NEW YORK STATE REGENTS EXAMS
COMPREHENSIVE ENGLISH - AUGUST 2000
SESSION TWO - PART A
Directions:
Read
the passages on the following pages (a poem and an essay).
Write the number of the answer to each
multiple-choice question on your answer
sheet. Then write the essay in your
essay booklet as described in Your Task.
You may use the margins
to take notes as you read and scrap paper to plan your
response.
Your Task:
After you have
read the passages and answered the
multiple-choice
questions, write a unified essay
about the influence of outside forces
on personal growth. In your essay, use ideas from both
passages to
establish a controlling idea about the influence of outside
forces on
personal growth. Using evidence from each
passage, develop your
controlling idea and show how
the author uses specific literary
elements or techniques to
convey that idea.
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Use ideas from both passages
to establish a controlling idea about the
influence of outside forces on personal growth
• Use specific and relevant evidence from each
passage to develop your
controlling idea
• Show how each author uses specific literary elements (for
example:
theme, characterization, structure, point of view) or
techniques
(for example: symbolism, irony, figurative language) to convey
the
controlling idea
• Organize your ideas in a logical and coherent manner
• Use language that communicates ideas effectively
•Follow the conventions of standard written English
