Colegio de San Juan de Letran

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GEE4 – Great Books
Midterm Examination 1st Term, AY 2021-2022

Name: Francheska Allaine Course: BSA Section AC2B

Morales
Professor: Ms. Joy Chavez Permit Number:

Assessment Title: Narrative Essay and Short Answer

Rationale:

Narrative essay tells a story or a part of a story that makes a point. Writing a narrative allows
students to tell their story. In some ways, it also allows readers to become part of the story and be
the “eye” that tells what the character did or could have done that might put the story in a
different light. Narrative essay can be an effective tool for expressing one’s view in relation to
their personal experiences, thus allowing the writer to use language effectively.

Short answer type of test can be used in examination as part of assessment tasks. The open-ended
questions allow students to construct responses that may be factual interpretative or a
combination of two. Questions or items allow students to elaborate their ideas in a limited
manner and enable them to demonstrate higher order thinking skills.

Objectives:

a. Judge the falling action and resolution in relation to the previous events in the novella.
b. Manipulate the point of view in the story through one’s own lenses.
c. Modify the ending of the novella in relation to one’s social context.
d. Demonstrate the impact of word choice in creating a tone.
e. Interpret the connotation of a quote or passage, as well as its literal meaning.

Guidelines:

Part I. Alternate Ending

In the end of The Metamorphosis, Grete, who attempted to care for Gregor after his
transformation, has reached the end of her patience and gives up. She even tells her parents to
“try to banish the thought that it’s Gregor.” At this point, Gregor retreats to his room, is ignored
by the rest of his family, and dies and many readers are dissatisfied with this ending.

Rewrite the final two paragraphs of the novel, but in your new version, have Grete and her
family accept Gregor’s new state. How could they accommodate Gregor and include him in their
home and daily family activities? How could they arrange for his care? How would everyone’s
life change?

“Family was gathered in the kitchen except Gregor. Grete was experimenting the water before
opening her mouth. She was thinking of ways how she can talk about the situation of her brother to
their parents. How she can make them care and accept him. “I want to talk about something,” Grete
said nervously and that caught her parents’ attention. “What is it, my child?,” Mr. Samsa said while
her mother was just looking at her; maybe she knows what she wants to talk about by the look she
was giving. “Can we talk about how we can fix things and recover our fractured relationship with
Gregor? Maybe we could accept the fact that he won’t get back to his usual self.,” her parents were
just looking at her and she saw that as a sign to continue talking and explaining her insights about
her brother. “But that’s alright. He needs us the same as we needed him when he wasn’t like that.
He was there for us from the very start, might as well be there for him when he needs us.” The
married couple was listening attentively to their daughter. They are thinking of how their girl was
grown into not just a pretty lady but someone who values, cherish and love her family. “He
sacrificed himself for us. Set aside all the things he needs and wants for all our needs.” The room
was completely quiet as Grete utters those things. “What can we do and how?,” Mrs. Samsa spoke
after how many minutes of silence which left Grete astonished for a minute and she looks at her
father that was engaged in his thoughts. “Then, it might take miles to fully accept but maybe
making amends and showing him I care wouldn’t hurt eh?,” Mr. Samsa said smiling to the two
women in front of him which made them go to him and kiss his cheeks while Grete was stating how
thankful she is that they will sort things out and she won’t be the only who will take care of her
brother. The family decided to take turns on taking care of Gregor.

As they lean back comfortably in their seats, thinking of how their life had been. They are talking
about their goals and how they conquered everything life has thrown at them. They were all caught
up to the conversation that they didn’t ask how each other’s day was in their jobs, the three of them
got a good job that can sustain their future. A lot of breakthrough has been done and one thing
about it is their flat. They move out of the big house that Gregor chose. The flat was small and
cheaper, a practical home in a place where they can say a better location for the family. Mr. and
Mrs. Samsa were sitting beside each other looking at their daughter who was busy looking up the
sky. They are thinking of how she became a fine and intelligent woman; feeling proud. The family
has a missing piece. The couple glanced and smiled with each other before looking up the sky.
“Rest well, son.” “I got to take care and show you I love you, Gregor. I hope you’re happy there.”
“Fly high, brother. We’re okay down here.” Mr Samsa, Mrs. Samsa and Grete’s thoughts as they
look up the sky remembering the missing piece of their family, George Samsa. It is a lot to take in
ever since but at least at all his remaining months and days, they let him feel that he was not left
behind and that they love him. Family means no one gets left behind.”
 Alternate Ending Rubric

Category Very Good 10 Good 7 Fair 5 Needs

Improvement 3
Content Content is Most of the Some of the Content is not
relevant to what content is content is relevant to the
happened in the relevant to the relevant to the story, and
story. Ending is story. Ending is story. Ending is ending is not
plausible. plausible. possibly believable.
plausible, but
highly unlikely.
Creativity Student creates Student creates a Student writes a The new ending
an unpredictable creative ending predictable but is not original at
and creative to the story. new ending to all.
ending to the the story.
story.
Resolution The new ending The new ending The new ending The new ending
resolved all the resolved all of resolved some of did not resolve
problems the problems, the problems and most of the
associated with but left readers left the reader problems and
the plot and left with more with more left the reader
the reader questions; the questions. The feeling
feeling satisfied. new ending ending is NOT disappointed.
The ending is resolved some of an open ending. The ending may
NOT an open the problems and be an open
ending. left the reader ending.
feeling satisfied.
The ending is
NOT an open
ending.
Grammatical There were no There were a There were There were
Conventions/ spelling or few minor noticeable several spelling
Editing grammatical spelling or spelling and/or and grammatical
errors. The final grammatical grammatical errors that
revision and errors. The final errors. The final detracted
editing process revision and revision and considerably to
has produced a editing process editing process the writing. The
polished and has produced a may not have revision and
masterful polished been sufficient editing process
product. product. to create a was insufficient.
polished
product.

Part II. Quote Interpretation

Chapters 1-4 of the novel The Catcher in Rye were assigned to students to read during the
asynchronous sessions. In this regard, the students will be asked to identify at least a quote
uttered by the main character (Holden Caulfield) from each chapter. The students will interpret
the quotes in paragraph form using complete sentences and should be able to tell what each quote
means. The essay writer should also express whether he/she agrees with the quote or not. The
writing style should be ONE QUOTE, ONE PARAGRAPH. The students’ interpretations and
analyses will be graded using the rubric that follows.
CHAPTER 1: “I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to
know I’m leaving it. If you don’t, you feel even worse.”

- It is really hard to leave a place where you can’t properly say good bye to it. It is like you
are leaving someone hanging when you left the place. You get used to that place and been
there for years or months leaving it would be worse if you don’t said goodbye to it.
Eventually, we will jump into one place to another and maybe knowing when you’ll leave it
would make you cherish it more and will be ready and happily leave it.

CHAPTER 2: "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules."

- Life is really a game. What we can do is to be a strong and good player of it. Sometimes we
won our battles, sometimes we don’t. Life will give us battles that will surely challenge our
strengths. We won battles that can get us stronger or get to know ourselves better. It might
be hard to one battle but with strength and courage to conquer it, you’ll surely survive.
Battles that we lost are the ones who will teach us lessons in life and also it might be the
source to not give up on something. Whenever life knocks us down, we can choose whether
or not to get back up. Always choose to get back up.

CHAPTER 3: “What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish
the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone
whenever you felt like it.”

- We all got a book where we are getting attached to it. Just how the story goes from the start
to end amazes as, mostly the plot twists of it. Sometimes we tend to think how the author
thinks so we guess the ending of the story. While reading it, we had so many questions that
we might want to ask the author. We are so curious on what is to happen that we think of all
the possibilities that may happen and thinking of talking to the author to sort our head out
and to know beforehand what is to happen to ready ourselves.

CHAPTER 4: Just because they're crazy about themseif, they think you're crazy about them, too,
and that you're just dying to do them a favor.

- We always told to love ourselves and its right but I guess people tend to become a narcissist.
They become a super fan of themselves that they get eaten by it. Some people especially
those who are famous always tend to use their power to use people for their own comfort.
They think that they own the world because they think highly of themselves. Also, those
kinds of people think that all the people like them and want to get to know them more. Not
everything is about you. I think we should love ourselves not in a way that we will think all
of the people love us but enough to accept ourselves fully.

Quote Interpretation/Comprehension Rubric

Criteria Excellent (10 pts.) Good (7 pts.) Satisfactory (5 Needs

pts.) Improvements
(3 pts.)
Knowledge/ Shows thorough Shows Shows some Shows limited
Understanding understanding of considerable understanding understanding
(e.g. knowledge the quotes through understanding of the quotes of the quotes
and themes; form explanatory of the quotes through
and structure; sentences through explanatory
language explanatory sentences
sentences
 Communication and Thoughts and Thoughts and Thoughts and Thoughts and
Clarity feelings are feelings are feelings are feelings are
communicated communicated communicated communicated
with a high degree with with some with limited
of clarity considerable clarity clarity
clarity
Application and Makes highly Makes Makes some Make limited
Personal effective effective connections connections
Connections connections with connections with own with own
own experiences with own experiences experiences
experiences

Flow and Sentence All sentences and Most sentences Some Very few
Structure paragraphs are and paragraphs sentences and sentences are
understandable are paragraph are understandable;
understandable understandable paragraphs lack
coherence

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