End of Year Exam

Well boys, the term is almost over and the End of Year Examinations are two weeks away. Here are the topics you will need to review.

For Literature:

• poetry comprehension
• definition of terms (drama/elements of literature/characters)
• essay questions on all three novels (war/ love and family relationships/ growth and maturity)

The paper will require that you answer all questions in the poetry section and define all the terms asked. The final section will ask that students answer two essay questions, but each question must be from a different novel.

For Language:

• Multiple Choice(comprehension/ sentence completion/ spelling/ punctuation/ synonyms)
• Comprehension (prose/drama/ poetry)
• Story Writing

There may be two papers, multiple choice and long answer. The long paper may only require students to answer comprehension questions and write a short story.

I will be able to tell you more closer to the exam date.

I hope you have all started studying.

Departmental Test

LITERATURE
Students should be able to:

• answer questions based on a poem
• identify and explain the effectiveness of literary devices
• answer short answer questions based on Chapter 1 of My Father, Sun-Sun Johnson.
• answer questions based on the history of novella and the author.
• identify and state narrative technique

LANGUAGE

Students should be able to:

• identify the various elements of a short story
• answer questions based on a comprehension passage
• identify correct or incorrect spelling
• identify and state mood
• identify setting
• give/ identify synonyms for selected words
• identify narrative technique

Writing an essay

When writing an essay, follow these eight basic steps:
· Select a topic: Be sure the topic is narrow enough to make it manageable within the space of an essay
· Write a thesis sentence: Be sure the thesis statement(or sentence) expresses a controlling idea that is neither toobroad nor too specific to be developed effectively
· Select a method of development: Check through all the methods before you finally settle on the one which will best serve your thesis:
definition
example
compare and contrast
cause and effect
classification
process analysis
· Organize the essay:Begin by listing the major divisions which the body paragraphs in your essay will discuss; then fill in the primary supports that each body paragraph of the essay will contain
· Write topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the essay: For each body paragraph, furnish a topic sentence that directly relates to the thesis sentence
· Write the body paragraphs of the essay: Each body paragraph should develop the primary support covered in that paragraph's topic sentence
· Furnish a paragraph of introduction: An introductory paragraph should state the thesis of the essay, introduce the divisions in the body paragraphs of the essay, gain the interest of the readerWrite a paragraph of conclusion: A concluding paragraph should restate the thesis and divisions of the essay bring the essay to an appropriate and effective close without digressing into new issues.

Fragmented, run-on and ambiguous sentences

Incomplete sentences or sentence fragments are sentence parts that are written as complete sentences. They do not express complete thoughts; their meaning is incomplete.
Example: Kenya is an African country. Along the coast of the Indian Ocean.
Correction: Kenya is an African country that lies along the Indian Ocean.

Run-on sentences are sentences with two independent clauses together with no punctuation and no conjunction separating them.
Example: They wanted to go swimming the pool was closed.
Correction: They wanted to go swimming. The pool was closed.
or
They wanted to go swimming but the pool was closed.

Ambiguous sentences are sentences that have more than one possible meaning.
Example: Put the box on the table by the window in the kitchen.
Correction: Put the box onto the table that is by the window in the kitchen.
Take the box that is on the table and put it by the window in the kitchen.
Take the box off the table that is by the window and put it in the kitchen.

Other Examples: Kids make nutritious snacks.
Milk drinkers are turning to powder.