1. Common Exam for English 9
MSL
Common Exam for English 9

2. 90 minutes 3 passages 30 items The Basics 3 constructed response
27 multiple choice

3. The Passages 3 total passages
2 passages from literature (including short story and poetry)
1 passage from history/social studies or science
9 multiple choice questions per passage
1 constructed response per passage

4. Constructed Response Short Constructed Response (2)
2 points each
can be answered well in a paragraph or less
Extended (Long) Constructed Response
up to 4 points
can be answered well in 3 paragraphs
Answer Sheet

5. To Prepare
You should:
review literary terms (on list from the beginning of the year)
review the Important Terms

6. Important Terms
Analyze – examine closely; break the text down into its various parts that make up the whole
Analogy – a comparison of one situation to another
Annotate – take notes on a literary text
Author’s Claim – argument the author makes
Author’s Counterclaim – a claim the author makes to offset another claim

7. Important Terms Author’s Point of View – perspective an author takes
Author’s Purpose – the point the author wants to get across to his or her readers
Author’s Tone – the attitude an author takes toward his or her work (Ex: Critical, Sympathetic, Bitter)
Clarity – clearness of understanding
Coherent – easily understood

8. Important Terms
Connotative Language – meaning suggested, not directly stated, by the author’s choice of words
Connotation – a suggested meaning of a word (Ex: snake: a treacherous or deceptive person)
Denotation- a direct or explicit meaning of a word(Ex: snake: a scaly reptile)
Diction – words writers use to express ideas (Word Choice)
Effect – a result OR to influence or cause something to happen or to change

9. Important Terms Exemplify – show how or illustrate Explicit – direct
Ethos – stance an author takes in an argument when he or she appeals the readers through ethics, morality, rightness, fairness

10. Important Terms
Idiom – an expression that cannot be translated into another language and should not be taken literally
examples-of-idioms.html

11. Important Terms Impact – a strong effect OR to make a strong effect
Imply – when someone suggests something rather than directly states it
Infer – when someone draws a conclusion or makes a guess based on what they’ve read or heard
Intent – purpose
Irony – the opposite of what you would expect (See your literary terms for the differences in dramatic, verbal, and situational)

12. Important Terms
Figurative language – expressive use of language through imagery, metaphor, simile, or other poetic devices
Literary or Poetic Device – use of imagery, metaphor, simile, alliteration, etc. to create a vivid image for the reader
Logos – stance an author takes in an argument where he or she relies on logic or facts/statistics to make his or her point
Parallelism /Parallel Structure– repetition of words or phrases or sentence structure to emphasize meaning and make the writing flow
Pathos – stance an author takes in an argument where he or she uses emotion to prove his or her point

13. Important Terms
Point of View of the Story – first person, third person limited, third person omniscient
**Primary Sources – the literary texts you use to write a paper on those texts
Relevance – importance or significance of something
Satire/Satirical – a type of writing where the author is criticizes or makes fun of someone or something to bring about change

14. Important Terms
**Secondary Sources – articles, books, columns, etc ABOUT the literary texts you are writing about in a paper
Syntax – the pattern or structure of the word order in a sentence or phrase
Word Choice – choice of words author uses in his or her writing (If you are asked a question about how the author’s word choice impacts the meaning, include specific words he or she uses in your response to make his or her point.)