3.5Exam 2
Directions
This is a proctored assessment. Review the procedures for taking proctored assessments in the Taking Proctored Assessments section of the SYLLABUS. You may use a dictionary and a page of notes (details below). No other resources are permitted while completing this exam.
Review all the Assignments and the Study Guide for this Unit as you prepare to take Exam 2.
Exam 2 will ask you to compare/contrast some interesting theme, event, or character(s) from more than one time and place. You need to select at least one text from those you have studied in Unit 3, and one from either Unit 1 or Unit 2. You may discuss more than two texts, but the discussion MUST be in depth with many supporting examples from the texts you have selected. It is much better to work with two texts in depth than with more than two superficially. Possible topics include:
Possible topics include:
Gilgamesh, Odyssey, Agamemnon, Medea, Aeneid and Arabian Nights – woman troubles in two or three of these stories; be sure to include Arabian Nights as one of them
Odyssey, Aeneid and Arabian Nights – adventures and marvels in two or three of these stories; be sure to include Arabian Nights as one of them
Aeneid and Roland – two visions of empire
Lysistrata, Aeneid (Dido) and Arabian Nights – how women relate to heroes, power and empire in two or three of these stories; be sure to include Arabian Nights as one of them.
Bhagavad-Gita and Roland: two visions of the relationship between war, heroes and divinity
Aeneid and Arabian Nights – two ideas of fate or destiny
Odyssey and Arabian Nights – brave, clever Penelope and brave, clever Shahrazad – the right kind of wives
Gilgamesh, Agamemnon, Oedipus, Creon compared to Charlemagne and/or Shahrayar – rulers and powers; law and tyranny – be sure to include either Roland or Arabian Nights
Rama and Roland – two very different kinds of heroes
A pair or group of your choice, so long as at least ONE text is from Unit one or two and ONE from Unit three: You must let me know what you want to use as a question and what your point will be in advance of the essay. Sometimes students create questions that simply do not work for exams. I can be helpful if you contact me in advance (which does not mean the day you intend to take the exam).
Remember–your essay must have a point to it; it should be able to answer a reader’s question: SO WHAT?
If you are having trouble thinking about how to plan your exam, you are welcome to email me with questions but do NOT send me a full outline or draft of your exam. I will not read those. I will read and respond to a statement of thesis topic that explains which texts you intend to write about and what your main point will be.
Plan on about two hours to write and edit your essay before posting it– I want good writing as well as good thinking; the exam has a two hour limit.
You should develop an essay of not less than eight hundred words; it may be longer if you need to say more about your topic. You may use notes on the exam. The notes may cover the front and back of a regular 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper only. You may include an outline in your notes. You will submit the notes after you have submitted your completed exam.
You may not use a draft of the essay, or completed Assignments. Be sure to support any statements you make with examples from the texts themselves. The purpose of this exam is to encourage you to demonstrate your own understanding and thinking about what you have read; there is no simple, single answer to any of these questions.
You must cite any sources you use in your essay via an in-text citation and a works cited listing.
For the exam itself, discuss the group you have selected. Look at the similarities and differences between/among the works in your group. Be sure to ask yourself, “so what?” and try to answer that question. This will help you to focus your discussion. Be sure to use plenty of specific examples from the texts you choose to support your ideas.
Grading
Exam 2 is worth up to 150 points. I grade holistically, so I cannot assign specific points to specific elements of the essay. However, these are the criteria I consider when grading essays:
Develop a topic of comparison that is relevant to the texts you have chosen to write aboutContact me and discuss your proposed topic before taking the exam.State your topic of comparison in a clear and complete thesis at the start of your essay.Develop your ideas into a coherent essay of about 800 words.Use plentiful, specific references to the texts you are writing about to support your main points.Make sure your essay has a point (e.g. an answer to the reader’s question, SO WHAT?)Cite your sources correctly (in-text and works cited).Write your essay in clear, correct English.
