Final exam questions

Here are the two essay questions for the final, as well as the layout of the first part of the exam. Prepare to write on one of essay topics, but give yourself some flexibility as to which texts you might use for the essay. Remember that you can't deal with the same work twice over the course of the exam. Each of the short stories counts as an individual text.

Final exam: May 6, 2005. 4 PM

PART A (50%):

CHOOSE FIVE OF THE FOLLOWING EIGHT PASSAGES AND IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING:
• The title and author of the text from which the passage is taken (1 mark)
• The names of the speakers, listeners, or narrator if relevant (1 mark)
• When and where this passage takes place in the book if relevant (1 mark)
• The significance of this passage. Questions you will need to consider in this regard include: What do we learn from this passage? Does this passage affect the overall plot of the text? Which of the major themes in the text are present here? How does this passage tie into other themes or ideas we’ve seen in some of the other novels we’ve looked at in the course? What else do you notice about this passage? (7-9 marks)

ANSWER ONLY IN COMPLETE SENTENCES AND PUT YOUR ANSWER IN PARAGRAPH FORM

PART B (50%):

USING AS YOUR CHIEF EXAMPLES THREE TEXTS WE HAVE DISCUSSED IN CLASS, WRITE AN ESSAY THE FULLY ANSWERS ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. The theme of minding one’s relations is central to many of the texts we have read in this course. Discuss with respect to three of these texts, only one of which may be taken from one of the anthologies.

2. Pick three recurring themes we have come across in many of these texts from Canada, Australia, and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Discuss each in detail and use a text (no more than one of which may come from an anthology) to demonstrate the role that theme plays in the text. You can either organize your essay by pairing a recurring theme (i.e. violence) with a particular text (i.e. Once Were Warriors) or by demonstrating how all three themes you have selected to discuss play roles in your chosen texts.

N.B. Over the course of the exam, you may not focus on the same work twice.