Unit 4: Literary Argumentation
English Lit · Unit 4 · Paper 3

Literary Argumentation unit test

A test on this unit alone, marked as a percentage and a letter grade — for the test your class is actually sitting, rather than for May. Answer everything, then submit once: seeing the answer to question 3 before attempting question 4 makes the final percentage meaningless.

Paper 1Paper 2Paper 3
Each paper is built from this unit’s 42 terms and is the same for everyone, so a teacher can assign “Unit 4, Paper 3” and every student sits the identical test. Multiple choice is marked objectively; the written sections you mark yourself against the model answer and rubric.
Suggested time 33 min 30 points0/17 attempted
1

Annotating under time pressure

2

Earning the sophistication point

3

Embedding quotations

4

Quoting poetry correctly

5

Defensible thesis in literary analysis

6

Interpretive claim vs observation

7

Preparing works in advance

8

Situating in a broader context

9

Reading the prompt's verb

10

Choosing a work for the open question

11

Vivid and persuasive style

12

Common trap: device-listing

Short answer 1. Define or explain: Signposting without announcing

3 pts

Short answer 2. Define or explain: Thesis that names the how

3 pts

Short answer 3. Define or explain: Analyzing the quotation you chose

3 pts

Short answer 4. Define or explain: Literary argument prompt

3 pts

Free response

6 pts

LITERARY ARGUMENT (Question 3, 6 points). Many works of literature depict a conflict between the old and the new: old worlds, old ways, and old values clash with newer ones. Either from your own reading or from the exam's list, choose a work of fiction in which there is marked tension between the old and the new. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the tension between the old and the new contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. (The released list of suggested works includes, among others: Things Fall Apart, The Namesake, A Raisin in the Sun, The Remains of the Day, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Frankenstein, The Awakening, Fences, There There, The Night Watchman, and Song of Solomon.) In your response you should: present a thesis with a defensible interpretation; provide evidence to support your line of reasoning; explain how the evidence supports it; and use appropriate grammar and punctuation.