Please answer all 5 of the questions below.
-Each answer should use the following formula (Assertion, Evidence, Commentary).
-First, make an assertion (a statement in your own words that posits the point you
want to make). This can be 1-2 sentences.
-Then, cite from the text a quote that supports your assertion. Quotes must have
proper MLA in-text citations which is author’s last name and page number and the quoted
portion should be in quotation marks.
Ex. “Stand up, children” (Sophocles 711).
-Finally, justify the quote by explaining in your own words how it supports the
assertion. This should be at least two sentences.
Here is an example of what an answer might look like if the question were as
follows:
Example Question: As is common in many ancient epics, women play an extremely
important role in the development of plot and in shaping the actions of the male
characters. Give one example of an important female role in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Example Answer: Although a minor character in the story, the prostitute Shamhat plays
a very important role in the epic tale. They ask her to give of herself to tame the wild
beast Enkidu and she does so without hesitation. The hunter take Shamhat to Enkidu and
tells her to “open your embrace, open your embrace, let him take your
charms!” (Gilgamesh 103). By doing so, she tames Enkidu. As a result, the wild beasts no
longer welcome him and he must then turn to Gilgamesh as a friend. Thus, Shamhat’s
actions set-up the action for the rest of the epic tale.
This was just a sample question. The actual 5 questions begin on the next page!
1. When writing The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson was aware that his
primary task was to convince the American people that a complete break from European
control was their only option. With this daunting task ahead of him, Jefferson knew that his
declaration had to be persuasive. Thus he employed Aristotle’s modes of persuasion: Ethos
(Appeal to ethics or authority), Pathos (Appeal to emotions), and Logos (Appeal to Logic).
Cite two examples from The Declaration of Independence that use one (or more) of these
modes of persuasion. Explain in your own words which mode is employed in each quote and
how the quote you picked is an example of that mode. Then explain how using these
persuasive devices made the declaration more powerful.
2. Slave Narratives were autobiographical stories with the purpose of giving first hand accounts
of the vileness of slavery in order to encourage people to fight against it. The Narrative of the
Life of Frederick Douglass is a slave narrative. Cite one example from this story that
exemplifies this purpose. Explain in your own words how the quote show the vileness of
slavery and why the author might have included it in his narrative to discourage slavery and
promote abolishment of slavery.
3. As Industrialism began to take over and more and more people migrated from the
countryside into the big cities, the romantic writers tried to embrace the natural world. In
their writings, they emphasized nature and the natural world and the peace and goodness that
it represented. Cite an example from at least two Romantic poems that show this emphasis
of nature as goodness and peace. Explain in your own words how the quote exemplifies this
idea.
4. Chekhov said that, “A play should be written in which people arrive, go away, have dinner,
talk about the weather and play cards. Life must be exactly as it is.” In The Cherry Orchard,
Chekhov strove to represent characters and situations that were true to life. It is a play that
embraces the realities of life rather than the “over-the-top” scenarios of the plays of
Shakespeare and other playwrights that came before him. Cite two examples from the play
that show characters or scenarios that are “true to life”. Explain in your own words how each
quotes exemplifies this idea.
5. The Cherry Orchard is set during a time of transition for Russia. Emancipated serfs were
finally granted their freedom. However, the serfs did not know how to live a life of their own
making and those who were used to having serfs did not know how to live without them. Cite
two examples from the text that represent the experience of either the free serf or the wealthy
master without a servant. Explain how each quote exemplifies the problems that arose from
this transitional period.
