ENGL
203/Schwartz
Information
Sheet: Midterm Exam
The closed book, two-hour Midterm will take place during class on the
date listed on the course calendar. It will cover differences between medieval
and modern notions of literature and textuality, the development of vernacular
literature in England from the Old English period through the 15th century,
and your knowledge of the works read in class. It will also test your understanding
of what the tools introduced in the research exercises can and cannot do,
as well as your ability to write correct Works Cited entries in proper
MLA bibliographic format for books, essays in collections, journal articles,
and items accessed electronically. You will be asked to demonstrate your
understanding of significant issues in individual works and your ability
to make meaningful connections among readings.
Objective Portion will be divided into the
following sections:
1) Chronology of significant historical milestones / periods;
lifespans / dates of literary activity / dates of composition of all works
/ authors. You will match dates (as given on study guides,
online readings [including Translatio],
or in the Norton Anthology Introduction and/or headnotes) to a list
of works, authors, periods and significant historical events. No choice
-- you will be expected to answer ALL questions in this section.
2) Identifications of various elements -- characters, objects,
themes or motifs -- from readings, including the work(s) in which they
occur. 1 pt. for ID of the item (e.g. "Arthur" = legendary king of Britain)
and 1 pt. for listing ALL readings in which item appears (e.g. Arthur appears
in Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, Lanval, Knight of the Cart,
Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight and Morte Darthur). You will be
required to select items from a broad sampling of the readings covered
in class. There will be an element of choice in this section.
3) Factual questions concerning genre, form, sources, and literary
terms associated with assigned readings, INCLUDING TRANSLATIO AND
"COURTLY LOVE" online readings. Format: multiple choice, T/F, matching,
and/or short answers. You must answer ALL questions in this section.
4) Questions concerning research tools and correct
MLA bibliographic format for Works Cited entries.
To prepare:
-
Make a study sheet for each work we have read. List titles from syllabus
/ study guides; don't omit short works, e.g. selections from Wace and Geoffrey
of Monmouth in the Norton Anthology, individual lais (by title),
and assigned prologues and epilogues (by author and title of work they
introduce/end). For each title, jot down author (if known); language of
composition (Latin, Old English, Middle English, French); genre (lyric
poem, chronicle, dream vision, epic, treatise, prologue, lai, verse romance,
prose romance); and the formal characteristics of the language (alliterative
verse, prose, rhyme, octosyllabic rhyming couplets, bob and wheel, etc.)
List names of principal characters in each reading. Be sure you can describe/explain
what is meant by the terms listed under "genre" and "form"! NOTE: Study
guides clue you in to which characters and terms are particularly important.
-
Review class notes, handouts, General Introduction to the Middle Ages and
individual author/work introductions in The Norton Anthology, and
any assigned introductions in other texts. Make a timeline of significant
historical events and periods covered in class and of dates for the authors
and works read (OR REFERRED TO ON TRANSLATIO HANDOUT). Be able to
match events, periods, authors and titles to the dates on your time-line.
-
Complete/correct background questions on reading quizzes and use them to
review.
-
You are also expected to demonstrate familiarity with the research tools
covered in research assignments (MLA Handbook, Polycat, NetLibrary,
MLA Bibliography, EIL, Link+). Know what they are (and aren't) useful for
and be aware of their shortcomings. Review basic rules of punctuation,
capitalization and italics/underlining found in MLA Handbook. Know
correct MLA bibliographic format for a Works Cited entry for the following
types of secondary sources: a single-author book, a journal article,
and an essay in an edited collection; know what information you need to
add to these entries for a work accessed electronically.
Interpretive Portion of exam will include some
or all of the following sections: Passage IDS, Passage Interpretation and
Essay. There will be an element of choice in all of these sections.
1) Passages: choose from a selection of key passages
from ALL readings thus far. Passages chosen will be similar to those on
reading quizzes (some may in fact have been on a quiz!). You will
identify the work/author and answer several other questions (speaker[s],
what is being described, etc.). NOTE: Specific lais of Marie de
France and specific romances (or parts of romances) by Chrétien
de Troyes count as separate works.
2) Passage Interpretation: Discuss the THEMATIC SIGNIFICANCE
of ONE of the listed passages. Discussion should be concise (one meaty
paragraph) but detailed: refer to specific words / images / themes in the
chosen passage, explaining its thematic relevance in the work as
a whole. (In other words, why was the passage significant enough to be
included on the exam?)
3) Essay: a choice of questions (on most of which you may discuss
works of your choice). Most topics require you to make meaningful connections
between works. You may NOT write on the same work(s) or a topic similar
to that which was the focus of your Introductory Paragraph exercise. Substantial
penalty if you do!!
To prepare:
Use study guides and class notes to review significant themes
and trace their development across the readings. Be sure to review any
passages in your texts which you have underlined during class discussions.
Consider how these particular passages fit into key themes and developments
discussed in class.
Review and reflect upon the Introductory Paragraph Exercise prompts which
you did not choose to write on.
Use Reading Quizzes to review a selection of passages that may reappear
on exam or be useful support for an essay question.
Brainstorm with a friend or study group to identify important themes
/ motifs / connections which you may not have noticed yourself.
TIPS: you should know (and be able to spell
correctly) the titles and authors of ALL works read thus far, along
with their language of composition, approximate date, genre and form. Know
literary terms associated with these genres and forms and their definitions.
Genres covered include (but are not limited to) lyric (i.e. hymn), chronicle,
dream vision, epic, treatise, prologue, lai, verse romance, prose romance;
forms include (but aren't limited to) Old English and Middle English alliterative
verse, rhymed verse, prose, octosyllabic rhyming couplets; languages represented
include Old English, Middle English, French, and Latin.
REMEMBER: There will be choice in many BUT NOT ALL sections.
You are advised to have read ALL the material assigned, since it will be
difficult to camouflage large gaps. You WILL be required to demonstrate
SOME knowledge of ALL works/authors read thus far.
A WORD TO THE WISE: My exams are comprehensive and demanding,
but they are not "random" or unfair. While they cover a lot of ground,
I do not believe in trick questions or nasty surprises (except, perhaps,
for the fact that they really DO cover the material I tell you they will!).
If you know the material well, you should be able to complete the exam
in the allotted time and earn a good grade.
PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO BRING 1-2 EXAM BOOKS (large format preferred)
TO EXAM.
Final words of wisdom:
-
DO study with a friend or study group.
-
DON'T stay up all night studying before the exam.
-
DO have a good breakfast, or an early lunch.
-
DO read instructions carefully to avoid missing points unnecessarily!
-
DO use all the time allotted to you -- if you finish before the end
of class, proofread or add more examples / discussion to your essay rather
than leaving early!!