1. Flowers for Algernon Exam Prep
English B60
Flowers for Algernon Exam Prep

2. Exam Prep
The exam will consist of ten quotes from the novel. You will choose 8 to respond to.
For each response, you will need to write a well-developed paragraph (AT LEAST 5 sentences) in which you describe the significance of the passage. Think about the scene where the quote takes place—what is happening in the plot at this point? Who are the major characters involved? What does this passage teach us about the characters, the world of the novel, and the novel’s overall message?
I will be looking primarily at your content. Do you show that you have a good understanding of the novel? Does your understanding move beyond the literal into the interpretive and analytical (deep reading)?

3. Example Question
Look at the following example quote. Pretend it is on the exam. Take a few minutes to write down your response. Keep in mind that you need a well-developed paragraph (at least 5 sentences).
“If the operashun werks good Ill show that mouse I can be as smart as he is even smarter. Then Ill be abel to reed better and spell the werds good and know lots of things and be like other pepul. Boy that woud seprise everyone. If the operashun werks and I get smart maybe Ill be abel to find my mom and dad and sister and show them. Boy woud they be serprised to see me smart just like them and my sister” (12).

4. Example Answer
Charlie, before his operation, is recording his thoughts in a progress report for Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur. Here is one of the first times that he expresses the reason he is willing to undergo a dangerous experimental procedure: he is longing for the approval of the family that abandoned him. Charlie knows that he is different from others, most notably in intelligence, so he has decided that the way to gain the love and acceptance of those around him is to make himself smart, like they are. Charlie believes that if he is smart, he will finally feel loved by the mother who abused him, the father who abandoned him, and the sister who resented him. Sadly, the intelligence Charlie gains isn’t able to bring about this feeling of belonging Charlie seeks.

5. Example Question
Look at the following example quote. Pretend it is on the exam. Take a few minutes to write down your response. Keep in mind that you need a well-developed paragraph (at least 5 sentences).
“Thinking about it now, I can understand why I was taught to keep away from women. It was wrong for me to express my feelings to Alice. I have no right to think of a woman that way—not yet. But even as a write these words, something inside shouts that there is more. I’m a person. I was somebody before I went under the surgeon’s knife. And I have to love someone” (85).

6. Example Answer
Frequently throughout the novel, Charlie has to remind those around him that he has always been a person; he was not created by the procedure that made him more intelligent. While Charlie is berated by his “friends,” and treated like an animal by his mother, he has all the same human emotions anyone else would, even though he lacks the ability to convey them in speech or writing. The novel, in this passage and others like it, holds up a mirror to society to show us our poor treatment of those who are mentally challenged or ill. We exclude them from the most basic elements of the human experience, including physical affection. This passage reflects that Charlie is still coming to terms with what it means to be deserving of affection: simply being human is enough. No one should have to do anything more in order to earn it.

7. To prepare
Look over your old reading guides, quizzes, and discussion questions.
Note: You may bring any of your reading guides with you to use during the exam.
Look back over the novel, especially at any points you were confused about.
Feel free to come to me or a tutor at the Writing Center for help along the way.
Talk to each other.
Contact a study buddy and get a fresh perspective.

8. On Exam Day You will need to bring
Paper
Pen/pencil
Print dictionary
Your reading guides to use as notes
You MAY NOT use the novel during the exam