Essays (Novel Reading Substitute)

Choose (2) to supplement your grade for novel reading:

1. Write an essay explaining why a decision you made was the right one.

2. Write an essay explaining why it is important to forgive.

1. A well known football coach once said, "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." Write an essay explaining whether or not you agree with this statement, and give supporting examples to defend your claim.

2. Your city council is deciding to propose a curfew ban in which anyone under the age of 21 would be banned from being out in public after 10 p.m. Write your opinion on this policy, considering both your argument and the counterargument. Give examples to prove your position.

"The Tale of Sir Lancelot du Lake"

1. Which word best describes Sir Lancelot?
2. Sir Lancelot leaves Camelot because...
3. Based on details about the four queen's behavior, the reader can infer that the queens are...
4. Sir Lancelot tells Morgan le Fay that he would like to prove that...
5. Sir Lancelot does not behave like a knight when he...
6. In general the characters in the story can be described as...
7. Chivalry refers to...
8. During the battle, Sir Lancelot concentrates on...

"The Sword in the Stone"

1. The nobles gather in London in order to...
2. Before the story begins, the person who knows the identity of the future king of Britain is...
3. Why does Arthur first pull the sword from the stone?
4. Besides pulling the sword from the stone, what else makes Arthur the rightful heir to the throne?
5. When Sir Kay brings the magical sword,...
6. Legends are usually...
7. The legend of Arthur probably evolved from...
8. When Sir Thomas Malory wrote about Arthur...

"Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?"

1. The title of the story refers to...
2. Paul's character is best described as...
3. What is unique about Paul's situation with his fellow soldiers?
4. To avoid being afraid, Paul...
5. What most disturbs Paul about Billy Boy's death?
6. What is a possible theme of the story?
7. Paul would like his father to see him as...
8. Paul imagines Billy's family receiving...

"Geraldo No Last Name"

1. Marin met Geraldo...
2. The relastionship between Marin and Geraldo is...
3. This story probably does not include any dialogue between Marin and Geraldo because...
4. Geraldo met his fate through...
5. The narrator imagines that Geraldo's family...
6. A writer's style refers to the way a writer...
7. If critics say that Sandra Cisneros's diction is colloquial, they mean that she...
8. A reviewer would most likely describe the sentences in "Geraldo No Last Name" as...
9. The tone of "Geraldo No Last Name" is mostly...
10. Geraldo's characterization in the story was mostly...

"Jazz Fantasia"

1. The speaker of the poem is addressing...
2. What does the speaker want the people he is addressing to do?
3. In the poem, which items are musical instruments?
4. The speaker compares the sound of jazz to...
5. The speaker thinks of jazz as...
6. Give an example of onomatopoeia in the poem.
7. The tone of "Jazz Fantasia" is...
8. Which image appeals to the sense of hearing?
9. The speaker asks the jazzmen to play their instruments in a way that will make people want to...

"We Real Cool"

1. The "We" in "We Real Cool" is...
2. The first clue that the speakers are flirting with a dangerous way of life is that they...
3. What types of things do the "We" do?
4. Brooks hopes to persuade the pool players to...
5. Which lines contain internal rhyme?