The Giver, Day 15: Final Exam
Rationale: Students have finished their study of The Giver, and in doing so, are required to take a test to assess the knowledge they have gained. This test seeks to help students use higher order thinking by providing few multiple choice questions and several short answer and one essay question asking students to think in-depth about the text they have written, supporting their thoughts with examples from the text. The questions asked are not absolute, and there are several right answers for them.
Context: This lesson is given at the end of The Giver unit, and helps to assess students’ knowledge of the goals set for them at the start of the unit. The questions on the exam seek to test students’ knowledge of dystopian society, euphemisms, and basic knowledge of the plot. Students are also asked to make a choice in their essay question about what to write: they may choose whether or not Jonas’s society is a good place to live or not, and support their ideas why.
Objectives: During and after this lesson, students will:
1. Think about what they have learned in our unit together, and put these ideas on paper for assessment purposes, and,
2. Answer these questions in a variety of ways: multiple choice, short answer, and essay.
NYS Learning Standards Addressed:
Reading
1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
6. Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters
and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of
dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
a. Analyze full-length novels, short stories, poems, and other
genres by authors who represent diverse world cultures.
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature,
including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of
grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
Writing
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas, concepts, and information through the
selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow;
organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader
categories; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts,
definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other
information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion
and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to
inform about or explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows
from and supports the information or explanation
presented.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for
writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
a. Produce text (print or nonprint) that explores a variety of
cultures and perspectives.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g.,
“Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on
themes, patterns of events, or character types from
myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as
the Bible, including describing how the material is
rendered new”).
b. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction
(e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and
specific claims in a text, assessing whether the
reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and
sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is
introduced”).
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-
specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening
2. Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse
media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and
evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political)
behind its presentation.
a. Use their experience and their knowledge of language and
logic, as well as culture, to think analytically, address
problems creatively, and advocate persuasively.
Language
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing.
a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indica
pause or break.
b. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
c. Spell correctly.
3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing,
speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the
conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular
effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action;
expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to
fact).
Materials/Preparation
Tests for students
Hamburger Outlines for students
Pens/Pencils
Teacher-supplied paper
Activities/Instruction
1. Allow students to come in and get settled. Take attendance, housekeeping. (5 min)
2. Separate students accordingly. Hand out exams and tell students to begin as soon as they get their exam. Let students take exam-while they work, pass out lined paper for essay portion of the test. Be sure students have Hamburger Outlines for their essay. Remind students to “get to the point” with their essays-they have only 40 minutes to finish their test.
3. Help students as necessary. Students will not be given any homework. If students need extra time to finish, make arrangements for them to stay or go to a quiet room to finish. Quietly remind students that their responses to “The Logical Song” on the Nicenet commmunity are also due today by the end of the day. (40 min)
Plan B/Adaptations
If teacher finds that students are not completing the exam within the allotted time, allow extra time for the test to be completed by giving students an extra day to complete it.
Student Assessment/Reflections
1. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of the themes of the novel. Questions about dystopia, euphemism and even an essay that asks them to make a choice all help to assess students’ knowledge of our The Giver studies.
2. Students will be reflecting on their own thoughts and ideas about the community Jonas lives in by writing an essay and responses to short answer questions defending their opinion about said community. Their outlines, made in advance, help students to articulate their response.
3. Students will be assessed on their answer to “The Logical Song” topic posted on the Nicenet community. Five points are awarded for a thoughtful response.
Mrs. Tordoff/Miss Roosa
The Giver Final Exam
Name:__________________________
Part 1: Multiple Choice (10 pts)
Directions: Answer the multiple choice questions below. Choose the best answer.
1. At which ceremony did Jonas recieve his Job Assignment?
A. Ceremony of 10
B. Ceremony of 12
C. Ceremony of 13
D. A contest in which he had to eat the most hot dogs.
2. Jonas’s father released one of the twin baby boys in Chapter 19. Why did he do this?
A. The child was believed to have been ill.
B. The community believes twins have strange powers.
C. The Giver told him to.
D. Sameness is not allowed in Jonas’s community, and the twin was lighter than the other one.
3. Fiona’s hair, the apple, and the pumpkins in the agricultural fields-Jonas begins to notice something special about these objects. What is it?
A. Color
B. Texture
C. Shape
D. Sound
4. Euphemism is a word that means:
A. A cry of joy or satisfaction when one finds or discovers something
B. A group of bees.
C. A word we use when another word or phrase is too harsh for everyday conversation-e.g., “passed away” instead of “died.”
D. A speech or writing in praise of a person or thing.
5. What was the emotion that Jonas felt when The Giver gave him his favorite memory of Christmas time?
A. Love
B. Excitement
C. Sadness
D. Anger
Part Two: Short Answer (10 pts)
Directions: Answer the following questions in no more than three sentences.
1. What is one main difference about our community here in Cassadaga that is different from Jonas’s community? Select one of the many and write about it here.
2. You are on the Council of the Elders in the Community, and you are not sure whether or not the community should keep the Stirring Pills for people to take each morning. Write whether or not the pills should be kept, and defend your reason by saying why.
3. What is release a euphemism for? Write it down. Now, write the answer to the following question: What is a euphemism we find in our everyday lives, and what does it really mean? Where would a person use this euphemism?
4. We talked about Utopian and Dystopian societies at the start of our unit. Dystopia is a word that means “a place where the government takes control without permission of the people who live there”. How is Jonas’s community Dystopian?
Part Three: Essay (30 pts)
Directions: Take your Hamburger Outline out, as well as the sheet of paper given to you by Miss Roosa. Now, use those tools to write the response to the following question:
Evaluate Jonas’s community. Why is it a good or bad place to live? Choose whether you think it is a nice place to live or a poor place to live. Note: CHOOSE ONLY ONE -DO NOT EVALUATE BOTH SIDES. Then, use three examples from the text to support your decision.
You may wish to consider:
*Jobs being chosen for you
*The Old and Young, as well as the Childless Couples, have special places to live
*Nobody is different-everyone is the same-same clothing, same hair color, same food to eat each night…