Summer Reading Test

Most transfer students who were supposed to take the summer reading test last week failed to request the test.

Mr. Stone is making the test a take-home open-book test due by Monday, October 14th. Students who took the summary reading test earlier in the semester do not have to write this essay test.

Students should write a five-paragraph essay using one of the following prompts:


What is the relationship between land and literature in the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?

What lessons do the experiences of Henry in the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet have for Americans as a whole today or for you individually?

Using characters from the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, argue what makes an American an American?

Are the current responses of many Americans to Muslims today in response to 9/11 similar to the responses of Americans to the Japanese in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Use the responses of characters from The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as examples of American responses to Japanese after the bombing of 9/11.

Did Henry make the best choices in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?


Essay Structure

The Introduction: Paragraph One

The first paragraph of the essay should include the author title of the summer reading book, a two to three sentence summary of the book, the question selected, and a thesis sentence expressing the student's response to the question in a single sentence.

The introduction should be a paragraph of five to seven sentences.

The Body: Paragraphs Two, Three, and Four

Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence stating the supporting point being discussed in the paragraph.
Each body paragraph should contain three examples of the supporting point from the novel. (The page number where the example can be found in the text should be listed inside parentheses at the end of the quoted/summarized sentences describing the examples.) Two or more sentences of analysis/explanation should follow each example.

At minimum each body paragraph will contain ten sentences.

The Conclusion: Paragraph Five

The first sentence of the conclusion should restate the essays thesis. An additional two to three sentences should summarize the essay's argument.