Fall 2001
Dr. R. Nordquist
Victor Hall 1-10
(912) 921 5991
nordquist@mail.com  

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Advice to Students


American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed.

FINAL EXAM

The final exam for English 1102 will be held from 4:30-6:30 on Thursday, December 13, in Victor 102.  Tips on preparing for the exam appear below.

TIP #1.  Know your literary terms--and be able to apply those terms to works we have studied this semester.
Specifically, by reviewing your notes, the course text, and the links provided on the course web site, make sure that you understand the following literary terms:
alliteration
allusion
apostrophe
assonance
catharsis
chorus
dramatic irony
dynamic character
exposition
foil
imagery
irony of circumstance
metaphor
oxymoron
plot
point of view
pun
setting
simile
static character
symbol
theme
tragedy
tragic hero
understatement

TIP #2.  Know well the following poems (page numbers can be found on the ASSIGNMENTS page of the course web site). 
"Because I could not stop for death"
"Channel Firing"
"Death, be not proud"
"Do not go gentle into that good night"
"Dulce et Decorum est"
"Kicking the Leaves"
"A Study of Reading Habits"
"Symptoms of Love"
"To His Coy Mistress" (especially the second stanza)
"Ulysses"
"When I was one-and-twenty"

TIP #3.  Know well the following stories (page numbers can be found on the ASSIGNMENTS page of the course web site).
"Astronomer's Wife"
"Chrysanthemums"
"Everyday Use"
"Shiloh"
"The Story of an Hour"
"Why I Like Country Music"

TIP #4.  Know the following characters--and their significance in the works in which they appear.
Ben (Willy's brother)
Biff (Willy's son)
Charley (Willy's neighbor)
Dee/Wangero
Happy (Willy's son)
Willy Loman
nameless narrator of "Battle Royal"
Queenie
Dave Singleman
Granny Weatherall
Young Goodman Brown

TIP #5.  Know well the following plays (page numbers can be found on the ASSIGNMENTS page of the course web site).
Oedipus Rex
Trifles

TIP #6.   Be prepared to read (and heed) carefully the instructions at the top of the exam sheet.
Here, word for word, are those instructions:
On your own paper, answer any eight (and only eight: no extra credit, except for the two-point bonus question at the end) of the following ten questions.  (You begin the exam with four free points, and each of the eight questions that you choose is worth 12 points.)

Unless directed otherwise, organize each of your answers in a clear, concise, and direct paragraph.  Be as specific as you can, but don't waste words.  Unless the text is actually provided in the question, you are not expected to provide exact quotations--but you should be able to paraphrase clearly. Use complete sentences. Vague answers and faulty writing will be penalized. If your handwriting is poor, please print.

Sample Questions & Answers

I. Paragraph Answers

Some of the questions on the final exam will call on you to develop a paragraph in which you discuss certain aspects of one work or compare/contrast certain aspects of two or more works. Make sure that your paragraph is clear, direct, and concise (in other words, no balderdash).

Sample Paragraph Question
In a paragraph, succinctly yet specifically discuss how the different points of view adopted by Shirley Jackson in "The Lottery" and "The Summer People" create distinctive effects that contribute to our understanding of each story’s central conflict and/or theme.

Sample Paragraph Answer
In "The Lottery," Jackson uses third-person objective point of view to avoid giving the reader any access to the thoughts of the townspeople. This strategy serves as both a plot device (helping to keep the specific nature of the lottery a surprise until the end) and a way of underscoring the contrast between appearances and reality in the story. Beneath the objective surface of what appears to be a typical small town reside dark motives, fearful uncertainties, and a cowardly reluctance to alter tradition–qualities that are revealed not by characters’ thoughts but by brief remarks and a dramatic conclusion. In "The Summer People," by contrast, Jackson relies on third-person limited point of view. Providing access to the thoughts of the Allisons allows readers to share in their increasing apprehension as they evolve from smug self-satisfaction in the opening of the story to fearful isolation at the end. Though the motives of the townspeople remain as mysterious to us as to the Allisons, we are invited to experience the emotional transformation of the couple as they move toward acceptance of their fate.

II. Short-Answer Questions
Other questions on the final exam call on you to develop a series of shorter answers to three or four separate questions. The instructions might read as follows: "In two or three sentences each, answer any four of the following questions, providing specific examples where appropriate."

Sample Short-Answer Question
Define the literary term simile, and briefly discuss Robert Burns’s use of the device in "A Red, Red Rose."

Sample Short Answer
A simile is a figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using "like" or "as."  In the opening stanza of "A Red, Red Rose," Burns expresses his affection through two similes, comparing his "Luve" to both a "red rose" and a "melody."