English II 2009 /Summer Reading Study Guides
by Jackie Arnold
June 24, 2009
Name_____________________________ Date_____________ Class _____________
English II
A Separate Peace
Study Guide
Please read the summer reading novel, A Separate Peace, and complete the study guide before the school year begins. You will have a test over the novel sometime during the first week of class.
Chapters 1 - 3
1. What two sites did the narrator go back to see at Devon?
2. Who is Phineas?
3. What unusual thing did Phineas talk Gene into doing?
4. Why were the boys not punished for jumping out of the tree?
5. Identify Mr. Prud-homme and Mr. Patch-Withers.
6. What was the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session?
7. Gene said, "I didn't need to feel any tremendous rush of gratitude towards Phineas." Why not?
8. Why did Gene continue jumping out of the tree and going along with Phineas even though he didn't want to?
9. What was blitzball?
10. In what way does Gene describe his memories of the war years?
11. What does the swimming record incident show about Phineas?
12. "Exposing a sincere emotion like that at the Devon School was the next thing to suicide." What had Phineas just told Gene?
Chapters 4-5
1. What two realizations does Gene have about his relationship with Phineas?
2. Over what did Gene and Phineas argue?
3. What happened to Phineas?
4. Why didn't Gene tell Phineas the truth (that he bounced on the limb and caused the fall) at the infirmary?
5. What is Phineas' reaction when Gene does confess?
Chapters 6-7
1. "If you broke the rules, then they broke you." What did Gene mean?
2. Identify Cliff Quackenbush.
3. How did Gene lose his job of Assistant Crew Manager?
4. From whom was Gene's long-distance call?
5. Why did Gene feel a sense of freedom when Phineas said, "Listen, pal, if I can't play sports, you're going to play them for me"?
6. What idea does Brinker Hadley introduce?
7. Why did Gene leave the Butt Room without smoking a cigarette?
8. What "good deed" did the boys do?
9. What does Gene say about Brinker as he tries to spare Leper's feelings when the gang meets him after the railroad work is done?
10. Who decided to enlist?
11. Why did Gene not enlist?
Chapters 8-9
1. Of what did Finny try to convince Gene about the war?
2. For what event did Finny want to train Gene? What was wrong with that plan?
3. Why did Phineas decide that Mr. Ludsbury didn't know the war was just propaganda from fat old men?
4. Who was the first of Gene's gang to actually enlist?
5. What effect did Leper's enlistment have on the boys at Devon?
6. What winter event did Phineas invent?
7. From whom was Gene's telegram, and what was the message?
Chapters 10-11
1. What happened to Leper?
2. How did Gene react to Leper's description of what happened to him?
3. Why did Gene want to see only Phineas?
4. Brinker said, "What's the matter with our class anyway? It isn't even June yet and we've already got two men sidelined for the Duration." Who was he talking about? For the duration of what?
5. How did Leper's illness affect Phineas?
6. Contrast Brinker's view of Finny's disability with Gene's view.
7. Where did Brinker take Gene and Finny? Why?
8. Why did Finny rush out of the room?
9. What happened to Finny after he ran out of the room?
Chapters 12-13
1. Why didn't Gene do anything to help with Phineas after his second accident?
2. Why did Gene sneak into the infirmary?
3. Gene told Phineas, "you wouldn't be any good in the war, even if nothing had happened to your leg." What did he mean?
4. What finally happened to Phineas?
5. What was ironic about Gene's part in the war?
Name____________________________________ Date__________ Class__________
Honors English II
Brave New World
Study Guide
Please read the summer reading novel, Brave New World, and complete the study guide before the school year begins. You will have a test over the novel sometime during the first week of class.
Chapters 1-3
1. Who is the D.H.C.?
2. What is Bokanovsky's Process?
3. Explain why Bokanovsky's Process is one of the major instruments of social stability.
4. What is the point of conditioning?
5. Why are the babies being conditioned to hate books and flowers?
6. How is the conditioning reinforced?
7. What is the name of the deity in this world?
8. Why is "mother" such an obscene word?
9. How is Bernard Marx different from his associates?
10. Why does Lenina want to go out with Bernard?
11. What is soma?
Chapters 4-6
1. How are Bernard and Helmholtz alike?
2. What is a Solidarity Service?
3. Why is Bernard unable to feel the oneness with his group?
4. How does Bernard want to spend his dates with Lenina?
5. Why does the Director threaten to send Bernard to Iceland?
Chapters 7-9
1. How are Linda and John different from the other savages?
2. Why is Lenina disgusted by Linda?
3. Why do the women whip Linda?
4. What things does Mitsima teach John?
5. What book does Pope bring for John?
6. Why do Bernard and John both feel alone?
7. To whom does John liken Lenina?
Chapters 10-13
1. How does Bernard humiliate the Director?
2. Why is everyone interested in John but not Linda?
3. How does Linda spend her time?
4. Why does John throw up?
5. What other "civilized" customs disgust John?
6. Why does John refuse to come to the party?
7. How does John's refusal affect Bernard?
8. How does Bernard react to his downfall?
Chapters 14-15
1. Why are children given treats when they visit the Hospital for the Dying?
2. Why is John's reaction to his mother's death inappropriate?
3. Why does John attempt to stop the soma distribution?
Chapters 16-18
1. What happens to Bernard and Helmholtz?
2. Why does the Controller say they should be happy to be banished?
3. Why are Shakespeare and scientific research banned?
4. What does John mean when he says, "I claim them all"?
5. Why does John drink mustard water?
6. Why does John torture himself?
7. To what end does John come?
Name____________________________________ Date__________ Class__________
Honors English II
Cry, the Beloved Country
Study Guide
Please read the summer reading novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, and complete the study guide before the school year begins. You will have a test over the novel sometime during the first week of class.
Before beginning this novel, I recommend researching the historical and political background of South Africa, especially during the first half of the 20thcentury. This will give you a better understanding of the main events and characters in the novel.
Chapters 1 - 5
1. Paragraphs two and three in Chapter 1 sharply contrast. Explain the significance of these two paragraphs in terms of the novel's central theme. (Come back to this later if you can't answer it at first.)
2. Identify Stephen, John, and Gertrude.
3. "Once such a thing is opened, it cannot be shut again." Explain.
4. Why did Stephen Kumalo go to Johannesburg?
5. "The lights . . . fall . . . on the grass and stones of a country that sleeps." Explain the symbolic significance of this statement.
6. What does "Umfundisi" mean?
7. "The journey had begun. And now the fear back again . . . ." What fears did Kumalo have?
8. What happened to Kumalo when he first arrived in Johannesburg?
9. Identify Msimangu and Mrs. Lithebe.
10. Describe Gertrude's sickness.
11. Why is Gertrude's sickness upsetting to Kumalo?
12. What is Kumalo's brother John doing in Johannesburg?
13. "The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again." Explain what Msimangu meant.
14. "It is fear that rules this land." Who fears whom?
Chapters 6 & 7
1. Describe Kumalo's meeting with his sister (when he finds her in Johannesburg).
2. Kumalo bought Gertrude and the child new clothes. Why is that symbolically important?
3. Describe Kumalo's first meeting with his brother John in Johannesburg.
4. What is Msimangu's one hope for his country?
Chapters 8 - 10
1. Why did Dubauwoodnt Kumalo ask Msimangu to walk instead of taking a bus?
2. Why is the government more afraid of Dubula than Tomlinson or John Kumalo?
3. What did Mrs. Mkize tell them about Absalom?
4. What is the point of Chapter 9 in relationship to the novel's themes?
5. When Kumalo finally reached Pimville, where Absalom was supposed to be living, what did he find?
Chapters 11 - 14
1. A certain news headline and article grabbed the attention of the priests at the Mission House. What was the article about?
2. Identify James and Arthur Jarvis.
3. "Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end." What "things"?
4. "There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices." Chapter 12 gives several examples of what these "voices" say. What do they say?
5. What news of Absalom does Mrs. Ndlela give Msimangu?
6. To what decisions did Kumalo come in Ezenzeleni?
7. Where does Kumalo finally meet Absalom? Describe their meeting.
8. How does John decide to handle his son's defense?
Chapters 15 - 17
1. What is Father Vincent's gift to Kumalo?
2. Why does Father Vincent say sorrow is better than fear?
3. In what way was Kumalo cruel to the girl?
4. To what arrangement do Kumalo and the girl finally agree?
5. Describe the content of the conversation between Mrs. Lithebe and the girl.
6. Identify Mr. Carmichael.
Chapters 18 - 21
1. Book II begins with the same sentence as Book I did. Compare and contrast the beginning passages of Book I and Book II.
2. Contrast Jarvis' arrival in Johannesburg with Kumalo's.
3. What was ironic about Arthur Jarvis' death?
4. Why did Arthur Jarvis read about Lincoln?
5. What were Arthur Jarvis' last written words?
Chapters 22 - 25
1. Explain the difference between "justice" and "just."
2. "No second Johannesburg is needed upon the earth. One is enough." Explain why not.
3. Why was Jarvis "sick at heart" as he read some of his son's papers?
4. Why did Kumalo appear to be ill when Jarvis opened the door?
5. What was Jarvis' reaction after Kumalo identified himself as the father of his son's murderer?
Chapters 26 - 29
1. "There is no applause in prison." Explain the inference regarding John Kumalo.
2. "Nothing is ever quiet except for fools." Explain.
3. Why was the headline about another housebreak-murder "bad news"?
4. What is the verdict for Absalom?
5. Why did Absalom marry the girl even though he was sentenced to death?
6. Explain the significance of the name of Peter for Absalom's son.
7. Why did Gertrude leave?
Chapters 30 - 32
1. Describe Kumalo's return home.
2. Why did Kumalo visit the chief? What did he want?
3. Who was the small boy who rode to Kumalo's place?
4. What is the significance of the boy's trying to learn Zulu?
5. What was Mr. Jarvis' first gift to the natives of Kumalo's village?
Chapters 33 - 36
1. What was Jarvis' second gift to the natives?
2. Who died?
3. What did Kumalo do for Jarvis? What did the natives do for him?
4. When the Bishop came for the confirmations, what did he suggest for Kumalo?
5. Why was Kumalo not transferred?
6. What happened to Absalom?
7. Why did Kumalo go to the mountain?
8. Explain the significance of the fact that the book ends at sunrise.
9. The last paragraph of the novel speaks of "the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear." Explain the relevance of this phrase.
