Jimmy Valentine

English 9 Short Story Exam Study Guide
NOTE: This is a study guide, not a list of everything that will be on the exam. The fact that something is listed on here does not necessarily mean that it will appear on the exam, and just because it is not on this sheet does not mean that it will not appear on the exam. It is your job to study for the test.

Test Format:
150 point Objective exam (multiple choice, true/false, matching, quotation identification) Bring a #2 Pencil
50 point Written Section (applying terms and essay proving a thesis with evidence related to a story that you will read on your own and without the benefit of class discussion regarding the content and meaning of the story). You will be allowed to use your copy of the story on the essay portion of the exam, so make sure you bring it with you on exam day. Bring lined paper, and a pen in blue or black ink for the written portion of the test.

You will be allowed one page of notes for the exam, 8 ½ x 11, whatever you can fit on the page. You must make your own notes. No sharing of notes.

What to study/know for the Short Story Unit Exam

1. Biographical information on the lives of the authors (from skills sheets and notes taken in class) 2. What author wrote what stories; the authors’ writing styles 3. Basic plot lines, conflicts, and characters for each story 4. Understand the meanings of titles of stories 5. Elements of Literature Terms; be able to apply terms to all stories Including but not limited to the following: protagonist/antagonist, setting, conflict, initial incident, climax (four types), concluding crisis, resolution, denouement, theme, tone, contrivance, flashback, irony (three types), figurative language, points of view 6. Essay writing: ability to prove a point by using evidence from a story 7. Correct grammar and punctuation

Practice Questions:
If you can confidently and accurately answer the following questions, you likely have a good grasp of the content of the short story unit. If you can’t answer specific questions, you need to find out the answer and make notes to help you remember.

Use details from the stories to answer the following questions: 1. Why did Mr. Nuttel come to visit the Sappletons? 2. Why did Mother Savage choose her particular form of revenge? 3. What inspires Soapy to reform? Explain. 4. Explain the irony of the title, “The Lull.” 5. Explain the meaning of the title, “A Retrieved Reformation.” 6. What was Conradin’s prayer and why did he pray for this? 7. Why does Bermutier have difficulty solving the mystery of Sir John Rowell’s death? 8. Explain the flashback that occurs in “Old Milon.” 9. Identify the sacrifices made by Matilda’s husband. 10. Why did Widow Saverini have to seek justice on her own? 11. What is the primary conflict in “The Witch”? 12. Explain the significance of the allusion of the title, “The Gift of the Magi.” 13. What is the importance of the setting in “After Twenty Years”? 14. What is the contrivance of “The Interlopers”? 15. What is the cause of the dispute between Georg and Ulrich? 16. Explain the allusion of the phrase, “After you, my dear Alphonse.” 17. What is the significance of the phrase, “After you, my dear Alphonse,” as it is used in the story? 18. Identify the reasons that Pierre Milon seeks revenge against the Prussians. 19. What is the theme of “The Scarlet Ibis”? 20. What is Vera’s goal in “The Lull”? 21. What is Nicholas’s reason for putting a frog in his bowl? 22. Identify two stories that do not have a resolution. Explain why there is no resolution. The stories must be by two different authors. 23. Identify at least two contrivances in “After Twenty Years.” 24. Identify at least two contrivances in “The Ransom of Red Chief.” 25. What is the purpose of the lottery? 26. Summarize the two stories that were told in “The Story-Teller.” 27. Explain the allusion of the title, “A Miracle of Rare Device.” 28. Compare and contrast the characters of Bob and Will with that of Ned Hopper. 29. Explain the theory of time travel as it is explained in “A Sound of Thunder.” 30. Define what a contrivance is in literature, and what its primary purposes are. Then identify two stories that use contrivance for two different purposes. 31. Explain the conflict in “The Last Leaf.” 32. Give examples of situational irony from two different stories by two different authors. 33. Identify four ways to determine the climax of a story. 34. Explain how a story might have two climaxes. Give an example. 35. Explain what realism is. Give one example of a realistic story and compare it with a story that is not considered realistic. 36. Explain the irony of the comment, “One would think that he had seen a ghost!” 37. Explain why William Sydney Porter used a pseudonym. 38. Identify all of the stories in which an animal plays an essential role in the outcome of the story. 39. Define the term “initial incident,” then give two examples from two different stories. 40. What can you conclude about the relationship between Nicolas Ravolati and Antoine Saverini? What si the basis for your conclusion? 41. Explain the irony of Behrman’s death. 42. Identify one of the significant themes of “The Necklace.” 43. Identify all of the stories in which the desire for revenge plays a significant role in the conflict. 44. Identify three important facts about the lives of O. Henry and Guy de Maupassant. 45. What does the reader learn about the society in which Widow Saverini lived? 46. What are the important setting details of “The Lottery”? 47. Why does Vera ask Mr. Nuttel questions when he arrives at the Sappletons’ home? 48. Explain the multiple meanings of the title, “The Dummy.” 49. What clues in Laurie’s behavior suggest that he is really Charles? 50. What is the effect that de Maupassant achieves by intermixing realism with the supernatural? 51. What is the conflict of Jimmy Wells? 52. What is the conflict of Ralph D. Spencer? 53. Write an example of a metaphor, then convert your metaphor into a simile. 54. Identify three incidents in “The Cop and the Anthem” in which Soapy fails to be arrested. What is the reason for each failure? 55. Identify the nationality and the years of birth and death of each author. 56. Give an example of a story that contains dramatic irony. 57. Give an example of a story that ends with a denouement. 58. What is the difference between a denouement and a conclusion? 59. How does Jackson use contrast to create a sense of horror in “The Lottery”? 60. Identify one of the recurring themes in the stories of Ray Bradbury. 61. Two authors are masters of metaphorical language. Name them. 62. What is one of the recurring themes in the literature of Saki?

James Hurst: American (1922-present)
“The Scarlet Ibis” Doodle, his brother (the narrator)

Guy de Maupassant: French (1850 -1893)
“A Vendetta” Widow Saverini, Nicolas Ravolati, Antoine Saverini (the murder victim), Semillante (the dog)
“Old Milon” Pierre Milon, the Prussians (colonel, captain), Milon’s family
“Mother Savage” Mother Savage, four Prussian soldiers, her son
“The Necklace” Matilda Loisel, her husband, Mme Forestier
The Hand” Bermutier (the detective), Sir John Rowell (the Englishman)

Ray Bradbury: American (1920 – present)
“A Miracle of Rare Device” Will Bantlin, Bob Greenhill, Ned Hopper
“A Sound of Thunder” Eckels, Travis, Lesperance
“I’m Not So Dumb” Jamie Mc Hugh, Peter (narrator and killer), sheriff
“There Will Come Soft Rains” automated house
“The Pedestrian” Leonard Mead, police car
“The Veldt” Wendy, Peter, Mr. and Mrs. Hadley, David McClean (psychiatrist)
“Marionettes, Inc.” Braling, Smith, Braling II

Shirley Jackson: American (1916 – 1965)
“Charles” Laurie, his mother (the narrator), his father, the teacher
“The Witch” Johnny, his mother, the man in the blue suit, the baby
“After You, My Dear Alphonse” Johnny Wilson, Boyd, Mrs. Wilson
“The Lottery” Tessie Hutchison, Mr. Warner, townspeople
“The Dummy” Mrs, Wilkins, Mrs. Straw, the ventriloquist, the girls in the green dress, Marmaduke (the dummy)
The Haunting of Hill House Eleanor, Dr. Marquay, Luke Sanderson, Theo, Hugh Crain

William Sydney Porter / O. Henry: American (1862 – 1910)
“The Cop and the Anthem” Soapy (the bum)
“The Clarion Call” Barney Wood (the detective), Johnny Kernan (the murderer)
“The Last Leaf” Johnsy (the one with pneumonia), Sue (her roommate), Behrman (the old artist)
“The Ransom of Red Chief” Sam, Bill, Johnny Dorset
“The Gift of the Magi” Jim and Della Young
“After Twenty Years” Jimmy Wells, Silky Bob
“A Retrieved Reformation” Jimmy Valentine/ Ralph D. Spencer, Annabel Adams, Ben Price

Hector Hugh Munro / Saki: British (1870 – 1916)
“The Story-Teller” The aunt, three children (two girls, one boy - Cyril), the bachelor, [Bertha in the bachelor’s story]
“Sredni Vashtar” Conradin, Mrs. De Ropp (his cousin), Sredni Vashtar (the ferret)
“The Interlopers” Georg Znaeym, Ulrich von Gradwitz, wolves
“The Open Window” Mr. Nuttel, Vera, Mrs. Sappleton (Vera’s aunt)
“The Lull” Latimer Springfield (politician), Vera, Mr. and Mrs. Durmot
“The Lumber-Room” Nicolas, his aunt, the two cousins