English Exam 2 PDF

The Pardoner's Tale: A Simpler Summary: Three young men are out drinking and having fun. One of their friends dies, and they get really angry at Death. They decide to go find Death and kill him. An old man tells them where to find Death, but when they get there, they find a pile of gold instead. T...

The Pardoner's Tale: A Simpler Summary: Three young men are out drinking and having fun. One of their friends dies, and they get really angry at Death. They decide to go find Death and kill him. An old man tells them where to find Death, but when they get there, they find a pile of gold instead. They get greedy and argue over who should get the gold. In the end, they all kill each other, proving that greed can be deadly. The Pardoner, who tells this story, is a bit of a hypocrite. He sells fake relics to people and preaches against greed, but he's actually greedy himself. He uses this story to scare people into buying his fake relics. Characters: ★ The Three Rioters: These are three young men who, after a friend's death, vow to kill Death itself. ★ The Old Man: A mysterious figure who guides the rioters towards their doom. ★ The Pardoner: The narrator of the tale, a corrupt church official who sells fake relics and indulgences. He uses this story to manipulate people into buying his wares. Key elements: ★ Greed: The central theme that drives the plot. ★ Irony: The rioters seek to kill Death but fall victim to it. ★ Satire: The Pardoner, a corrupt religious figure, satirizes the Church. ★ Hypocrisy: The Pardoner preaches against greed while being greedy himself. ★ Mortality: A reminder of the inevitability of death. King Lear: Acts 1-3: A Simpler Summary King Lear, a proud and aging king, decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on their expressions of love for him. His two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, flatter him with exaggerated claims of love, while his youngest, Cordelia, refuses to lie and expresses her love more modestly. Angered by Cordelia's honesty, Lear disinherits her and banishes her from the kingdom. He divides the kingdom between Goneril and Regan, expecting to be treated with respect and care in his old age. However, his daughters quickly reveal their true, selfish natures, treating him with cruelty and disrespect. Lear, realizing his mistake, is forced to wander the stormy heath, accompanied by his loyal Fool and the Earl of Kent, who has disguised himself to protect the king. They encounter the poor, blind Gloucester and his illegitimate son, Edmund, who plots to overthrow his father. Edmund, a cunning and manipulative character, frames his legitimate brother, Edgar, for treason. Edgar is forced to disguise himself as a mad beggar. Meanwhile, Lear's condition deteriorates as he descends into madness, railing against the ingratitude of his daughters. Key Characters: King Lear: A proud and aging king who makes a tragic mistake. Goneril and Regan: Lear's two eldest, selfish daughters. Cordelia: Lear's youngest, honest daughter. The Fool: A loyal companion to Lear. The Earl of Kent: A loyal nobleman. Edmund: A cunning and manipulative villain. Edgar: Edmund's innocent brother. Gloucester: A nobleman who is betrayed by his son, Edmund. Key Themes: The destructive power of pride and arrogance. The importance of honesty and loyalty. The consequences of ingratitude and betrayal. The fragility of human nature and the inevitability of suffering. The role of madness and illusion. Literary analysis Biographical Context: Looks at how the author’s life and experiences influence the story, such as themes or characters reflecting their personal struggles or achievements. Historical Context: Examines how the events or norms of the time period shape the story’s setting, themes, or conflicts. Sociocultural Context: Focuses on how the society and culture during the story's creation affect its characters, traditions, or moral messages. Linguistic Context: Analyzes the author’s choice of words, style, and literary devices to understand how they create meaning or impact. Psychological Context: Explores the mental and emotional motivations of characters or the author, often revealing deeper layers of conflict or behavior. Elements of a Drama Plot: The story of the drama, including what happens and how it unfolds (beginning, middle, and end). Characters: The people in the drama, like heroes, villains, or side characters. Setting: Where and when the drama takes place. Conflict: The problem or struggle in the story, which can be internal (inside a character) or external (with others or forces). Theme: The main idea or lesson of the story. Dialogue: The words the characters say to each other. Music/Rhythm: The sounds or flow in the drama, like background music or how the words are spoken. Spectacle: The visual parts of the play, like costumes, props, and lighting. Mood: The feeling or atmosphere created in the drama. Vocabulary words from King Lear Knave: A tricky, dishonest person. Heath: A large, empty piece of land. Superfluous: More than what is needed. Dover: A town in England. Utopia: A perfect place with ideal laws and society. Propinquity: Being close to someone or something. Foppery: Foolishness or silly behavior. Divest : To take away power, rights, or possessions. Caitiff : A cowardly or despicable person. Sojourn: To stay somewhere for a short time. Different Sentence Structures Simple Sentence: Subject + Predicate (Only an independent clause.) Compound Sentence: Independent Clause + Coordinating Conjunction (FANBOYS) + Independent Clause Two or more independent clauses, no dependent clauses. Complex Sentence: Independent Clause + Subordinating Conjunction + Dependent Clause (or vice versa) One independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Compound-Complex Sentence: Independent Clause + Coordinating Conjunction + Independent Clause + Dependent Clause Two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Fact and Opinion Fact Definition: A statement that can be proven true or false. How to Identify: ○ Based on evidence or research. ○ Can be checked through books, statistics, or observation. Examples: ○ "The sun rises in the east." ○ "There are 12 months in a year." Opinion Definition: A statement that expresses someone's beliefs, feelings, or thoughts. How to Identify: ○ Cannot be proven true or false. ○ Often includes words like think, believe, feel, best, worst, should. Examples: ○ "Pizza is the best food ever." ○ "I believe summer is better than winter." Types of Claims 1. Claim of Fact Says something is true or false. 2. Claim of Value Says if something is good or bad. 3. Claim of Policy Says what should be done. Thesis Statement Formula: main argument + because/as + three points Note-taking Strategies Summarizing- Writing a short version of the main ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing- Restating information in your own words while keeping the original meaning. Quoting- Copying exact words from a source and using quotation marks. Synthesizing- Combining ideas from different sources to form a new understanding. Modal Verbs 1. Expressing Possibility Shows that something might happen or could be true. Examples: may, might, could 2. Expressing Obligation Shows that something is necessary or required. Examples: must, should, have to 3. Expressing Prohibition  Shows that something is not allowed. Examples: must not, cannot 4. Expressing Suggestion Gives advice or suggests what someone should do. Examples: should, ought to 5. Asking for or Giving Permission Asks if something is allowed or allows someone to do something. Examples: can, may 6. Asking for or Making a Request Politely asks someone to do something. Examples: could, would Fragments and Sentences Sentences vs. Fragments Sentence: A complete thought with a subject and predicate. Fragment: An incomplete thought. Types of Clauses Independent Clause: Can stand alone (e.g., "Lear demands answers."). (Like formal sentence) Dependent Clause: Cannot stand alone (e.g., "because he wants the truth"). (Normal sentence) Phrases Phrases are groups of words that work together but don’t have both a subject and a verb. 1. Prepositional Phrase A phrase that begins with a preposition (e.g., in, on, at, under) and ends with a noun or pronoun.  Function: Acts as an adjective or adverb. Examples: ○ In the garden (describes location) ○ On the table (describes position) 2. Noun Phrase A group of words centered around a noun. Function: Acts as a subject, object, or complement. Examples: ○ The bright red balloon (noun phrase as the subject) ○ A basket of fresh fruits (noun phrase as an object) 3. Verbal Phrase A phrase based on a verb form but does not act as the main verb in a sentence. Includes participial, gerund, and infinitive phrases: ○ Participial Phrase: Acts as an adjective. Running late for school, she hurried. ○ Gerund Phrase: Acts as a noun. Swimming in the ocean is relaxing. ○ Infinitive Phrase: Acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb. To read more books is her goal. 4. Verb Phrase A phrase containing a main verb and its helping (auxiliary) verbs. Function: Acts as the predicate of the sentence. Examples: ○ She is reading a book. ○ They will have finished by tomorrow. 5. Absolute Phrase A phrase that modifies the whole sentence and includes a noun + participle + other modifiers. Function: Adds extra information but is not connected to the main sentence structure. Examples: ○ The sun setting in the west, the sky turned orange. ○ Her arms folded across her chest, she waited patiently.