This last example includes examples of true and false questions, multiple choice questions, and an open-text section. It also includes a study guide.
The following texts will be covered on your exam: White Noise, House of Leaves, The God of Small Things and 100 Years of Solitude.
Section I: True/False and Multiple Choice (15 questions, 2 points each= 30 points total)
In this section, you will be asked to determine whether a statement is true or false. You may also be asked to fill in the blank with the best possible answer from a provided a list of choices. Textual examples will range from applications of critical terms to simple plot points. Note: If the wording of a question is confusing you, feel free to briefly explain the logic behind your answer in the margins of the exam.
*Please fill in your answers for section I on the exam itself. (Don’t use a separate sheet of paper.)*
_____ 1) Which is not mentioned in The God of Small Things?
a. Sophie Mol’s funeral c. Baby Kochamma’s unrequited love
b. Ammu’s solitary death, alone in a hotel d. Chacko’s expulsion from Oxford
_____ 2) T F In a work of magical realism, characters don't notice that there's anything unusual about the fantastic elements included in the text.
_____ 3) T F In The God of Small Things, Pappachi’s moth functions as a conventional symbol.
_____ 4) T F Just like the character of Baby Kochamma, author Arundhati Roy holds a degree in Ornamental Gardening.
_____ 5) Where does One Hundred Years of Solitude take place?
a. Spain c. Colombia
b. Mexico d. Argentina
_____ 6) Which text contains repeated references to a child’s watch, forever frozen at ten till two?
a. The God of Small Things c. 100 Years of Solitude
b. both of the above d. none of the above
_____ 7) In One Hundred Years of Solitude, how does the final child in the Buendia line die?
a. struck by lightening c. of complications from being born with a pig’s tail
b. carried away and eaten by ants d. buried alive under an imploding house
_____ 8) In The God of Small Things, which character was not a Communist, Marxist, or Communist sympathizer?
a. Chacko c. Comrade Pillai
b. Velutha d. all of the above were Communists, Marxists, or Communist sympathizers
_____ 9) T F Gabriel Garcia Marquez was friends with Fidel Castro.
_____ 10) Which of the following is not a characteristic of a satire?
_____ 11) In The God of Small Things, which character murdered Sophie Mol?
a. Baby Kochamma c. Comrade Pillai
b. Velutha d. Sophie Mol was not murdered
_____ 12) T F In 100 Years of Solitude, many of the characters named “Aureliano” (Colonel Aureliano Buendia, Aureliano Babalonia, etc.) share a solitary, introverted nature.
_____ 13) In 100 Years of Solitude, which character dies, but returns from the dead?
a. Melquiades b. Ursula Iraguan
c. Pietro Crespi d. Remedios The Beauty
If your “lit circle” text was White Noise, please answer the following questions:
_____ 14a) T F Before writing White Noise, Don DeLillo spent a considerable amount of time living abroad, away from America.
_____ 14b) T F Despite the fact that Jack and Babette constantly obsess about death, the only character that actually does die in White Noise is Orest Mercator, bitten by poisonous snakes.
_____ 14c) In White Noise, who is the clearest foil to Jack?
a. Murray c. Babette
b. Willie Mink (Mr. Gray) d. none of the above
_____ 14d) Which character is described in the following passage: “[_____] is tall and fairly ample; there is a girth and heft to her. Her hair is a fanatical blonde mop, a particular tawny hue that used to be called dirty blond. If she were a petite woman, the hair would be too cute, too mischievous and contrived. Size gives her tousled aspect a certain seriousness.”
a. Babette (Jack’s wife) c. Bee (Jack’s daughter)
b. Lilly (Murray’s wife) d. Tweedy Browner (Jack’s ex-wife)
If your “lit circle text was House of Leaves, please answer the following questions:
_____ 14a) T F In House of Leaves, the last few pages of Zampano’s text explains that Will
Navidson never returned from his final exploration of the strange labyrinth within his house.
_____ 14b) In House of Leaves, which of the following characters is blind?
a. Billy Reston c. Johnny Truant
b. Zampano d. Tom Navidson
_____ 14c) T F Mark Z. Danielewski’s father was an experimental filmmaker, and his sister is a musician.
_____ 14d) In House of Leaves, Navy continually refers to a mysterious character named Delial. Who is she?
a. His wife c. His dog
b.His mistress d. A child
Section II: Identification (3 questions, 10 points each= 30 points total)
You will be given either a brief quote, or a character/item which appears in a text. You must then mention which text the example was taken from, and briefly explain why it is significant. Be sure you think past the example’s “literal” meaning, and attempt to reach some sort of greater symbolic, textual, cultural, historical, or thematic significance.
Examples will be chosen from House of Leaves, White Noise, The God if Small Things, and 100 Years of Solitude. Please explain the significance of 3 out of the following 8 quotes. When you write up your answer, be sure to clearly identify which quote/item you are working with. Use your own paper (and, please, write neatly).
On your exam, please circle the number of the prompts you will be responding to:
Section III: Short Answer (2 questions, 20 points each)
When you are ready to begin, please come to the front and turn in sections 1 and 2 of the exam. Once this portion of the exam has been submitted, you may take out your books and use them to complete section III.
The following texts will be covered on your final exam: White Noise, House of Leaves, The God of Small Things, and One Hundred Years of Solitude. For the “lit circle” texts, you will only be asked to respond to questions about the book you chose to read.
Although the final exam focuses on post-midterm texts, major critical terms from the entire semester may appear on the test. (If we’ve used the term during this part of the semester, then you may very well see it on the exam.) Specific terms to consider include:
postmodernism postcolonial criticism conventional symbol literary
satire magical realism literary symbol popular
The Marvelous Real existentialism caste foil
protagonist antagonist anti-hero pastiche
simulacrum
Section I: True/False and Multiple Choice (10-15 questions, 2 points each)
In this section, you will be asked to determine whether a statement is true or false. You may also be asked to fill in the blank with the best possible answer from a provided a list of choices. Questions will encompass in-class lecture notes (including literary terms), presentation information, and simple plot points from the texts themselves.
Examples:
T F 1) In White Noise, Jack and his family are the only ones in the town of Blacksmith to survive the Airborne Toxic Event.
_______ 2) In The God of Small Things, Pappachi’s Moth functions as a literary symbol.
Section II: Identification (3-5 questions, 10 points each)
You will be given either a brief quote, contextual example, or a character/item which appears in a text. You must then mention which text the example ties to, and briefly explain why it is significant. Be sure you think past the example’s “literal” meaning, and attempt to reach some sort of greater symbolic, textual, cultural, historical, or thematic significance. (To study for this section, remember that I will be choosing several quotes from our in-class work.)
Example 1: The Most Photographed Barn in America
Do not merely say: In White Noise, Jack and Murray travel to see the tourist attraction called “the most photographed barn in America.” [THIS IS THE LITERAL MEANING>>>THINK PAST THIS TO FIND SYMBOLIC/THEMATIC SIGNIFICANCE.]
Example 2: “If I were you,” he said, “I’d go home quietly.” Then he tapped her breasts with his baton. Gently. Tap tap. As though he was choosing mangoes from a basket.
Section III: Short Answer (2-3 questions, 15 points each)
In this section, you will be asked to provide an in-depth response to one textual question or prompt. Your answer will be a 1-3 paragraph response intended to test your reading comprehension and analytical skills.
Sample Question: Provide two specific examples from One Hundred Years of Solitude that illustrate the blurring of boundaries between self and other. Please also explain the significance of your choices.
Please keep in mind that these short answers must use specific textual examples and clear explanation to support your opinions. You may use your books for this section of the test.
The Final Exam will be given on Thursday, December 13th
Time = 9:10 – 11:10 am
Room = Eddy 8
Bring plenty of blank paper, pens, and/or pencils.