Taking the Exam

Doing well on an essay exam begins with a plan of attack. Once you analyze the questions to determine what is wanted, apportion your time.

Read the exam carefully.

Before you answer a question, read the entire exam so that you can apportion your time realistically. Pay particular attention to how many points you may earn in different parts of the test; notice any directions that suggest how long an answer should be or how much space it should take up. As you are doing so, you may wish to make tentative choices of the questions you will answer and decide on the order in which you will answer them. If you have ideas about how you would organize any of your answers, you might also jot down scratch outlines. But before you start to complete any answers, write down the actual clock time you expect to be working on each question or set of questions. Careful time management is crucial to your success on essay exams; devoting some time to each question is always better than using up your time on only a few.

Before beginning to write your first answer, analyze the question carefully so that you can focus your attention on the information that will be pertinent to your answer. Consider this question from a sociology final:

Drawing from lectures and discussions on the contradictory aspects of American values, the “bureaucratic personality,” and the behaviors associated with social mobility, discuss the problems of attaining economic success in a relatively “open,” complex, post-industrial society such as the United States.

Though the question looks confusing at first, once you sort it out, you will find that it contains the key terms for the answer’s thesis, as well as the main points of development. Look first at the words that give you directions: draw from and discuss. The term discuss invites you to list and explain the problems of attaining economic success. The categories of these problems are already identified in the opening phrases: “contradictory . . . values,” “bureaucratic personality,” and “behaviors associated with social mobility.” Therefore, you would begin with a thesis that includes the key words in the final clause (“attaining economic success in a relatively open, complex, post-industrial society”) and then take up each category of problem—and perhaps other problems you can think of—in separate paragraphs.

Review typical essay exam questions.

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The next section presents questions in nine common categories (on the left) with an explanation of how students should respond to each question (on the right). All the examples are drawn from short quizzes, midterms, and final exams for a variety of first- and second-year courses. These questions demonstrate the range of writing you may be expected to do on exams. Pay particular attention to how the directions and key words in each case help you define the writing task.

Notice that each question indicates the amount of time students should devote to their answer. In reality, students are often expected to determine how much time to spend, depending on the number of points allocated to the question—for example, students should spend half the exam period answering a question that could earn half the exam’s points. In general, instructors expect students to need the entire exam period to write an effective essay exam. If you find that you have finished the exam in half the time, review your answers: You probably have not included all the information your instructor was looking for.

Define or Identify Questions that require you to write a few sentences defining or identifying material from readings or lectures may ask for a brief overview of a large topic, or a more detailed definition or identification of a more narrowly defined topic. In composing a definition or identification, always ask yourself why this item is important enough to be on the exam.

See Chapter 16 for more about defining.

Question 26.1 (15/100 points; 15 minutes)

What are the three stages of African literature?

This question asks for a brief overview of a large topic. Answering this question would involve naming the periods in historical order and then describing each period in a sentence or two.

Question 26.2 (20/100 points; 20 minutes)

Define and state some important facts concerning each of the following:

  • demographics:

  • Instrumental model

  • RCA

  • telephone booth of the air

  • penny press

With no more than three or four minutes for each part, students answering Question 26.2 would offer a concise definition for each item (probably in a sentence) and add facts relevant to the main topics in the course.

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Recall Details of a Specific Source Sometimes instructors will ask for a straightforward summary or paraphrase of a specific source (often, assigned reading). To answer such questions, the student must recount details directly from the source without interpretation or evaluation. In the following example from a sociology exam, students were allowed about fifteen minutes to complete the answer on one lined page provided with the exam.

For more about paraphrasing and summarizing, see Chapter 5, Chapter 12, and Chapter 23.

Question 26.3 (10/100 points; 15 minutes)

In his article “Is There a Culture of Poverty?” Oscar Lewis addresses a popular question in the social sciences: What is the “culture of poverty”? How is it able to come into being, according to Lewis? That is, under what conditions does it exist? When does he say a person is no longer a part of the culture of poverty? What does Lewis say is the future of the culture of poverty?

The phrasing in Question 26.3 invites a fairly clear-cut structure: Each of the five questions can be turned into an assertion and supported with examples from Lewis’s article. For example, the first two questions could become assertions like these: “Lewis defines the culture of poverty as_______,” and “According to Lewis, the culture of poverty comes into being through ________.” The important thing in this case is to summarize accurately what the writer said and not waste time evaluating or criticizing his ideas.

Explain the Importance or Significance Another kind of essay exam question asks students to explain the importance of something covered in the course. Such questions require specific examples as the basis for a more general discussion of what has been studied. This type of question is often used when instructors want students to interpret a text or visual work by concentrating on a particular aspect of it.

Question 26.4 (10/100 points; 15 minutes)

In the last scene of Paths of Glory, the owner of a café brings a young German woman onto a small stage in his café to sing for the French troops, while Colonel Dax looks on from outside the café. Briefly explain the significance of this scene in relation to the movie as a whole.

In answering this question, a student’s first task would be to reconsider the whole movie, looking for ways in which this one brief scene illuminates or explains larger issues or themes. Then, in a paragraph or two, the student would summarize these themes and point out how each element of the scene fits into the overall context.

Question 26.5 (10/100 points; 20 minutes)

Chukovsky gives many examples of cute expressions and statements uttered by small children. Give an example of two of the kinds of statements that he finds interesting. Then state their implications for understanding the nature of language in particular and communication more generally.

For Question 26.5 (on a communications exam), students would start by choosing examples of children’s utterances from Chukovsky’s book. These examples would then provide the basis for demonstrating the student’s grasp of the larger subject. Questions like these require students to decide for themselves the significance of the information and to organize the answer so that the general ideas are clearly developed.

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Apply Concepts Very often, courses in the humanities and the social sciences emphasize significant themes, ideologies, or concepts. A common type of essay exam question asks students to apply the concepts to works studied in the course.

See Chapter 4 for more on explaining a concept.

Question 26.6 (45/130 points; 40 minutes)

Several works studied in this course depict scapegoat figures. Select two written works and two films, and discuss how their authors or directors present and analyze the social conflicts that lead to the creation of scapegoats.

The answer to Question 26.6 would provide an introductory paragraph defining the concept “scapegoat” and referring to the works to be discussed. Then the student would devote a paragraph or two to the works, pointing out specific examples to illustrate the concept. A concluding paragraph would probably attempt to bring the concept into clearer focus.

Comment on a Quotation On essay exams, an instructor will often ask students to comment on a quotation they are seeing for the first time. Usually, such quotations will express some surprising or controversial opinion that complements or challenges basic principles or ideas in the course. Sometimes the writer being quoted is identified, sometimes not. In fact, it is not unusual for instructors to write the quotation themselves.

Question 26.7 (75/100 points; 90 minutes)

“Some historians believe that economic hardship and oppression breed social revolt, but the experience of the United States and Mexico between 1900 and 1920 suggests that people may rebel also during times of prosperity.”

Comment on this statement. Why did large numbers of Americans and Mexicans wish to change conditions in their countries during the years from 1900 to 1920? How successful were their efforts? Who benefited from the changes that took place?

See Chapter 19 for more about these components of an argument.

Question 26.7, from a midterm exam in a history course, asks students to “comment,” but the three questions make clear that a successful answer would require an argument: a clear thesis stating a position on the views expressed in the quotation, specific reasons for that thesis, and support for the thesis from readings and lectures. In general, such questions do not have a “correct” answer: Whether students agree or disagree with the quotation is not as important as whether they can argue their case reasonably and convincingly, demonstrating a firm grasp of the subject matter.

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See Chapter 18 for more about comparing and contrasting.

Compare and Contrast Instructors are particularly fond of essay exam questions that require a comparison and contrast of two or three principles, ideas, works, activities, or phenomena. To answer this kind of question, you need to explore fully the relations between the things to be compared, analyze each one separately, and then search out specific points of likeness or difference. Students must thus show a thorough knowledge of the things being compared, as well as a clear understanding of the basic issues on which comparisons and contrasts can be made. Whether the point of comparison is stated in the question or left for you to define for yourself, your answer needs to be limited to the aspects of similarity or difference that are most relevant to the general concepts or themes covered in the course.

Question 26.8 (50/100 points; 1 hour)

Compare and analyze the views of colonialism presented in Memmi’s Colonizer and the Colonized and Pontecorvo’s Battle of Algiers. What are the significant differences between these two views?

Often, as in Question 26.8, the basis of comparison will be limited to a particular focus; here, for example, students are asked to compare two works in terms of their views of colonialism.

Question 26.9 (50/100 points; 1 hour)

What was the role of the United States in Cuban affairs from 1898 until 1959? How did its role there compare with its role in the rest of Spanish America during the same period?

Sometimes instructors will simply identify what is to be compared, as in Question 26.8. In this question from a Latin American history exam, students are left the task of choosing the basis of the comparison.

For more about synthesizing, see Chapter 5, Chapter 12, and Chapter 23.

Synthesize Information from Various Sources In a course with several assigned readings, an instructor may ask students to pull together, or synthesize, information from several or even all the readings.

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For more about forecasting statements, see Chapter 13.

Question 26.10 (25/100 points; 30 minutes)

On the basis of the articles read on El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico, what would you say are the major problems confronting Latin America today? Discuss the major types of problems with references to particular countries as examples.

Question 26.10, from the final in a Latin American studies course, asks students to decide which major problems to discuss, which countries to include in each discussion, and how to use material from many readings to develop their answers, all in half an hour. To compose a coherent essay, a student will need a carefully developed forecasting statement.

See Chapter 9 for more about analyzing causes.

Analyze Causes In humanities and social science courses, much of what students study concerns the causes of trends, actions, and events. Hence, it is not surprising to find questions about causes on essay exams. In such cases, the instructor expects students to analyze causes of various phenomena discussed in readings and lectures.

Question 26.11 (25/100 points; 30 minutes)

Given that we occupy several positions in the course of our lives and given that each position has a specific role attached to it, what kinds of problems or dilemmas arise from those multiple roles, and how are they handled?

Question 26.11 comes from a midterm exam in sociology. The question requires students to develop a list of causes in the answer. The causes would be organized under a thesis statement, and each cause would be argued and supported by referring to lectures or readings.

See Chapter 8 for more about evaluation.

Criticize or Evaluate Occasionally, instructors will include essay exam questions that invite students to evaluate a concept or a work. They want more than opinion: They expect a reasoned, documented evaluation based on appropriate standards of judgment. Such questions test students’ ability to recall and synthesize pertinent information and to understand and apply criteria taught in the course.

Question 26.12 (10/85 points; 20 minutes)

Eisenstein and Mukerji both argue that movable print was important to the rise of Protestantism. Cole extends this argument to say that print set off a chain of events that was important to the history of the United States. Summarize this argument, and evaluate any part of it if you choose.

Question 26.12 appeared on a communications course midterm that asked students to answer “in two paragraphs.” The question asks students to summarize and evaluate an argument that appears in several course readings. The students would probably use the writing strategies of comparison and contrast to analyze and evaluate the authors’ views.

Write your answer.

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Your strategy for writing depends on the length of your answer. For short identifications and definitions, start with a general identifying statement and then move on to describe specific applications or explanations. Two complete sentences will almost always suffice.

See Chapter 13 for more about forecasting and transitions.

For longer answers, begin with a clear and explicit thesis statement. Use key terms from the question in your thesis, and use the same key terms throughout your essay. If the question does not supply any key terms, provide your own. Outlining your answer will enable you to forecast your points in your opening sentences. Use transitions such as first, second, moreover, however, and thus to signal clear relations among paragraphs.

As you write, you will certainly think of new ideas or facts to include. If you find that you want to add a sentence or two to sections you have already completed, write them in the margin or at the top of the page, with a neat arrow pointing to where they fit in your answer. Strike out words or even sentences you want to change by drawing through them neatly with a single line. If you run out of time when you are writing an answer, jot down the remaining ideas, just to show that you know the material and with more time could have continued your answer.

Model Answers

Here we analyze several successful answers and give you an opportunity to analyze one for yourself. These analyses, along with the information we have provided elsewhere in this chapter, should greatly improve your chances of writing successful exam answers.

Short Answers A literature midterm opened with ten items to identify, each worth 3 points. Students had about two minutes for each item. Here are three of Brenda Gossett’s answers, each one earning her the full 3 points:

Rauffenstein: He was the German general who was in charge of the castle where Boeldieu, Maréchal, and Rosenthal were finally sent in The Grand Illusion. He, along with Boeldieu, represented the aristocracy, which was slowly fading out at that time.

Iges Peninsula: This peninsula is created by the Meuse River in France. It is there that the Camp of Hell was created in The Debacle. The Camp of Hell is where the French army was interned after the Germans defeated them in the Franco-Prussian War.

Pache: He was the “religious peasant” in the novel The Debacle. It was he who inevitably became a scapegoat when he was murdered by Loubet, La poulle, and Chouteau because he wouldn’t share his bread with them.

The instructor said only “identify the following” but clearly wanted students both to identify the item and to indicate its significance to the work in which it appeared. Gossett does both and gets full credit. She mentions particular works, characters, and events. Although she is rushed, she answers in complete sentences. She does not misspell any words or leave out any commas or periods. Her answers are complete and correct.

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Paragraph-Length Answers The following question is from a weekly literature quiz. With only a few minutes to respond, students were instructed to “answer in a few sentences.” Here is the question and Camille Prestera’s answer:

In Things Fall Apart, how did Okonkwo’s relationship with his father affect his attitude toward his son? (20/100 points)

Okonkwo despised his father, who was lazy, cowardly, and in debt. Okonkwo tried to be everything his father wasn’t. He was hardworking, wealthy, and a great warrior and wrestler. Okonkwo treated his son harshly because he was afraid he saw the same weakness in Nwoye that he despised in his father. The result of this harsh treatment was that Nwoye left home.

Prestera begins by describing Okonkwo and his father, contrasting the two sharply. Then she explains Okonkwo’s relationship with his son Nwoye. Her answer is coherent and straightforward.

Long Answers Many final exams include at least one question requiring an essay-length answer. John Pixley had an hour to plan and write this essay for a final exam in a literature course in response to the following question applying a concept:

Many American writers have portrayed their characters or their poetic speaker as being engaged in a quest. The quest may be explicit or implicit, it may be external or psychological, and it may end in failure or success. Analyze the quest motif in the work of four of the following writers: Edwards, Franklin, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Douglass, Whitman, Dickinson, James, Twain.

Key term, quest, mentioned in introduction and thesis

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Americans pride themselves on being ambitious and on being able to strive for goals and to tap their potential. Some say that this is what the “American Dream” is all about. It is important for one to do and be all that one is capable of. This entails a quest or search for identity, experience, and happiness. Hence, the idea of the quest is a vital one in the United States, and it can be seen as a theme throughout American literature.

First writer identified immediately

Edwards’s work and the details of his quest presented

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In eighteenth-century colonial America, Jonathan Edwards dealt with this theme in his autobiographical and personal writings. Unlike his fiery and hard-nosed sermons, these autobiographical writings present a sensitive, vulnerable man trying to find himself and his proper, satisfying place in the world. He is concerned with his spiritual growth, in being free to find and explore religious experience and happiness. For example, in Personal Narrative, he very carefully traces the stages of religious beliefs. He tells about periods of abandoned ecstasy, doubts, and rational revelations. He also notes that his best insights and growth came at times when he was alone in the wilderness, in nature. Edwards’s efforts to find himself in relation to the world can also be seen in his “Observations of the Natural World,” in which he relates various meticulously observed and described natural phenomena to religious precepts and occurrences. Here, he is trying to give the world and life, of which he is a part, some sense of meaning and purpose.

Second writer identified in transition sentence;key term (quest) repeated

Contrast with Edwards added for coherence

Another key term from question, external, used

Franklin’s particular kind of quest described

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Although he was a contemporary of Edwards, Benjamin Franklin, who was very involved in the founding of the United States as a nation, had a different conception of the quest. He sees the quest as being one of practical accomplishment, success, and wealth. In his Autobiography, he stresses that happiness involves working hard to accomplish things, getting along with others, and establishing a good reputation. Unlike Edwards’s, his quest is external and bound up with society. He is concerned with his morals and behavior, but as seen in part 2 of the Autobiography, he deals with them in an objective, pragmatic, even statistical way, rather than in sensitive pondering. It is also evident in this work that Franklin, unlike Edwards, believes so much in himself and his quest that he is able to laugh at himself. His concern with society can be seen in Poor Richard’s Almanac, in which he gives practical advice on how to find success and happiness in the world, how to “be healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Third writer identified in transition sentence; key term repeated

Coherence sustained by comparison of Whitman to Edwards and Franklin

Whitman’s quest defined

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Still another version of the quest can be seen in the mid-nineteenth-century poetry of Walt Whitman. The quest that he portrays blends elements of those of Edwards and Franklin. In “Song of Myself,” which is clearly autobiographical, the speaker emphasizes the importance of finding, knowing, and enjoying oneself as part of nature and the human community. He says that one should come to realize that one is lovable, just as are all other people and all of nature and life. This is a quest for sensitivity and awareness, as Edwards advocates, and for great self--confidence, as Franklin advocates. Along with Edwards, Whitman sees that peaceful isolation in nature is important; but he also sees the importance of interacting with people, as Franklin does. Being optimistic and feeling good--in both the literal and the figurative sense--are the objects of this quest. Unfortunately, personal disappointment and national crisis (i.e., the Civil War) shattered Whitman’s sense of confidence, and he lost the impetus of this quest in his own life.

Transition: Key term repeated; fourth writer identified

Quest of James character described

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This theme of the quest can be seen in prose fiction as well as in poetry and autobiography. One interesting example is “The Beast in the Jungle,” a short story written by Henry James around 1903. It is interesting in that not only does the principal character, John Marcher, fail in his lifelong quest, but his failure comes about in a most subtle and frustrating way. Marcher believes that something momentous is going to happen in his future. He talks about his belief to only one person, a woman named May. May decides to befriend him for life and watch with him for the momentous occurrence to come about, for “the beast in the jungle” to “pounce.” As time passes, May seems to know what this occurrence is and eventually even says that it has happened; but John is still in the dark. It is only long after May’s death that the beast pounces on him in his recognition that the “beast” was his failure to truly love May, the one woman of his life, even though she gave him all the encouragement that she possibly, decently could. Marcher never defined the terms of his quest until it was too late. By just waiting and watching, he failed to find feeling and passion. This tragic realization, as someone like Whitman would view it, brings about John Marcher’s ruin.

Key term repeated in conclusion

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As seen in these few examples, the theme of the quest is a significant one in American literature. Also obvious is the fact that there are a variety of approaches to, methods used in, and outcomes of the quest. This is an appropriate theme for American literature, seeing how much Americans cherish the right of “the pursuit of happiness.”

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Pixley’s answer is strong for two reasons: He has the information he needs, and he has organized it carefully and presented it coherently.

EXERCISE 26.1

The following essay was written by Dan Hepler. He answered the same essay exam question as his classmate John Pixley. Analyze Hepler’s essay to discover whether it meets the criteria of a good essay exam answer. Review the criteria mentioned earlier in this chapter (in the section Write Your Answer) and in the annotated commentary of John Pixley’s answer. Try to identify the features of Hepler’s essay that contribute to or work against its success.

Dan Hepler’s Answer

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The quest motif is certainly important in American literature. By considering Franklin, Thoreau, Douglass, and Twain, we can see that the quest may be explicit or implicit, external or psychological, a failure or a success. Tracing the quest motif through these four authors seems to show a developing concern in American literature with transcending materialism to address deeper issues. It also reveals a drift toward ambiguity and pessimism.

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Benjamin Franklin’s quest, as revealed by his Autobiography, is for material comfort and outward success. His quest may be considered an explicit one because he announces clearly what he is trying to do: perfect a systematic approach for living long and happily. The whole Autobiography is a road map intended for other people to use as a guide; Franklin apparently meant rather literally for people to imitate his methods. He wrote with the assumption that his success was reproducible. He is possibly the most optimistic author in American literature because he enjoys life, knows exactly why he enjoys life, and believes that anyone else willing to follow his formula may enjoy life as well.

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By Franklin’s standards, his quest is clearly a success. But his Autobiography portrays only an external, not a psychological, success. This is not to suggest that Franklin was a psychological failure. Indeed, we have every reason to believe the contrary. But the fact remains that Franklin wrote only about external success; he never indicated how he really felt emotionally. Possibly it was part of Franklin’s overriding optimism to assume that material comfort leads naturally to emotional fulfillment.

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Henry David Thoreau presents a more multifaceted quest. His Walden is, on the simplest level, the chronicle of Thoreau’s physical journey out of town and into the woods. But the moving itself is not the focus of Walden. It is really more of a metaphor for some kind of spiritual quest going on within Thoreau’s mind. Most of the action in Walden is mental, as Thoreau contemplates and philosophizes, always using the lake, the woods, and his own daily actions as symbols of higher, more eternal truths. This spiritual quest is a success in that Thoreau is able to appreciate the beauty of nature and to see through much of the sham and false assumptions of town life and blind materialism.

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Thoreau does not leave us with nearly as explicit a “blueprint” for success as Franklin does. Even Franklin’s plan is limited to people of high intelligence, personal discipline, and sound character; Franklin sometimes seems to forget that many human beings are in fact weak and evil and so would stand little chance of success similar to his own. But at least Franklin’s quest could be duplicated by another Franklin. Thoreau’s quest is more problematic, for even as great a mystic and naturalist as Thoreau himself could not remain in the woods indefinitely. This points toward the idea that the real quest is all internal and psychological; Thoreau seems to have gone to the woods to develop a spiritual strength that he could keep and take elsewhere on subsequent dealings with the “real world.”

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The quest of Frederick Douglass was explicit in that he needed physically to get north and escape slavery, but it was also implicit because he sought to discover and redefine himself through his quest, as Thoreau did. Douglass’s motives were more sharply focused than either Franklin’s or Thoreau’s; his very humanness was at stake, as well as his physical well-being and possibly even his life. But Douglass also makes it clear that the most horrible part of slavery was the mental anguish of having no hope of freedom. His learning to read, and his maintenance of this skill, seems to have been as important as the maintenance of his material comforts, of which he had very few. In a sense, Douglass’s quest is the most psychological and abstract so far because it is for the very essence of freedom and humanity, both of which were mostly taken for granted by Franklin and Thoreau. Also, Douglass’s quest is the most pessimistic of the three; Douglass concludes that physical violence is the only way out, as he finds with the Covey incident.

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Finally, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is an example of the full range of meaning that the quest motif may assume. Geographically, Huck’s quest is very large. But again, there is a quest defined implicitly as well as one defined explicitly, as Huck (without consciously realizing it) searches for morality, truth, and freedom. Twain’s use of the quest is ambiguous, even more so than the previous writers’, because while he suggests success superficially (i.e., the “happily ever after” scene in the last chapter), he really hints at some sort of ultimate hopelessness inherent in society. Not even Douglass questions the good or evil of American society as deeply as Twain does; for Douglass, everything will be fine when slavery is abolished; but for Twain, the only solution is to “light out for the territories” altogether--and when Twain wrote, he knew that the territories were no more.

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Twain’s implicit sense of spiritual failure stands in marked contrast to Franklin’s buoyant confidence in material success. The guiding image of the quest, however, is central to American values and, consequently, a theme that these writers and others have adapted to suit their own vision.

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EXERCISE 26.2

Analyze the following essay exam questions to decide what kind of writing task they present. What is being asked of the student as a participant in the course and as a writer Given the time constraints of the exam, what plan would you propose for writing the answer Following each question is the number of points it is worth and the amount of time allotted to answer it.

  1. Cortazar is a producer of fantastic literature. Discuss first what fantastic literature is. Then choose any four stories by Cortazar as examples, and discuss the fantastic elements in these stories. Refer to the structure, techniques, and narrative styles that he uses in these four stories. If you like, you may refer to more than four, of course. (Points: 30 of 100. Time: 40 of 150 minutes.)

  2. During the course of the twentieth century, the United States experienced three significant periods of social reform—the progressive era, the age of the Great Depression, and the decade of the 1960s. What were the sources of reform in each period? What were the most significant reform achievements of each period as well as the largest failings? (Points: 35 of 100. Time: 75 of 180 minutes.)

  3. Since literature is both an artistic and an ideological product, writers comment on their material context through their writing.

    1. What is Rulfo’s perspective of his Mexican reality, and how is it portrayed through his stories?

    2. What particular themes does he deal with, especially in these stories: “The Burning Plain,” “Luvina,” “They Gave Us the Land,” “Paso del Norte,” and “Tell Them Not to Kill Me!”?

    3. What literary techniques and structures does he use to convey his perspective? Refer to a specific story as an example.

      4. (Points: 30 of 100. Time: 20 of 50 minutes.)

  4. Why is there a special reason to be concerned about the influence of television watching on kids In your answer, include a statement of the following:

    1. Your own understanding of the general communication principles involved for any television watcher.

    2. What is special about television and kids.

    3. How advertisers and producers use this information. (You should draw from the relevant readings as well as lectures.)

      4. (Points: 20 of 90. Time: 25 of 90 minutes.)

  5. Analyze the autobiographical tradition in American literature, focusing on differences and similarities among authors and, if appropriate, changes over time. Discuss four authors in all. In addition to the conscious autobiographers—Edwards, Franklin, Thoreau, and Douglass—you may choose one or two figures from among the following fictional or poetic quasi-autobiographers: Hawthorne, Whitman, Dickinson, and Twain. (Points: 50 of 120. Time: 60 of 180 minutes.)

  6. How does the system of (media) sponsorship work, and what, if any, ideological control do sponsors exert? Be specific and illustrative. (Points: 33 of 100. Time: 60 of 180 minutes.)

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  7. Several of the works studied in this course analyze the tension between myth and reality. Select two written works and two films, and analyze how their authors or directors present the conflict between myth and reality and how they resolve it, if they resolve it. (Points: 45 of 130. Time: 60 of 180 minutes.)

  8. Man’s Hope is a novel about the Spanish Civil War written while the war was still going on. La Guerre Est Finie is a film about Spanish revolutionaries depicting their activities nearly thirty years after the civil war. Discuss how the temporal relationship of each of these works to the civil war is reflected in the character of the works themselves and in the differences between them. (Points: 58 of 100. Time: 30 of 50 minutes.)

  9. Write an essay on one of these topics: The role of the narrator in Tom Jones and Pride and Prejudice or the characters of Uncle Toby and Miss Bates. (Points: 33 of 100. Time: 60 of 180 minutes.)