Instructions: Choose one of the following topics below. You will have a total of three hours to complete your exam. Make certain that in addition to completing the prompt below, you also have included all of the elements of the “must-have” list below. Your grade will be based on your skills in the areas on the “must-have” list, which is the accumulation of all that you have learned this quarter.

Must Have List

• An effective introduction using one of the five strategies for an opening: narrative, question, definition, quotation, unexpected statement
• An effective thesis statement that responds to the prompt: an effective thesis is a restatement of the topic PLUS a comment on the topic! You must give your “take” on the topic in your thesis, one that will steer your essay.
• A minimum of five body paragraphs: introduction, three body and a conclusion.
• A conclusion with a summary statement that sums up the essay and reinforces the thesis, as well as your concluding remarks.
• Each paragraph must have a topic sentence that states the main idea of each paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph support the topic sentence.
• Your essay needs transitional words and phrases to take the reader from paragraph to paragraph and idea to idea.
• You will need textual evidence from the story in each body paragraph. You need to use correctly formatted quote sandwiches.
• Each paragraph must have a mix of sentence openings, sentence lengths, and sentence types. Do not write monotonous paragraphs of identical sentence types! Remember to use both compound and complex sentences!
• Grammar and punctuation should be as flawless as possible.
• Correct MLA formatting

TOPICS (CHOOSE ONLY ONE):

1. How does Joyce Carol Oates foreshadow the events that befall Connie? In your essay, consider the ways the author uses foreshadowing to let the reader know that something will go awry. In your response, be careful to discuss the impact this has on you as a reader.
2. In “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien discusses the hardships of war in a unique way: by focusing on the things each individual carries. In your essay, discuss why this technique is effective, and give examples of how it makes the story work. How is O’Brien able to say more about war with this technique than if he had not used it?
3. In “Lust” the author, Susan Minot, seems to construct a list. How and why is this list effective for the meaning of her story? This is a rare technique for an author to use. Give examples of how it is effective, and how in influences the overall impact of her story.
4. In “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” the author F. Scott Fitzgerald creates a situation that could never happen in real life. You could almost call it fantasy or science fiction. Discuss why an author would use an event or series of events that are contrary to fact. What impact does it have on your experience as a reader?