understanding
- from unimpressed to overwhelmed
Read the following:
Stone Soup
A folk Tale
Retold by Sheridan Baker
Once three soldiers were coming home from the wars. They had eaten nothing since early morning when they had brushed themselves free from a haystack and finished the last crusts of their rations. Suddenly, the youngest soldier said, “Ah, at last, a village. Now for a good hot meal and a bed.”
“Something to eat and a haystack will do for me,” said the second soldier.
“We’ll see,” said the old soldier.
In the village, a boy ran into the marketplace. “The soldiers are coming,” he shouted.
“Quick,” said the elder, “hide everything. They’ll clean us out of house and home.”
When the soldiers came into the village square, they marched in good order up to the little group of men sitting in the shade by the well.
“Good evening,” said the old soldier, saluting. “We would be most grateful for a bite to eat and a place to rest for the night.”
“I am sorry,” said the elder, “but there is nothing to eat in this village. You soldiers have gone back and forth over us all year, first one side then the other, picking our bones clean every time. We ourselves have nothing to eat. You had better go on to the next village.”
“Nothing to eat at all?” said the old soldier.
“Nothing at all,” said the elder.
“Well,” said the old soldier, “in that case we must make some stone soup.”
“Stone soup!” the villagers exclaimed.
“Yes,” said the old soldier, “it’s a trick we learned in the wars, when everything else ran out. I suppose you have a big iron kettle.”
“Oh, yes,” said the villagers.
“Well,” said the old soldier, “bring it here to the marketplace, and fill it full of good clear water, and get a good fire going under it, and in the meantime find me three big round stones, all of a size.”
The village began to hum with life. Four came up with the village’s biggest kettle. They set up a tripod and filled the kettle with buckets from the well as others brought armloads of wood and started the fire. Still others came carrying stones from the fields, each wanting his to be chosen. The soldier examined them all carefully finding one, matching another, carefully matching a third, three big oval stones as smooth as ostrich eggs or loaves of bread. He dropped these carefully into the water, which soon began to simmer.
The soldier took out his sword, nudged the stones a little, and stirred the water as the boiling increased. The villagers watched him breathlessly.
He nodded in satisfaction. “These are some of the finest soup stones I have ever seen,” he said. “Your village is very fortunate. This will be a fine stone soup, though it will take a while. Too bad we don’t have some salt and pepper, and perhaps a cup of barley.”
“Well,” said one of the women. “I think I could find some salt and pepper the last troops overlooked.” And another ran off and came back red faced with a bag of barley.
“Ah,” said the soldier as he sprinkled and stirred. “I can smell the stones already, and now we will really have a soup. Too bad we don’t have a few carrots, or an onion, or perhaps a small cabbage.”
“Well,” said the women, “perhaps…,” and soon came back with aprons filled, some with carrots, some with onions, some with cabbage.
“Now,” said the soldier, lopping the vegetables with his sword, lopping and stirring, “this will be a stone soup fit for a general. A little more water to give it time. With a soup like this, it’s a shame we don’t have some bacon for a finishing touch.”
“Well,” said an old villager, “I might just possibly…,” and soon the soldier was chopping a side of bacon into the soup. “More pepper,” he cried, “more water, the stones are just beginning to work.” And the rich aroma and the soldier’s own pleasure as he stirred with his sword made everyone happy. “Now we’ll have stone soup fit for the king himself,” the soldier cried. “A soup like this calls for a feast and a festival and a roasted ox and plenty of wine. Ah, well. Too bad. But it would be fine.”
“Well,” said the elder himself, “I think perhaps I have a small side of beef under my bed which the last troops may have overlooked.”
And soon a whole ox was spitted and turning over a new blazing fire, and as the soldier hummed, and stirred in new loppings of this and that, the women set tables in the square, and brought out flowers and bunting and jugs of wine, and the whole village feasted on the most delicious soup and roast they had ever tasted, and the three soldiers enjoyed it most of all. And then they all danced in the square to the accordion and violin.
Then the elder said to the three soldiers, “This has been a day and a night to remember. You, sir, shall sleep in my own bed itself, the best in the village, and the middle soldier shall sleep in the miller’s bed, and the young one in the priest’s. And the villagers all escorted the soldiers to their beds, where they sank to sleep between clean sheets smelling of fresh air and sun.
In the morning, after baths and breakfast, when the soldiers were ready to leave, all the village gathered to see them off.
“We want to thank you for your splendid hospitality,” said the old soldier. “Of all the villages we have ever seen, yours is the best. You have treated us like kings.”
“You well deserve it,” said the elder, “for you have taught us a priceless secret, how to make soup from stones.”
“Yes,” said the old soldier, “it’s all in knowing how.”
The villagers waved as the three soldiers marched bravely off. They shook their heads and sighed. “Such men don’t grow on every bush,” they said.
17. Which line from the story BEST represents the point at which the central conflict between the soldiers and villagers begins?
- “Once three soldiers were coming home from the wars.”
- “You had better go on to the next village.”
- “Quick,” said the elder, “hide everything.”
- “In that case we must make some stone soup.”
18. Which sentence contains information that could BEST be understood as foreshadowing later action in the story?
- “Something to eat and a haystack for me.”
- “Such men don’t grow on every bush.”
- “You had better go on to the next village.”
- “It’s a trick we learned in the wars, when everything else ran out.”
19. Which statement reveals the main theme of this story?
- Stinginess makes fools out of people.
- Sharing creates a sense of community.
- A delicious soup can be made out of nothing at all.
- Cheating people out of their valuables is easy.
20. The statements “clean us out of house and home” and “picking our bones clean” are examples of what literary device?
- figurative language
- symbol
- allusion
- theme
II. Writing Prompt. Choose two of the following prompts and respond to them thoroughly. Four sentences would be a minimal response for each of these. Grammar and punctuation will be considered. ( 2 Writing Prompts x 20 points each = 40 points)
