English 2110: World Literature
Final Exam
Sample Structure
[exam date and time:
I) MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (10% of grade; 5-10 minutes)
Please circle the one (1) correct answer for each question. Just guess if you do not know the answer. Do not complete this portion in your bluebook!
II. IDENTIFICATIONS/SHORT PARAGRAPH ANSWERS (40% of grade; circa 30 min.) Please pick 4 out of the given 10 choices and write a 3-4 sentence definition in your bluebook. Please identify each answer clearly!
III) ESSAY (50% of grade; circa 1 hour).
NB: PLAN YOUR ESSAY CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU START WRITING!
Write an essay analyzing and comparing ANY two texts of your choice from across the semester (not by the same author)! Your essay must be at least 3 full pages long (single spaced, large bluebook); it must contain an introduction, at least 3 fully developed body paragraphs, and a conclusion; it needs a clear and focused thesis statement; and it must include specific textual examples (no direct quotations necessary). You may use your notes but not your anthology or pre-written essay.
Write your essay formulating a clear thesis concerning one of the following subject areas. Please label your essay (1, 2, 3, etc.).
1) Why does God allow….?: the origin and existence of evil and its apparent contradiction to the belief in an all-powerful, benevolent God
2) The (mis)education of . . .: the benefits and dilemmas created by education and an increasing knowledge
3) Me, myself, and I: tensions between furthering the self and aiding the welfare of others (family, friends, community, race, humankind)
4) Rage against the machine: revolts against authority, tradition, or received ideas
5) War, what is it good for?: reasons for hate and violence against others (other races, religions, genders, culture, etc.) and possible remedies
6) Heaven and Hell: visions of the afterlife (punishment and reward) and the question of justice
7) Metamorphoses: human transformations and the definition of humanity (what do changes/distortions/transformations) in human characteristics tell us about what it means to be human?)