Note: If you read Lord of the Flies during this semester, answer Question 1. If

Lord of the Flies question: One subject of interest in Lord of
the Flies is leadership. Two leaders emerge on the island. Ralph, one of
these leaders, holds council meetings and lays out rules for speaking during
the meetings and for getting needed tasks done. Jack, the other leader, becomes
a hunter and gradually persuades other boys to join him and follow his
instructions. These two boys have different ways of leading and different
goals. In an extended response, compare and contrast Ralph’s way of leading and
Jack’s way of leading. Then, consider how the novel ends. What might the
author, William Golding, be suggesting about the most effective way to lead
others? In other words, what does the novel have to say about the subject of
leadership?

As you answer, use a five-paragraph structure. Introduce the work and
your thesis in the first paragraph. Then deal with Ralph’s leadership in the second
paragraph and with Jack’s leadership in the third paragraph. In your fourth
paragraph, explain the theme about leadership you see in the novel. Finally,
conclude your essay with a brief paragraph in which you make your thesis
statement clear once again. Throughout your response, use details from the
novel to support your ideas.

 Answer:

The Mousetrap question: Agatha Christie was a
master of suspenseful writing. In The
Mousetrap, she uses the play’s setting, the events of the plot, and a
flurry of false facts to build and sustain suspense. What is the effect of
these techniques? Write an extended response in which you explain what suspense
is and why it matters in mystery writing. Then consider how each of these three
techniques contributes to the play’s suspense.

As you answer, use a five-paragraph structure. Introduce the work and
explain what suspense is and why it matters in the first (introductory)
paragraph. End this first paragraph with a thesis about Christie’s use of the
three techniques of suspense. Then, in the second paragraph, discuss setting
and suspense. In the third paragraph, discuss how the plot events build
suspense. In the fourth paragraph, deal with how false information creates
suspense. Finally, conclude your essay with a brief paragraph in which you make
your thesis statement clear once again. Throughout your response, use details
from the play to support your ideas.

Answer: