Wed. Dec. 14, 2016: Merchant of Venice Review

Today, we went over the themes and character traits, plots and subplots presented in The Merchant of Venice.
I then went over the test-prep sheet with you (it is pasted below). You will get class time tomorrow to work with a partner and prepare for this test. The test is Friday. If you are not going to be here, you will need to write at lunch today or Friday, or will end up having to write the alternative after the break.

Test Prep

The test consists of 66 multiple choice questions

It has one short reading (a sonnet)

1.      For the first 52 questions, you will need to know the 5w’s of the play (who, what, where, when, why and how). To study, work with a partner and discuss each act and scene in detail. If you are unfamiliar with the scene or act, review the summaries and perhaps, if you haven’t read it, READ IT!!! There is a site on-line called “No Fear Shakespeare” that modernizes the sections. Go there and look up The Merchant of Venice for additional help. Spark notes also gives reasonable summaries.

2.      Questions 53 to 59 test whether you can match a quote to a character. If you use process of elimination AND active reading skills, this should not be too difficult. To study, have a partner grab random lines and read them to you. You need to determine if the person saying the line in the play is male or female. After this, it is easier to determine who is saying the line. The lines in the test include or refer to the following characters: Launcelot, Shylock, Antonio, Gratiano, Portia, Nerissa, or Jessica.

3.      Questions 60 to 66 involve the sonnet. A sonnet is a fourteen line poem that ends with a rhyming couplet. The rhyming couplet is used to sum up how the writer feels about what he has stated (The lesson learned or outcome). To do well on this one, you need to read the sonnet actively (I will award 9 marks for this):

a.      Do an end-rhyme scheme

b.      Identify literary devices (show knowledge of MOSES sheet!)

                                                              i.      Repetition, connotation (negative or positive), alliteration, metaphor, simile, assonance, imagery, irony, consonance, juxtaposition (I found nine types, so nine solid examples should be found).

                                                            ii.      Paraphrase the lines as each thought is completed to show you understand the poem as a whole!