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

Information Sheet: Midterm Exam, Winter, 2010 (330/203 hybrid class)

The two-day Midterm Exam will be worth 200 points, equally divided between the objective exam and the essay (on which you can request evaluation for GWR certification).  It will test your knowledge of the development of English literature from the Old English period through the fourteenth century (including the Anglo-Norman period, thirteenth-century religious works in prose, and the late-fourteenth-century flowering of English-language literature, e.g. Chaucer, the Pearl Poet and the Alliterative Revival) as well as of Arthurian tradition from its origins (the supposedly "historical" works of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace and Layamon) through the literary fictions of the late twelfth-century (e.g. the romances of Chrétien de Troyes and Marie de France's Lanval), the religious reworking of this courtly literature in the prose romances of the early thirteenth century (see Translatio), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and 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:  Quizzes are excellent study guides; use them as you prepare for the objective portion of exams -- but don't assume that ALL questions on the objective exam will duplicate ones that were found on quizzes.
  • Exam hint 2: For the essay section, have a look at the paper guidelines you will be asked to follow on your final paper, in particular the section on the Opening Statement (i.e. the first paragraph of the essay).  Peruse the prompts I have used in the past for an out-of-class essay due prior to the midterm exam.
    • OBJECTIVE PORTION of exam will be worth 100 pts. It will cover: 
    1) Passage IDs (similar to passages on reading quizzes, but a lot more of them to choose from -- expect at least one passage from every primary reading of the quarter). 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, language, sources, manuscript tradition, important themes and 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 the medieval 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 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, language, and literary terminology associated with all primary readings. Know and be able to describe/define literary terms relevant to these genres, literary devices and forms (e.g. chronicle, dream vision, epic, lai, 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 readings wer in Latin and in French (rather than 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 prompts may resemble suggested paper topics which were previously used for out-of-class essays due week five of the quarter.    Many prompts will ask you to compare/contrast readings (e.g. Old English vs. Middle English works; secular and religious-themed works, etc.)

    To Prepare: 

    -- Review thematic questions on study guides for each reading.  Read through your own and other students' Personal Responses and the connected Classmate responses in the class Discussion Boards.  Peruse the prompts I have used in the past for an out-of-class essay due prior to the midterm exam.

    -- Familiarize yourself with the paper guidelines you will be asked to follow on your final paper, in particular the sections on the Opening Statement (i.e. the first paragraph of the essay) and on argumentation.  GET RIGHT TO THE POINT.  Your first sentence should ECHO THE PROMPT.  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 nights before!!! 
    And: DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST!!!!
    Contents of this and all linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2010