ENGL 252: Great Books II: Medieval - Renaissance
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
Midterm Exam Information (Large Lecture class)
100-point, closed-book, scantron midterm exam(s) will take place during class on the date(s) listed on the course calendar. Midterm(s) will cover assigned primary readings and background information (from online readings and study guides, additional required readings that are on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard, assigned pages in textbooks, class lectures, and the "Text info" found on the class calendar of assignments). Questions will be answered on a large-format scantron form. To receive credit for your exam, you must print your name on the scantron form, sign it in cursive, and turn it in along with your exam, on which your name must also be written. You must show your Driver's License or PolyCard when turning in your exam. Persons who do not follow these instructions will receive no credit for the exam.
Some exam sections will test your knowledge of the primary readings covered through the date of the midterm in question. Midterm 1 will cover the prologues and epilogues by Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes; Béroul's Romance of Tristan; the anonymous episodic poem called "Tristan's Madness" (which is not by Béroul, but is printed in your Béroul textbook); the assigned lais by Marie de France; Chrétien's two romances (Knight of the Cart and Cligés); and both the assigned background information about and and first portion of Heldris of Cornwall's Romance of Silence (the Prologue and the Prequel story of Silence's parents, pp. 3-79 in our textbook). Midterm 2 will cover ALL of Heldris of Cornwall's Romance of Silence (including the first 79 pages) as well as all assigned Chaucer readings (the ballad "Nobility"; the Parson's Prologue; "Chaucer's Retraction"; the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales; The Knight's Tale; The Miller's Tale; and The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale).
Other sections will focus on background information, including (but not limited to) all online readings assigned to date; be sure to review Medieval Attitudes toward Vernacular Literature, Translatio studii et imperii, Courtly Love, the Tristan tradition, and Allegory for MT1. Review these readings as well as The Medieval Estates for MT2. Material presented in lectures will also be covered.
Expect questions that will test your knowledge of::
In format, most exam questions will resemble the questions on reading quizzes; expect a combination of True/False, multiple choice and/or matching that involves up to five choices.
- Background readings (from online readings and study guides, additional readings on e-reserve, assigned pages in textbooks, and/or "Text info" found on the class calendar of assignment).
- The individual primary texts, including both the contents of these works and the background information about them included under "text info" on the course calendar.
- Significant issues within each text, as well as common threads which link these works and significant differences between them.
In focus, expect questions of the following sorts:
To prepare for these sections, review class notes, background information on course calendar, required e-reserve readings and the online background readings. Think about the type of background questions asked on quizzes; quiz questions MAY reappear on exams!
- Passage IDs: significant passages chosen from all assigned primary readings; you will be asked to identify work by title and author (if known) and answer some questions about the passage (e.g. who is speaking? to whom? when does this scene/dialogue take place? etc.). There may be passages from all of the primary readings, so don't neglect the shorter selections assigned for class! When reviewing primary works, be sure to distinguish between: 1) specific prologues and epilogues (to which works?); 2) specific lais of Marie de France (by their individual titles); 3) Béroul's Romance of Tristan and the anonymous episode of "Tristan's Madness"; 4) Chrétien's two romances (Knight of the Cart and Cligés); the Romance of Silence; and each different reading by Chaucer. HINT: class notes, and especially any passages you marked in your texts during lectures, are good beginning points for review!
- Factual questions concerning e.g. authors, titles, dates, languages, forms, historical developments, material presented on online background readings and other assigned background readings. HINT: online background readings and the text info on the course calendar are good beginning points for review.
- Item IDs: you will be asked to identify a character, object, theme or motif and the work it occurs in (e.g. Thessala = Fenice's nurse who brews magic potions for her in Cligés). HINT: class notes, as well as characters, events or motifs that are the focus of questions on study guides, are good beginning points for review.
- Chronology: dates given under "text info" on the course calendar for each primary work / author; additional historical context dates (e.g. those found on the translatio or Tristan tradition online readings). You will be asked to match authors, works and/or events with a choice of dates.
HINT 1: you should know (and be able to match to each other) the titles and authors of primary works we have read, as well as of primary works that were alluded to for historical context in lectures and on background readings (e.g. translatio or the Tristan tradition online readings); the dates and original language of these works/authors, the form in which these works were written. Review which episodes / plot events / characters appear in which primary works. For this purpose, be sure to distinguish between 1) specific prologues and epilogues (to which works?); 2) specific lais of Marie de France (by their individual titles); 3) Béroul's Romance of Tristan and the anonymous episode of "Tristan's Madness"; 4) Chrétien's two romances (Knight of the Cart and Cligés); and 5) the Romance of Silence; each individual Chaucer reading.
HINT 2: Even if you prepare thoroughly and are able to breeze through the exam, you are strongly advised to use the full time allotted to you. Should you be tempted to leave before the end of the allotted time, don't do so before PROOFREADING THE EXAM CAREFULLY. Verify that you have followed instructions exactly in each section.
HINT 3: My exams are meaty. To do well on them requires both study and thought.
1) You are strongly advised to have read ALL material covered in class -- it will not be possible to camouflage large gaps.
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 allotted time to complete all sections of the exam!
4) Get enough sleep the night before and don't skip dinner!
5) IT IS FREQUENTLY HELPFUL TO STUDY WITH A FRIEND!!
Contents of this and linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 2005-2013
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