Syllabus | Class Reading | Weekly Questions | Further Reading | Essays

 

 

 

Exam

 

Thursday 14 April, 19-22.00

West Hall, University College, 15 King's College Circle

 

 

The exam for this course consists of two parts.

 

You must answer one question from Part 1 and two questions from Part 2.

 

Your three answers are equally weighted.

 

 

PART 1

 

Part 1 requires you to analyze a short passage from one of the texts you have studied. You may select from four possible passages.

 

Your answer should pay close attention to issues of style and technique, and also relate the passage to the themes and ideas explored in the work as a whole.

 

 

PART 2

 

Part 2 contains twelve essay questions, of which you must answer two. Each of your answers must refer to at least two texts (so across the two answers you must refer to at least four texts). One of your answers must discuss Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda.

 

Your answers in Part 2 should avoid significant thematic overlaps with the essays you have submitted for this course.

 

 

FAQs

 

How long should my answers be?

I am not looking for long answers -- I am looking for a good ones. The key to high marks in any examination is to write essays which are planned with real care and written with a strong sense of both economy and argument. For all three questions you are answering, spend 10-15 minutes planning your answer (probably longer in the case of Part 1) and constructing your argument before you begin writing.

 

Do I need to quote?

Yes -- good essays support argument with textual reference/evidence. This does not, however, mean that you need to learn huge chunks of texts as part of your revision. Learn a few key quotations from the set texts for this course: quotations that are short and which speak to a range of themes (think of the quotations used in the essay questions you have been answering - this is a good place to start).

 

What kinds of questions will I be asked?

The exam has been written with the lectures in mind. All of the passages in Part 1 are excerpts I have dwelt on in my lectures. Equally, the twelve questions of Part 2 relate to the recurring themes of the course -- the ideas and issues which I have been returning to again and again in my classes.

 

 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PAST PAPER.