American+Studies+Midterm

__Midterm Topics for 30-Minute SAT Style Essay__

Below are three possible questions for the midterm. Two will be on the test, and you will select one to write about. Therefore, you should prepare ideas for two of them to make sure you are covered.

1) America has struggled greatly in the first part of the 20th century, even when there was great prosperity. Use specific examples from **two** of the books we have studied this semester to show how our literature accurately reflects the historical struggles of those time periods.

2) There is constant conflict between the have and have-nots (those with money and those without). Using specific examples from **two** of our books from this semester, show the results of that continued conflict.

3) The decade of the 1920’s is quite different than the decades immediately preceding and following. What major historical issues did the authors from these 3 decades have to deal with, and, using specific examples, which of our books do you feel best represents the time it was written it?

A) Thesis Statement B) Examples from the books with your analysis C) Use of interesting syntax D) Organization with paragraph structure E) Conclusion with ideas that push beyond simple summary
 * What to prepare: We will use the SAT essay grading guide (6 point scale)**