Last Minute Tips for the English 9 NC Final Exam

Read the Passage

You don't want to. There's alittle voice inside of you that says, "Just look for the answers in the passage."

Don't listen to that voice. It is the voice of Satan who wants you to fail this test. On the plot level questions, seek and find won't help because the wrong answers are in the text too. Most questions are going to be answerable only to those who read the whole thing (theme, purpose, prediction, etc.)

Stretch

Every so often you'll get a stretch break. You are told you can stand beside your desk to stretch. You will not want to do this, but it is important to do so. The longer you sit still, the slower your blood pumps. The slower your blood pumps, the less oxygen your brain gets. This makes you sleepy and lose focus.

Look Up

No, not now. After you've finished answering all the questions on one of the passages. Before you start the next one, look away from the test book. This will make it so that you can refocus your thoughts and take a mini-break.

Plus, it is easier to do one passage at a time.

Stare at the Clock

There should be a time device in your room. When you look up from your test, take the time to glance at the clock. Then look at the board. The board should tell you when the next break is. Judge whether or not you can finish the next passage before break time. If you can't, stop and wait for the break.

Eat a Good Breakfast

Your parents say they want you to do well in school, right? Well, now is the time to put their words to the test. You needa hearty breakfast that will give your body plenty of fuel to stay focused. Maybe you can talk your mom into making home-made pancakes.

Mmmmmm......pancakes.....

Go to SleepNo, not during the test!You aren't going to wantto hear this, but a goodnight's sleep will give your body the energy it needs to stay alert and focused. Because your body gets on a schedule, you will really need to go to sleep early two nights in a row before the test.Do this - count the number of hours a semester of English class is. Now count the number of hours you'll lose if you go to bed by 10:00 at the latest. I think you'll find going to sleep early is a better deal than repeating the course next year!

You think this test is hard. Well it is, and it's hard for everyone else taking it too. So just do your best and know that everyone else is freaking out. You'll be calm, and that's an advantage.

Don't be Thrown off by Figurative Language

Figurative language is, simply put, words that are not meant to be taken literally. Take this example from King Henry V:

"His face is all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames of fire; and his lips plows at his nose, and it is like a coal of fire, sometimes blue, and sometimes red; but his nose is executed, and his fire is out."

We are not supposed to think that he literally has flames on his face. This is Shakespeare being poetic.

Don't be Thrown off by Figurative Language (con't)

So when you run across something that doesn't make sense, chances are the author has used some sort of metaphor, personification, simile, etc. that you missed. Either figure out what the weird phrase means, or block it out and focus on what makes sense.

The EOC will pick texts with these to throw you off. It is a mean test! Don't read something that doesn't make sense and give up!

Use These to Help You Get Through the Poetry Passages

Poetry can be tough for some. If it is for you, chances are you just don't understand what the author is doing.

Remember this - poets have to get a lot of meaning into only a few words. So they use little tricks to help them pack a lot of meaning into as little a space as possible.

Here are some ways that they do this:

Use These to Help You Get Through the Poetry Passages (con't)

●Archetypes - these are symbols that are used the same way worldwide. Recognize these and you'll have a better chance. For example, seasons often indicate where someone is in life, so a poem in the fall probably means someone is approaching old age or death. Colors usually mean exactly what you think they mean - dark colors are bad, light colors are good, red is violence, green is life.

Use These to Help You Get Through the Poetry Passages (con't)

●Pay attention to the rhyme scheme, if there is one. If the poet deviates from it, that usually means he/she is trying to draw your attention to it. For example, Shakespeare finishes each sonnet with a break in rhyme scheme. These are usually the two most important lines as far as the meaning of the sonnet goes.

●Words like "but," "yet," and "therefore" often precede lines that reveal the true meaning of the poem.

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