Midterm Study Guidelines

Here are some general tips for studying for the midterm in English 103B. Although I can't provide specific answers about what will be on the midterm, this handout contains general hints about the kinds of knowledge that you will find helpful. This is likely to be particularly true for people who have not taken midterms/finals in upper-division English classes before.

Note that all of this advice is based on a draft of the midterm exam, and that that draft is subject to change.

In general, you should review your lecture notes and look for major themes that have been discussed, and be able to find examples of these themes in the texts we're reading. You should also be able to discuss how the specific texts we've read connect to and deal with these themes. You should scan or re-read these texts until you feel comfortable discussing their major points, and you should certainly feel comfortable with being able to understand and interpret a particular text if it is sitting directly in front of you. It is not necessary to be able to quote verbatim from the texts, although doing so is certainly one strategy that you can use to get an excellent score on certain types of questions.

Format of the exam: There will be a section of short answer questions (you should answer each with two to three complete sentences), a section in which you will be asked to paraphrase selections from the texts (you will be provided with a direct quote and asked to translate it into standard, direct, modern English), and an essay question (everyone will answer the same essay question). Be sure to pace yourself so that you have enough time to answer all of the questions. Partially correct answers will earn partial credit, so if you know anything at all related to a question, you should write down something relevant, even if you don't know the exact answer to the question. In general, if you are unsure how to answer a question, treat it as an opportunity to demonstrate what you do know about the topic. (This is just a good general test-taking strategy.)