Study
Guide for ENG 543 Final Examination
The exam will be comprehensive but
will focus more attention on the second half of the course (the
post-midterm part of the syllabus) than on the first half. About 2/3 of
the exam will cover the second half of the course, and about 1/3 will
cover the first half.
Like the midterm, the final will consist of three
parts: (A) definitions (to be answered in a sentence or two,
giving examples where appropriate); (B) identification questions (to be
answered in a paragraph); and (C) an essay question. The essay
portion of the exam will be open-book and open-note; thus, you’ll need
to turn in parts (A) and (B) before I give you the page that contains
the essay question. As you'll note, I reduced slightly the number of
definition questions you'll have to answer--this time, it's 10 out of
13 possible questions--in order to give you a bit more time for parts
(B) and (C).
Also, to return to an issue that came up in class Wednesday, I wanted
to let you know that passages from Joyce's Dubliners may indeed find
their way into the ID section of the exam (and for that matter into the
definitions and essay sections, too). These are the specific stories
from Dubliners that
you should review when studying for the exam: "Two Gallants," "The
Boarding House," "Clay," "A Mother," and "The Dead"
You’ll have the full class period to
complete your exam. Good luck!
A.
Definitions. 3 points each. (36 points total.)
You will be asked to define 10 out of
a total of 13 possible terms, phrases, or names, devoting only one or
two sentences to each definition. This section will include three kinds
of items: characters, terms, and small plot details. When you are
defining a term, be sure to mention (where appropriate) an example of
what you are defining, drawing the example from one of the works that
we’ve read.
Sample terms:
metalepsis, prefab, dignity (in Stevens' sense), boum, sausage theory
Sample names:
Tom, Mr. Benn, Sandi, Corley, Hatchjaw, Lady Turton
Sample plot details:
- Name three things that are done
with the sledgehammer in The
Cement Garden
- Describe the attitude of Aunt
Cora toward Richard Mason in Wide
Sargasso Sea
- Mention three ways in which
standard assumptions about space and/or time fail to apply in the world
of The Third Policeman
B.
Identification questions. 9 points each (36 points total.)
I'll ask you to identify four out of
a total of five possible passages; if you think that one or more of the
passages is from Dubliners,
you'll need to identify which of the five stories listed above is the
source of the passage. If a character (as opposed to an unnamed
narrator) is
thinking or speaking the words contained in the passage, identify the
character. Describe what is happening in the passage. Next,
discuss how, in each case, the passage reflects the larger themes and
ideas found in the text from which it is taken. As much as time
allows, try to weave into your discussion comments on the techniques
being used by the author of each passage (style of narration, imagery,
etc.); also, mention any issues discussed in our secondary readings
that might be relevant for understanding the passage.
Note: you'll be eligible for partial credit even if you can't fully
identify author and title of the work from which the passage is taken.
Sample passage:
He did not fall asleep till after midnight, and only then was I able to
tell my sisters that I did not think that the garden was a good plan.
We would have to dig deep and it would take a long time. If we did it
in the day someone would see us, and if we did it at night we would
need torches. We might be seen from the tower blocks. And how would we
keep it from Tom? I paused for effect. Despite everything, I was
enjoying myself. I had always admired the gentlemen criminals in films
who discussed the perfect murder with elegant detachment.
C. Essay
question. 28 points total.
Please write a coherent, well-argued
essay in response to the following question. Include an
introductory paragraph, as well as a conclusion summing up your overall
argument. Use plenty of textual evidence to support your claims.
You are free to consult your books and notes; but to reiterate, don’t
spend too much time trying to track down exact quotations to support
your points.
[Here I'll include the prompt along with some brainstorming questions,
not all of which need to be addressed in your response. You'll be asked
to write about a total of four works, three of which will be specified
in advance and the fourth will be of your own choosing.]
The following is a question that I used for an exam in a previous
class. This is not the question that you'll be asked, of course, but it
will give you a feel for the kind of question that will be included on
your own exam.
"Many of the works we’ve read and discussed this semester have explored
the tension between order and disorder—though they have presented this
tension in various ways. Focusing on four of the works that we
have read this term, discuss how the tension between order and disorder
manifests itself in those works. THREE of the works must be
Shakespeare’s The Tempest,
one or more of Robert Browning’s poems, and one or more of Yeats’
poems. The fourth work can be any other text (or cluster of
texts) that we’ve read this term.
The following are some “brainstorming” questions to think about as you
formulate a response. (Please note that you don’t have to address
all of the questions in your response.) What sorts of things does
each text associate with order, and what things does each associate
with disorder or chaos? What threatens to turn order into chaos
in each case? To what extent does each text portray order as
vulnerable to the encroachments of disorder? Is the order in each
case personal or communal in nature? Does chaos threaten personal
kinds of order differently than it threatens communal kinds of
order?"