ENGL 330: Medieval Literature
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State University

Information Sheet: Midterm Exam

The Midterm Exam will be worth 200 points. It will test your knowledge of the development of English literature from the Old English period through the Alliterative Revival and of Arthurian tradition through Malory's Morte D'Arthur. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of significant issues in individual works and your ability to make meaningful connections among readings. 

  • Exam hint 1:  Reading quizzes are excellent study guides; use them as you prepare for the objective portion of exams.
  • Exam hint 2: For the essay section, be sure that you are thoroughly familiar with the paper guidelines and have thought about the various prompts provided for the out-of-class essay, but please note:  you may NOT write your exam essay on the same work(s) or topic which you chose for your out-of-class paper.  AUTOMATIC 50% PENALTY for writing the same work(s)!
    • OBJECTIVE PORTION of exam will be worth 100 pts. It will cover: 
    1) Passage IDs (similar to passages on reading quizzes). You will be asked to identify work/author and to answer a number of other questions about the passages. There will be an element of choice in this section. 

    2) Factual questions concerning genre, form, sources, or literary terms. You will be expected to answer ALL questions. 

    3) Item IDs. You will be asked to identify characters, objects, themes or motifs in or associated with works read in class AND to list all reading(s) in which the particular item is found. You must choose items from a broad spectrum of readings. There will be an element of choice in this section. 

    4) Chronology (dates given in Norton, text introductions, online readings or study guides for works and/or authors, periods, and most significant historical events). You will be expected to answer ALL questions.

    Format will be combination of multiple choice, matching, and/or providing short answers in space provided. 

    To Prepare:

    -- Review general and individual author/work introductions in The Norton Anthology as well as assigned introductions in other texts. You are also responsible for material presented in study guides and online readings (including translatio and "courtly love") and in lectures (review class notes!) Review general questions on study guides.

    -- Complete and correct all reading quizzes and use them to review for the exam. Some passages and much of the material covered on these quizzes WILL reappear on the exam! 

    -- Some hopefully obvious remarks: you should know (and be able to spell correctly) the titles and authors (if known) of works read so far this term; also, know DATES of various works/authors read so far, as well as other significant dates and events (e.g. beginning, end and transition between Old English and Middle English periods; Alliterative Revival; relative chronology -- what happened first, next, etc. -- of works/authors metnioned on translatio online reading, and distinctions between these works/authors). 

    -- Know genre, form, and particular literary devices associated with all readings. Know and be able to describe/define literary terms relevant to these genres, literary devices and forms (e.g. chronicle, dream vision, epic, romance, letter of moral instruction, hagiography, exemplum, allegory, alliterative verse, rhyme royal, prose, link-word, concatenation, bob and wheel, etc.; if necessary, consult glossary in NA A46 - A62). 

    -- Review interplay between Latin and the vernacular(s) in England. Know which reading was in Latin (not Old or Middle English).  Know historical development of romance genre (see translatio online reading and study guides for Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Malory).

    ESSAY PORTION of exam will be worth 100 pts. (possibility of GWR certification). Some questions may resemble some of the suggested paper topics. Many will ask you to compare/contrast Old English and Middle English works. You may NOT write on same work as you focussed on in out-of-class essay or choose a question that covers the same ground as your out-of-class paper topic.  AUTOMATIC 50% PENALTY for writing the same work(s).

    To Prepare:  

    -- Review thematic questions on study guides for each reading.  Review and think about the prompts on the list of suggested paper topics which you did not select for your out of class essay.

    -- Because I evaluate exam essays according to the same standards that I apply to out-of-class writing (except that there's no direct citation and thus no need for documentation on a closed-book exam), you should also be THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR with the PAPER GUIDELINES and the CHECKLIST provided for your out-of-class writing and endeavor to apply them to your exam essay.  

    -- Pay particular attention to the instructions concerning the introductory paragraph and argumentation.  Unless I can tell from your opening paragraph which prompt you selected, what work(s) you are writing on, and precisely what you will argue about it/them, your exam essay will NOT earn GWR CERTIFICATION (and it is unlikely to earn more than a C, regardless of the quality of your observations).

    -- DON'T FORGET TO BUY AN EXAM BOOK (LARGE FORMAT, PLEASE) AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO CLASS!!!
    HINTS: There will be choice in many BUT NOT ALL sections. You are advised to have read ALL the material; it will be difficult to camouflage large gaps. You WILL be required to demonstrate SOME knowledge of ALL works/authors read. Use quizzes as review sheets; SOME questions/passages will be on exam. And, the best advice I can give you: STUDY WITH A FRIEND!! 

    FYI:  The following sample instructions are taken from the Objective portion of a recent ENGL 330 midterm exam; they are intended to give you an idea of the relative weight of different sections on a recent ENGL 330 midterm (your actual exam may differ in point count per section.) Familiarize yourself with these instructions to know what to expect on exam.

    Pt. 1: Passage IDs. DO ONLY 7 -- NO E.C.!!! (3 pts. ea.; 21 pts. total) Memory jog: see list of titles under pt. 4, below. 

    Pt. 2: Factual (1/2 pt. per blank or question part, 29 pts. total). Answer ALL questions in this section. 

    Part 3: Item IDs (22 pts. total) 1) BRIEFLY identify/define 8 items (1 pt. each); for foreign terms, give language, translation and explain significance to course. 2) Identify ALL reading(s) the items are in/associated with (1 pt. per item). 3) Distribution: include items associated with at least 6 different readings (1 pt. each). NO EC -- DO ONLY 8.  BE SURE TO IDENTIFY THE ITEM IN ADDITION TO SAYING WHAT READING OR READINGS IT APPEARS IN OR YOU WILL MISS HALF THE POINTS IN THIS SECTION!!

    Part 4: Chronology, Authors, Genre, Form. Answer ALL questions in this section. (1/2 pt. ea.; 28 pts. total)

    Good Luck!
    Study wisely (with friends)!! 
    Get enough SLEEP the night before!!! 
    And: DON'T SKIP LUNCH!!!!
    Contents of this and all linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2005