Language Arts Test

1. Language Arts Test

2. Domains • Reading Comprehension- 48% • Literary Analysis - 38% • Conventions and Writing - 14%

3. Reading Comprehension • These items test your ability to read and understand the meaning and main ideas in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

4. Reading Comprehension • Also tested is your ability to identify an author’s use of literary elements including: • language and style • character development • point of view • irony • sound • form • structure

5. Literary Analysis • Analysis of how authors use language for particular purposes in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. • Recognition of theme and underlying meaning as well as an understanding of the history of American literature. • Identification and analysis of techniques used by authors to produce particular effects on the reader.

6. Conventions and Writing • Knowledge of vocabulary, writing for specific audiences, proper English usage • Formulating clear research questions • Revision of writing to address different audiences and to improve the coherence of the organization

7. Specific Skills

8. Identifying Main Ideas • The main idea can often be found in one or more of these places: • The title • The thesis statement • The conclusion

9. Main Ideas • The subordinate, or supporting, ideas of a passage can often be found in one or more of these places: • The topic sentence of each paragraph • The body paragraphs

10. Main Ideas • In a well-written passage, you’ll find evidence to support main and subordinate ideas in the body paragraphs. This evidence might include: • Anecdotes • Descriptions • Facts • Statistics

11. Finding the Main Idea • When the main idea is not directly stated, look at the supporting ideas and think what they all have in common.

12. Author’s Purpose • Inform- objective, factual statements are used • Persuade – opinions are expressed; propaganda techniques are used

13. Author’s Purpose • Entertain – speaker is usually telling a story • Describe – strong adjective that tell what something is like; often uses figurative language

14. Nonfiction and Fact vs. Opinion • Nonfiction works such as speeches and essays often combine fact and opinion, particularly if they are meant to be persuasive.

15. Nonfiction and Fact vs. Opinion • Determining between fact and opinion takes logical reasoning • A fact is a statement that can be proven. • An opinion is a statement that cannot be proven because it states a writer’s belief or judgment about something.

16. Nonfiction and Fact vs. Opinion • These questions are not trick questions: just because you do not know if the statement is true or false, does NOT mean it is an opinion.

17. Nonfiction and Fact vs. Opinion • Think: even though I don’t know if “Abraham Lincoln is the sixteenth president,” it could be proven; whereas, as statement such as “The country would not have reunited if not for Abraham Lincoln” cannot be proven.

18. Identifying Tone • Tone reflects the author’s attitude • Think is the TONE positive or negative and then choose your answer accordingly. • Ex. - If the tone comes across as negative, you want to choose an answer with negative connotation such as bitter or malicious.

19. Basic Literary Elements • Authors use literary elements to influence and involve their readers. • Being familiar with the basic elements can make readers more aware of the effects authors are trying to create.

20. Basic Literary Elements: Language • Diction refers to the word choices a writer makes • Figurative language, or figures of speech, to convey meaning other than the literal meaning of the word • Metaphors and similes are examples of figures of speech. • Imagery, or description intended to elicit a sensory experience, allows an author to show a reader something, rather than to tell a reader.

21. Basic Literary Elements:Language • Symbolism is another way in which writers use language to express something more than the literal meaning of the words. • A symbol is something that stands for something else.

22. Basic Literary Elements: Plot • Exposition - introduces the characters, establishes the setting, and reveals the problem or conflict. • Rising action -a series of complications in which tension builds; incidents either help or hinder the protagonist in finding a solution

23. Basic Literary Elements: Plot • Climax - the peak or turning point of the action. • Denouement or falling action - after the climax; gives any necessary explanation and ends with resolution, the sense that the story is complete.

24. Literary Movements • You will probably not be asked specific dates about these movement, but you may need to know characteristics of a particular movement. • Also, knowing to what time period/movement a piece of literature belongs could help with identification of theme and tone.

25. Native American Colonial Revolutionary/ Naturalisim Romanticism/ Transcendentalism Realism Naturalism Modern Postmodern Literary Movements Details are in handout.

26. Conventions and Writing • Identify and correct the grammatical errors in a passage in the following areas: • Main and subordinate clauses • Punctuation marks (e.g., end punctuation, commas, colons, semicolons, quotation marks, ellipses, and hyphens)

27. Conventions and Writing • Verb tense consistency and agreement • Proper placement of modifiers • Precise word choice • Spelling • Parallel structure

28. FINALLY • Read everything carefully • Think the answers through • If you have no clue, try to eliminate at least 1 answer, and make your best guess. • Get plenty of sleep the night before • Eat breakfast • GOOD LUCK