9th grade nc final exam last minute tips

1. Last Minute Tips for the
English 9 NC Final Exam

2. Read the Passage
You don't want to. There's a
little voice inside of you that
says, "Just look for the answers in the passage."
Don't listen to that voice. It is the voice of Satan
who wants you to fail this test. On the plot level
questions, seek and find won't help because the
wrong answers are in the text too. Most questions
are going to be answerable only to those who read
the whole thing (theme, purpose, prediction, etc.)

3. Stretch
Every so often you'll get a stretch break. You
are told you can stand beside your desk to
stretch. You will not want to do this, but it is
important to do so. The longer you sit still, the
slower your blood pumps. The slower your
blood pumps, the less
oxygen your brain gets.
This makes you sleepy
and lose focus.

4. Look Up
No, not now. After you've finished answering
all the questions on one of the passages.
Before you start the next one, look away from
the test book. This will make it so that you can
refocus your thoughts and
take a mini-break.
Plus, it is easier to do
one passage at a time.

5. Stare at the Clock
There should be a time device
in your room. When you look
up from your test, take the
time to glance at the clock.
Then look at the board. The
board should tell you when
the next break is. Judge
whether or not you can finish
the next passage before
break time. If you can't, stop
and wait for the break.

6. Eat a Good Breakfast
Your parents say they want you
to do well in school, right?
Well, now is the time to put
their words to the test. You need
a hearty breakfast that will give
your body plenty of fuel to stay
focused. Maybe you can talk
your mom into making home-
made pancakes.
Mmmmmm......pancakes.....

7. Go to Sleep
No, not during the test!
You aren't going to want
to hear this, but a good
night's sleep will give your body the energy it
needs to stay alert and focused. Because your
body gets on a schedule, you will really need to go
to sleep early two nights in a row before the test.
Do this - count the number of hours a semester of English
class is. Now count the number of hours you'll lose if you go to
bed by 10:00 at the latest. I think you'll find going to sleep
early is a better deal than repeating the course next year!

8. You think this test is hard. Well it is, and it's
hard for everyone else taking it too. So just do
your best and know that everyone else is
freaking out. You'll be calm, and that's an
advantage.

9. Don't be Thrown off by Figurative
Language
Figurative language is, simply put, words that
are not meant to be taken literally. Take this
example from King Henry V:
"His face is all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and
flames of fire; and his lips plows at his nose, and it is like a
coal of fire, sometimes blue, and sometimes red; but his
nose is executed, and his fire is out."
We are not supposed to think that he literally
has flames on his face. This is Shakespeare
being poetic.

10. Don't be Thrown off by Figurative
Language (con't)
So when you run across something that doesn't
make sense, chances are the author has used
some sort of metaphor, personification, simile,
etc. that you missed. Either figure out what the
weird phrase means, or block it out and focus
on what makes sense.
The EOC will pick texts with these to throw you
off. It is a mean test! Don't read something
that doesn't make sense and give up!

12. Use These to Help You Get Through
the Poetry Passages
Poetry can be tough for some. If it is for you,
chances are you just don't understand what the
author is doing.
Remember this - poets have to get a lot of
meaning into only a few words. So they use
little tricks to help them pack a lot of meaning
into as little a space as possible.
Here are some ways that they do this:

13. Use These to Help You Get Through
the Poetry Passages (con't)
●Archetypes - these are symbols that are
used the same way worldwide. Recognize
these and you'll have a better chance. For
example, seasons often indicate where
someone is in life, so a poem in the fall
probably means someone is approaching old
age or death. Colors usually mean exactly
what you think they mean - dark colors are
bad, light colors are good, red is violence,
green is life.

14. Use These to Help You Get Through
the Poetry Passages (con't)
●Pay attention to the rhyme scheme, if there
is one. If the poet deviates from it, that
usually means he/she is trying to draw your
attention to it. For example, Shakespeare
finishes each sonnet with a break in rhyme
scheme. These are usually the two most
important lines as far as the meaning of the
sonnet goes.
●Words like "but," "yet," and "therefore" often
precede lines that reveal the true meaning of
the poem.

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