ENGL 252: Great Books II: Medieval, Renaissance, 17th Century
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
Final Exam Information (Spring, 2005)
The three-hour, closed-book Final Exam will take place on Tuesday, June 7, from 1:10-4:00 PM. It will be worth 150 points and counts as 30% of your final course grade. It will test your understanding of the most significant issues in the primary works covered since Midterm 2; of connections between these works and previous readings; and of basic factual information covering the whole quarter. Portions of the final focussing on new material covered since the second midterm will be analogous to a third midterm exam. Additionally, from 1/3 to 1/2 of the exam points will test your cumulative knowledge of information drawn from readings covered during the entire quarter.
Some questions will be answered on a scantron form. Other sections you will answer directly on the exam. You must turn in both the scantron form and the exam itself (with your name on each!) to receive credit for taking the final exam. As on the Midterms, you will be required to show a valid PICTURE ID at the time you turn in the exam.
The material covered on the midterm-like component of the final exam will include the primary works introduced since Midterm 2 (the Romance of Silence, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the MND film clips screened in class); factual information on the Course Calendar and in background readings assigned along with these primary works; and material covered in lectures delivered since Midterm 2 (e.g. biographical information on Shakespeare; review your notes!).
The cumulative component will test your retention of basic knowledge concerning the readings covered earlier in the quarter. This cumulative component will cover basic factual information (so: review titles, authors, genres, languages, forms, etc.) as well as important concepts addressed in previously assigned background readings (review online readings and study guides, additional readings on e-reserve, assigned pages in textbooks, lecture notes, and factual information found on the class calendar of assignments).
Exam sections testing your knowledge of the primary readings will not be cumulative, except in cases where there are connections between the new readings and previously read works. So, be sure that you are thoroughly familiar with the new readings (Romance of Silence and A Midsummer Night's Dream) AND that you review relevant connections to previous readings as noted on the Romance of Silence and A Midsummer Night's Dream study guides.
Be aware that my exams are meaty. To do well on them requires both study and thought. You may need the full three hours, and unless you know the material well, you may have difficulty finishing the exam in the allotted time.
In the scantron section, there will be factual questions (T/F, multiple choice and/or matching that involves up to five choices). Some of these questions may resemble (or duplicate) questions that have appeared on scantron reading quizzes or previous midterms.
The questions to be answered on the exam itself may require you to select from more than five available responses (i.e. questions that go beyond the capacity of a scantron form), and/or to provide short answers or fill in blanks. There will be choice on SOME but not all of these sections. Expect the following types of question:
To prepare for these sections, review class notes, background information on course calendar, assigned e-reserve readings and the online background readings. Think about the type of background questions asked on quizzes and the first two midterm exams; some questions MAY reappear on the final exam!
- Passage IDs: significant passages chosen from primary readings since midterm two; you will be asked to identify work by title and author and answer some questions about the passage (e.g. who is speaking? to whom? when does this scene/dialogue take place? etc.). There will be multiple passages from EACH primary reading. There may be choice in this section. HINT 1: your lecture notes, especially any passages you noted in your texts during the course of lectures, as well as passages pointed to by questions on the study guides, are good beginning points for review. HINT 2: review CHARACTER NAMES, or you will miss points unnecessarily!
- Factual questions concerning e.g. authors, titles, dates, languages, forms, historical developments, material presented on online background readings and other assigned background readings. There will NOT be choice in this section; you will be expected to answer ALL questions. HINT: online background readings and the text info on the course calendar are good beginning points for review.
- Chronology: dates given under "text info" or "video info" on the course calendar for each primary work / author / film; additional historical context dates (e.g. those found on study guides and online readings, including translatio). You will not have to come up with these dates out of thin air; you will be asked to match authors, works and/or events with a list of provided dates. There will NOT be choice in this section; you will be expected to answer ALL questions.
HINT 1: you should know (and be able to spell correctly) the titles and authors of ALL primary works read/screened this quarter; the dates and original language of these works/authors; the forms in which these works were written; etc.
HINT 2: CAREFULLY REREAD the Romance of Silence and A Midsummer Night's Dream, using the study guides to draw your attention to key passages (which you may be asked to identify, including e.g. who is speaking, to whom, about what, under what circumstances, etc.). ALSO, REVIEW the episodes, plot events, thematic threads and characters from previously read primary works which are referred to on these study guides, as there will be questions on the final about connections or links between our last two readings and works read earlier in the quarter. BE SURE YOU HAVE CHARACTER NAMES STRAIGHT, as you will be asked to identify passages using correct character names, and multiple choice questions will ask you to choose appropriate names.
HINT 3: Even if you prepare thoroughly and are able to breeze through the exam, you are advised to take the time to PROOFREAD CAREFULLY before leaving the exam. Verify that you have followed instructions exactly in each section. Make sure you have answered all required questions on objective portion, but NOT more than are required on a section where there is choice. (There is NO E.C. for doing more than the specified number of questions; you will simply lose time and points, since any answer that's wrong or incomplete will count off!) THINK ABOUT multiple choice and true-false questions to ensure you have selected the correct response.
1) While there may be choice on some sections of the exam, you are strongly advised to have read/screened/reviewed ALL material covered this quarter (and to be particularly familiar with material covered since midterm 2).
2) While I am known as a demanding tester, I am proud that students consider my exams to be fair. (I don't believe in playing "Gotcha!" with my students.) If you are well prepared, there should be no surprises on the exam -- unless you are surprised by the fact that the exam really DOES cover everything I say it will!
3) Again: you will need to be well prepared in order to do well on the exam. You may need the full time allotted to complete all sections of the exam.
4) Get enough sleep the night before and don't skip lunch!
5) IT IS FREQUENTLY HELPFUL TO STUDY WITH A FRIEND!!
Contents of this and linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 2005
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