ENGL 339: Shakespeare
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
Information on the Final Exam
The Final will be worth 300 pts., equally divided between the 150-pt. objective sections and the 150-pt. essay (possibility of GWR certification). The Final Exam will be very similar in format to the midterm exam, with the addition of a 25-point memory passage. You will need to bring a 100-question scantron, one or more number-two pencils for the scantron section (since ink does not always scan correctly), and at least one large-format exam book for the essay; bring a black or blue pen if you prefer to write your essay in ink.
The Memory Passage section will require you to transcribe 20 consecutive lines from a play read in class. You earn one point for each correctly transcribed and positioned line (20 points maximum; you may transcribe more lines than 20 to create a cushion against errors). No penalty for spelling and punctuation errors. Scoring is by line, not by mistake (so you could make six errors in one line and still miss only one point). One point penalty for each omitted or incorrect line; one half point penalty for each line that is correctly transcribed but out of order. Reproduce lines of verse as they appear in the required textbook (don't run them into a paragraph of prose). You may choose lines from the scene or monologue you presented in class, but if you were part of a group performance, you must transcribe 20 full consecutive lines (as numbered in the Signet Classics edition) -- not just your part. For dialogues, be sure to indicate who is speaking (abbreviations are fine). You will also need to specify the play and the act, scene, and inclusive line numbers that you transcribe (information worth 5 pts. on the exam)
Passage IDS will be chosen ONLY from the three plays read since the midterm exam (Macbeth, Hamlet and The Tempest). You will be required to identify two passages from each play--no credit for a third ID from the same play. (Some passages from quizzes may reappear on the exam!) No E.C.--identify ONLY six.
Video section will focus exclusively on Hamlet: both Olivier's version (required in its entirety of all students) and the clips from other versions of Hamlet that were screened in class. You will need to be able to identify all of these versions by type of film, director, and year. As on the midterm, video questions will require you to identify SPECIFIC NON-TEXTUAL DETAILS from the films, to explain what INTERPRETATION of the text they convey, and to indicate on what TEXTUAL PASSAGES that interpretation can be based. Review your Video Analysis Worksheet on Olivier's Hamlet and your class notes on the video discussion; also feel free to consult classmates' Video Analysis Worksheets posted in Polylearn Discussion Groups.
ALL OTHER SECTIONS OF THE EXAM will cover material from the ENTIRE COURSE.
This 50% of the exam will test your knowledge of:
You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the most significant issues in individual works and your ability to make meaningful connections among these works.
- Basic biographical and background information on Shakespeare and his era as covered in the assigned Signet Classics introduction and in class lectures (review your notes!)
- The factual information provided on study guides and other online readings (especially information in bod) and/or e-reserve readings.
- Each play's printing history (summarized on Problems with Shakespeare's Texts and covered in the Textual Note at the end of each text -- know dates!) and primary sources (from background portions of online readings and guides and from the Note on the Source found at the end of each text).
- The required film, Laurence Olivier's Hamlet, and the video clips from other film versions screened in class; you are also responsible for knowing the directors, dates and type of production for the film clips (commercial release, BBC made-for-television production, Royal Shakespeare Company production) and know which clips were from which films.
The objective exam will include a Scantron section with multiple-choice, matching, and T/F questions; there will also be two sections written directly on the exam: short answer / fill-in-the-blank questions on Olivier's Hamlet, and a passage ID section (with passages similar to those found on reading quizzes for the three plays read since the midterm exam).
SCANTRON FACTUAL QUESTIONS: Expect the same general format and types of questions as were found on the midterm exam. There will be more thorough coverage of background material covered since the midterm (the online readings Tragedy; Revenge Tragedy; review of Problems with Shakespeare's Text; Establishing a Text: The Example of Hamlet; Romance; assigned sources of The Tempest; and the historical background material on the Tempest Study Guide), but there will ALSO be coverage of background material from the first half of the course (Shakespeare's biography, Humanist Grammar School, Shakespearean Verse and Prose, and the genres Comedy and History). Some questions that appeared on the midterm may reappear on the final. You are advised to review ALL online readings, paying particular attention to information in bold, to the classical models for each genre, and to the conventions and characteristics of all five genres read this quarter. As you prepare, review the information that was covered on the midterm: basic biographical info; dates and publication details for all five plays (quartos, First Folio, base text used for editions); authors (and languages) of sources and models for the genres/plays read in class; literary terminology; etc.
To prepare: Review all online readings and any class notes concerning background material. Review required secondary readings (especially the assigned sources for The Tempest -- their titles, authors/translators, languages, and SIGNIFICANCE).
Expect:
To prepare for these sections, review the material covered in study guides and other online readings (especially any names, languages or terms that appear in bold) and your lecture notes.
- Passage IDs: passages chosen will be similar to those on reading quizzes (in fact: some quiz passages may reappear on exam!!) There will be three passages from each play; you will have to select two from each play.
- Factual questions concerning genres, poetic forms, literary influences, literary terms, biographical information and historical events, including significant dates and the year(s) of composition for each of the plays. There will NOT be choice in this section; you will be expected to answer ALL questions.
- Video Questions based on the Hamlet video worksheet questions, the issues that were covered on the video discussion day, and the specific clips from other Hamlet films which were screened in class.
HINT: also be sure to review names of characters in the plays!!
The Essay will be worth 50% of the exam points. While you may pace yourself as you see fit, the essay is supposed to take up to half of the three-hour exam period. There will be a number of prompts to choose from, all of which deal with one or more issues brought up in the study guides for Macbeth, Hamlet and/or The Tempest. REVIEW THESE STUDY QUESTIONS, as well as the discussion board postings you found most insightful, your notes from class meetings, and the GWR Essay Writing Pointers to prepare for the essay portion of the exam.
Additionally, all prompts will ask you to make connections between two plays, at least ONE of which must have been read since the midterm exam. AUTOMATIC PENALTY OF 75 PTS. if both plays discussed are from the first half of the quarter.
While I do not expect the same level of polish on a timed exam essay as I do in an out-of-class writing assignment, I still look for the same things -- clear and specific claims, a logically organized argument, and adequate supporting evidence in the form of specific details from scenes and speeches in the play (and possibly direct quotation from your Memory Passage, if relevant, and/or from the passages included on the Passage ID section of the exam). Familiarize yourself with the PAPER GUIDELINES available on the class website 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; also review the GWR Essay Writing Pointers.
Unless I can tell from your opening paragraph which prompt you have selected, what works you are writing on, and what you will argue about them, your exam essay is unlikely to earn GWR CERTIFICATION -- and will probably not earn more than a C, regardless of the quality of your observations.
Your Introduction should explicitly lay out the specific interpretative claims of your essay (don't raise a question without answering it). The introductory paragraph should provide a "roadmap" of your argument (i.e. a narrative outline of your paragraph structure). Body paragraphs provide specific details from the text to back up your claims and offer analysis and interpretation of these scenes and speeches (not just accurate descriptions or summary). Organization of the essay should group points in the order that best demonstrates the validity of your interpretive claims (not always the order in which events occur in the play). Making an outline helps! Be sure to include references to specific scenes and speeches from both plays in support of your argument.
TIP: It can be helpful to spend some time brainstorming and outlining your argument before you begin writing, but then skip a page and write your body paragraphs before the introductory paragraph. After you have seen where your argument takes you, go back and write a very clear and specific introduction that makes your claims and indicates what scenes, characters, speeches, etc. you discuss in your body paragraphs. As in a court trial or a forensic Debate, a good essay should LEAD WITH YOUR CONCLUSION -- don't leave your reader guessing what claims you are trying to make until you finally get around to revealing them in your conclusion.
To prepare: Review study questions and class notes for each play, concentrating particularly on common themes, structures and techniques. Thoughtfully reread plays if you are not sufficiently familiar with them. Review your own MEs, the Classmate Responses you have received, and the MEs and CRs posted in your discussion group (or in other the discussion groups) for additional food for thought.
EXAMS TOTAL (50% of the final course grade) will be calculated by adding your scores on the midterm and final exams and dividing by the total number of exam points. The resulting percentage determines the letter grade that will be averaged with your paper total (original and rewrite) and your quiz/attendance total to determine your final course grade. Since the final is worth more points, a strong final can make up for weak performance on the midterm exam!!
- Go through factual and video sections quickly; come back to problem questions at end of exam. Remember: it's better to miss a few 1-point factual questions than to write a weak essay when the essay is worth 150 pts.
- Do NOT answer more questions than required in a section where there is choice; there is NO EXTRA CREDIT for additional answers, and all wrong answers count against you.
- For questions you ARE required to answer, it's better to guess than leave a blank!
- Do Passage IDs before essay (to remind you of key passages); refer back to passages when considering choice of essay topics and writing body paragraphs.
If you want GWR certification (and even if you don't):
- Brainstorm and Outline before starting to write.
- Once you have figured out the argument you will make, skip a page and write up your body paragraphs before writing the introduction. Be sure to provide specific supporting details from the text to back up your claims.
- After you have laid out your argument in your body paragraphs, go back and write your introductory paragraph, which should echo the prompt and lead up to a clearly articulated statement of claims that are supported in your body paragraphs. The introductory paragraph should provide a "roadmap" of the paragraph structure of your essay. An introduction that states a general topic without identifying the specific scenes or speeches you will discuss, that doesn't clearly articulate your claims, or that raises a question without offering an answer to it, is generally a sign that an essay will not receive GWR certification.
- Reserve at least an hour and a half for the essay (don't agonize endlessly over 1-pt. objective questions). Allow yourself time to proofread. Edit carefully for clarity of expression, specificity of supporting evidence, and for the sorts of mechanical or stylistic errors that were flagged in your out-of-class writing assignments.
- Indicate clearly that you want your essay evaluated for GWR certification, or it won't be!
- You are strongly advised to have read all the material covered in class -- it will not be possible to camouflage large gaps.
- While you may complete work on the exam early, you are encouraged to use the full three hours to proofread your work and add additional supporting detail to your essay.
- My exams are demanding, but 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 what I say it will!
- Don't forget to bring a 100-question scantron and an essay book (large format, please) with you to the exam. (Bring extras if you have them -- there's always someone who forgets. . .)
- Get enough sleep the night before the exam and don't skip breakfast and/or lunch!
- IT IS FREQUENTLY HELPFUL TO STUDY WITH A FRIEND!!
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