Subtest One Study Guide Includes:

• chart of major literary periods (with associated authors and themes)

• definitions of often-tested literary terms (e.g. deconstruction, post-modernism, existentialism)

• breakdown of schools of criticism (e.g. formalism, feminist criticism, reader-response movement)

• review of world literature (e.g. African and Carribean authors)

Study Guide for Subtest Two:

• glossary of linguistic terminology

• subject matter coverage - linguistic terminology and theory (e.g. Chomsky's Universal Grammar Theory)

• subject matter coverage - first and second language acquisition

• grammar review

• practice tests

Study Guide for Subtest Three:

• memorizable list of literary devices

• practice essays and model answers

• essay-writing template

• chart of literary periods throughout history (American and British) with associated authors and themes

Study Guide for Subtest Four:

• essay writing system

• practice essays

• model answers

• substantive review of all four subjects tested (communications, dramatic performance, essay revision, media/journalism)

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

An Excerpt...

... from my Study Guide for Subtest Three:

ESSAY #1: COMPARE/CONTRAST

In the first essay of subtest three, you’ll be asked to compare and contrast two literary works.  You may be given any combination of: poem, essay, or excerpt from a drama, short story or novel.

Your task is to identify the literary devices used by both authors and discuss how the authors use those devices to help further their themes.

This breaks down into three steps: WHAT/WHERE/WHY

1) WHAT (is the author doing?)

2) WHERE (is the author doing it?)

3) WHY (does the author do it?)

By the time you’ve finished moving through this guide example by example, you will have internalized this three-step process. 

But before we look at examples, let’s look at each part of the WHAT/WHERE/WHY process in more detail:

Step One: WHAT

What is the author doing?

Identifying what the author is doing requires a basic, high school-level knowledge of literary devices.  The “Literary Analysis Mnemonic” on page seven is your “bible" of literary devices. 

The acronym MRS DT FIRST categorizes the major literary devices; it's your mental checklist.  It will help you to be proactive and look for literary devices in a systematic way.