Name: _____________________________________
ENG II Midterm Study Guide
Literary Works:
1. The Metamorphosis
2. Tselane and the Giant
3. The Panchatantra: The Lion-Makers
4. Green Willow
5. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
6. Macbeth
Writing
7. Literary vocabulary
8. Paragraph types
Test Parameters:
1. Type: Midterm Exam
2. Question types: MC, T/F, Y/N, FIB, Short Response
3. Number of questions: 40-50
4. Exam length: 2 hours
Materials needed:
1. Completed study guide
2. Pencil
3. Pen
4. Highlighter (optional)
ENG II Midterm Study Guide
Name: _____________________________________
Task: Complete the following study guide to prepare for your Midterm Exam. Make sure to
bring this study guide with you on the day of the exam as it is for credit. Use a separate sheet of
paper where needed. Make sure your notes are neat and easy to read.
Literary Works
1. The Metamorphosis
a. Author: Franz Kafka
b. Date written: 1912
c. Literary Tradition: Parable; existentialism
d. Main characters: Gregor, Grete (sister), The Father, The Mother, The Boarders
e. Summary (major events): Gregor awakens to find himself transformed into a large
beetle. Unable to provide for his family, his parents and sister get jobs, to include
taking in boarders, to survive. Only the sister deals with him, as his parents refuse
to admit what’s become of him. Slowly, but surely, reality sets in that Gregor is
no longer human and the family begins moving furniture out of his room. One
night, as his sister is playing the violin, Gregor sneaks out of his room, scaring the
boarders. Enraged, the father throws an apple at Gregor, which gets lodged into
his shell, causing Gregor extreme pain. Gregor eventually dies of his injuries. The
family takes a train ride out of town to start a new life.
2. Tselane and the Giant
a. Author: Anonymous
b. Date written: Unknown
c. Literary Tradition: Folktale; oral tradition
d. Main characters: Tselane, Limo the giant, Tselane’s mother, the giant’s wife
e. Summary (major events): In a village near Mantsopa’s village, there lived a giant
named Limo, who was terrorizing the local village. Limo would kill and eat their
livestock and kill their warriors whenever they tried to stop him. Eventually, the
people moved away and Limo resorted to eating whoever was left. One villager,
Tselane, refused to leave, against her mother’s wishes. Every second day,
Tselane’s mother would visit her with food and sing a special song so that Tselane
would know it was her mother and not Limo. Catching on, Limo tries to trick
Tselane into letting him into her hut, but his initially efforts prove unsuccessful.
Name: _____________________________________
After eating hot coal, Limo has able to soften his voice enough to fool Tselane,
who he kidnaps and returns to his cave. The giant’s wife takes pity on Tselane and
offers to help her by hiding her in a pot. The giant’s wife fills the sack with
poisonous scorpions, wasps, and hornets, which sting Limo several times, sending
him running out of the cave into a river, where he drowns. The people rejoice and
welcome the giant’s wife into their village.
3. The Panchatantra: The Lion-Makers
a. Author: Anonymous
b. Date written: around 200 B.C.
c. Literary Tradition: Fable
d. Main characters: Four scholars (Brahmans), three with great scholarship but no
common sense and one with only common sense
e. Summary (major events): The four scholars are on their way to see the king to
earn money for their intelligence when they happen upon the skeleton of a lion.
The three scholars went to work on reassembling the lion, despite the fourth one’s
objections, who, instead, climbed a tree. Once the lion was brought back to life, it
killed the three scholars and left. The fourth scholar climbed down from the tree
and returned home.
4. Green Willow
a. Author: Anonymous
b. Date written: around the 1100s
c. Literary Tradition: Folktale
d. Main characters: Tomotada and Green Willow
e. Summary (major events): A young warrior is sent on an errand by his lord and
comes across a hut with an old couple and their daughter, Green Willow. Though
he had planned to return to marry Green Willow, she follows him, causing him to
abandon his duty and marry her instead. Once they were married, Green Willow
cries out in pain for her tree and dies. The samurai becomes a reclusive monk,
shunning the world. Eventually, he comes across the hut once more, sees the tree
stumps, and cries over them, causing the youngest one to grow a sapling. Upon
his death, he turns into a willow tree, whose roots intertwine with the those of the
young sapling, which belongs to Green Willow.
Name: _____________________________________
5. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
a. Author: John Steptoe
b. Date written: 1987
c. Literary Tradition: Fairy tale (based on Cinderella)
d. Main characters: Mufaro, Manayara, Nyasha, Nyoka
e. Summary (major events): In an African village lived Mufaro and his two
daughters, Manayara and Nyasha. Manayara has dreams of becoming queen and
having her sister as her servant. When the king announces that he is looking for a
queen, Manayara awakens early to beat her sister to the capital. On her journey,
she given several challenges, in which she fails, and is ultimately frightened away
by a serpent. When Nyasha encounters the same challenges, she passes, due to her
good nature. Upon her arrival at the capital, Manayara is in a frenzied state, but
Nyasha faces the last challenge head on, she is met by the smiling king, who turns
out to be the Nyoka, the garden snake she had befriended. Nyasha then becomes
queen.
6. Macbeth
a. Author: William Shakespeare
b. Date written: 1606
c. Literary Tradition: Tragedy; Elizabethan drama
d. Main characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the three witches, Banquo, King
Duncan, Macduff, Malcolm
e. Summary (major events): Upon receiving a prophecy from the three witches that
he was to become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, Macbeth, along with
his wife, Lady Macbeth, sets out on a mission to make the prophecies true. With
encouragement from his wife, he kills his cousin, King Duncan, blaming and
killing the king’s guards for this murder. The king’s sons, Malcolm (his heir) and
Donalbain, flee, leaving the throne open for Macbeth to take it. Once king,
Macbeth begins a slow descent into madness and hallucinations, believing
Banquo to be a threat due to Banquo’s prophecy (his children will ascend the
throne). After having Banquo assassinated, Macbeth calls for the three witches to
give him more information about his future, to which they agree, informing him
to stay away from Macduff, that he, Macbeth, can’t be killed by any man born of
Name: _____________________________________
a woman, and that he will be undefeated until the woods of Birnam move against
him. To his dismay, Macbeth eventually encounters Macduff, who is a) angry at
Macbeth for killing his family and b) was born via c-section (thus not technically
born). By this time, Lady Macbeth has also descended into madness and kills
herself. Macduff beheads Macbeth, bringing his head to Malcolm, who is then
declared King of Scotland.
Writing
7. Literary vocabulary (definitions)
a. Plot: The sequence of events in a story, with five basic components: exposition,
rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. May also include conflict,
inciting incident, and denouement (closure).
b. Character/characterization: A person, animal, or presence in a literary work. The
methods a writer uses to develop the personality of a character.
c. Setting: The time and place in which the events of a literary work occur. Also
includes the mood, or how a story feels, i.e. atmosphere.
d. Narration/POV: The means in which a story is told, i.e. first or third person. Also,
the standpoint from which a story is told.
e. Theme: The main idea or message that a poem or story conveys. All the details
point to the theme, which is usually an insight into human experience.
f. Tone: The attitude that a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a
character. Tone is conveyed through a writer’s choice of words and details.
8. Paragraph types
a. Power Paragraph
i. Definition: A type of paragraph writing style that ensures effective
paragraph writing
ii. Defining features:
1. 1st power = the topic sentence and concluding sentence
2. 2nd power = the major detail or supporting idea
3. 3rd power = explanation of the immediately preceding supporting
idea
4. 4th power (optional) = the concrete detail or quotation to illustrate
the 3rd power sentence
b. ACES
i. Definition: a form of paragraph writing that explains how to use cited
evidence
ii. Defining features:
1. A: Answer the question
2. C: Cite your evidence
Name: _____________________________________
3. E: Explain your answer
4. S: Summarize
