English 468
Format of the Midterm
The midterm examination will consist of three sections. You
will need a bluebook or several sheets of lined paper that can be stapled
together. Questions will be limited to texts, authors and terms that have been
discussed in class or assigned on the syllabus up to and including February 2.
The exam is closed book with the exception that you can consult a print copy of
Jane Eyre, though, doing so won’t be
required. The midterm counts as 20% of your course grade.
Part I
20 Questions—0.5 point each (10 points possible)
The first section of the midterm will assess your knowledge
of the literary texts, authors, and terms important to an understanding of the
Victorian literature and culture. You can expect questions that will focus on
the background to the period and literary terms and forms (as discussed in
class and available for review in the period introduction in the Longman Anthology).
Part II
5 Passages—5 points each (25 points possible)
The second section of the midterm will assess your knowledge
of the literary texts, authors and techniques important to an understanding of Victorian
literature. You will be asked to identify five out of seven passages. For each
identified passage, you will need to write the name of the author (1 point),
the title of the text from which the passage was taken (1 point) and a brief
paragraph (3 points) explaining what the passage tells us about the text.
Part III
1 Short Essay—15 points possible
The third section of the midterm will assess your ability to
write a clear, detailed and coherent essay that responds to a specific topic. The
essay topic will focus on Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.
The following scoring guide will be used to assess your
essay written for Part III of the exam:
15 -- Excellent: Fully and effectively developed on most issues; effectively organized; insightful and/or original argument; clearly and effectively written
14 -- Superior: Fully and effectively developed on most issues; effectively organized; clearly written
13 -- Solid: well developed on key issues; clearly organized; makes an argument
12 -- Adequate: developed on some issues, but some issues missing; organization might be mechanical; argument might be routine; language control might be an issue
11 -- Minimal: developed on some issues, but key issues missing; might be somewhat incomplete; simple organization or problems with organization; might not make an argument; language problems might confuse and/or distract
10 -- Weak: tends towards plot summary and simple character analysis; might be substantially incomplete; might be ineffectively organized or logically flawed; might have serious problems with expression
9 and below -- Inadequate: Miscontrues the question, mistaken or logically flawed; most key issues missing; might be unfocused and disorganized, or might have severe language problems
15 -- Excellent: Fully and effectively developed on most issues; effectively organized; insightful and/or original argument; clearly and effectively written
14 -- Superior: Fully and effectively developed on most issues; effectively organized; clearly written
13 -- Solid: well developed on key issues; clearly organized; makes an argument
12 -- Adequate: developed on some issues, but some issues missing; organization might be mechanical; argument might be routine; language control might be an issue
11 -- Minimal: developed on some issues, but key issues missing; might be somewhat incomplete; simple organization or problems with organization; might not make an argument; language problems might confuse and/or distract
10 -- Weak: tends towards plot summary and simple character analysis; might be substantially incomplete; might be ineffectively organized or logically flawed; might have serious problems with expression
9 and below -- Inadequate: Miscontrues the question, mistaken or logically flawed; most key issues missing; might be unfocused and disorganized, or might have severe language problems
