SAMPLE DIRECT QUESTIONS

1)What is the main theme of Ibsen's a doll house? How does he sustain it?

2) In Thelema, the objective imperative became free will as the only Platonic form of the concept of law. Identify and explain how free will manifests itself in the example of the text below.

3) Some people believe that ghosts are real; some people believe that ghosts are the imagination gapping impressions that are missing an obvious source. Would you believe in ghosts if you saw them, or would you think it was your mind playing tricks on you? How would you explain why these ghosts could be real? From the 5 examples above (each 1 page long), identify one story where ghosts were portrayed believably. Write about four ways that your chosen story made ghosts believable to a skeptic.

DIRECT vs DIRECT ESSAY vs ARTISTIC QUALITY QUESTIONS:

1) The footage of cancer children in a commercial asking for money

Direct: What is purpose or effect: Get you to give money

Direct Essay: What is purpose or effect. Explain.

A)PART OF INTRO: Get you to give money

B)1st para: explain an image in detail: shows children robbed of life purpose: though innocent and just like every other child, this is tragedy

C)2nd para: explain the pitch in detail: doesn't just say give money: commercial says that only 39 cents a day could keep alive beautiful 3 year old clarice. Purpose is to convince you that a small sacrifice on your part…

D)Conclusion: Gets you to give money by playing on emotion and make you understand that even a few cents, if everybody gives, would give life to the otherwise dying.

Artistic Quality Question: HOW does the commercial achieve its purpose or effect (be exact)?

WRONG: makes you sad [not specific enough]

BETTER: POINT 1: repeats images of small children laughing and playing, with dates they died, at end

POINT 2: reminds you to hug your own children who are the opposite of those on the TV (healthy vs sick)

2) In a horror movie, during a quiet scene, somebody hears a noise in the house. The soundtrack begins with spooky sounds and a synthesizer theme.

Direct: What does the soundtrack do: gets us ready to be scared

Artistic Quality: How does the soundtrack enhance your fear?

WRONG: It scares the audience

BETTER: POINT 1)By repeating the theme we've heard every time the killer has appeared before, we expect the killer to show up. [talk about the previous scenes].

POINT 2)By using whispers as part of the music, the soundtrack creates a complete contrast to the abrupt scream that comes as the killer finally does appear.

SAMPLE ARTISTIC QUALITY QUESTIONS

[YOU CAN COME UP WITH YOUR OWN QUALITIES, BUT IF STUCK, NEED MORE, USE SOCRAPR]

1) “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from an uneasy dream he found himself transformed into a gigantic insect.”

Q: How does the author foreshadow that the story to follow is going to be concerned with conflict and change?

Contrast: wakes up (peaceful sleep) to a "nightmare"

contrast: awoke one ordinary morning (like any other morning, not "awoke one terrible morning") to something extraordinary (he's now a giant bug)

opposites: man vs insect, insect vs gigantic insect

2) “Damp and grotesque, climbing down to the pits, each step was dewy, almost slimy. The stairs were damp, jagged, like an old man's mouth driveling beyond repair. “

Q: In this description of a stairwell, how does the author use language to fuel the impression of it leading to ancient horror?

a)Author uses anthropocentric metaphor - old man's mouth driveling suggest disease or age near death

b)Repeats words for wet: damp, dewy, driveling, suggesting anyone could slip.

c)uses similar words that have to do with disgust: slimy, grotesque, driveling

3)Q: In the Matrix, how does the author show the mind world as fantastically different from the body's reality, yet still understandable in human terms?

a) opposites: in body reality, the matrix people have to follow gravity and laws of physics. in mind world, once the imagination has been trained to forget physics, anything can be done.

b)contrast: mind world is ideal, so have thousand dollars worth of clothing while in the body reality they wear rags; in mind world the rich feast on steak, in body reality they eat gruel

c) repetition of perfect: in mind world, for those who are aware, hair is perfect, clothes are perfect, moves are perfect, recovery from wounds leaves no scars.

d) anthropocentrism concerning the agent smith anti-virus programs: why is agent smith an individual human form at all -- can't he simply be and stay in the form of any person he's possessed? Can't he simply be a bolt of lightning hitting people. Also all the viruses in the Matrix world are at least part time humans -- the werewolves, ghosts, etc. To allow the viewer to see the story as human characters in action.

e) relationships:

4)Q:How does shakespeare create a greater sense of tragedy in Hamlet?

a) Relationships: Death and murder, with all the main characters related -- Father and Son, Father and Daughter, Son and Mother.

b) Similarities: poison kills the good and the evil and the vengeful; the play within the play

c) Contrasts: hamlet pretends to be insane but drives his beloved insane for real with his pretending

d) Repetition: Hamlet fails to act directly several times at the near cost and finally cost of his life

e) Parallelism: Poison kills the father, the son, the mother, the father-in-law, and almost brother-in-law.

1)Direct Response: (Just the answer: recall specific facts, evidence, quotes, or definitions IN the text and use them either as your answer or as supporting evidence for your answer.

The answer is...

The answer is xxxxx because in the text.....

2)Direct Response essay/academic essay: (WHICH/WHAT OR WHY OR ANALYZE): Without using "I" or "My", your analysis of what the author meant/did/said, supported by repeating specific pieces of the text.

Artistic Quality essay(HOW DOES/BY WHAT MEANS): HOW DOES the author achieve some effect: mood, theme, style, setting, feeling. IMPORTANT: It's not directly about what the mood, theme, style, setting, feeling IS -- it's how the author achieves the purpose or effect.