Now that my final exams are over, I thought it might be fun to post the questions from some of them here. Keep in mind that my students are not (for the most part) native speakers of English, and in some of the classes, are not English majors, so the questions are often, well, a lot simpler than they might be in an American course.<\/p>\n
British & American Culture:<\/span> The Modern Fantastic in Britain & America<\/span><\/span> Essay: Write a short essay (about one or two paragraphs) on the back of this sheet. Use examples from some of the stories to support your statements.<\/span> \nAmerican Literature X:<\/span> The American Gothic Story II<\/span><\/span> Essay: Write a short essay (about three to five paragraphs) on the back of this sheet. Use examples from some of the stories to support your statements.<\/span> \nAmerican Culture II:<\/span> America & the Search for Utopia<\/span><\/span> 1. Who would be the rulers in Plato\u2019s utopia, and why? Essay: Write a short essay (about three to five paragraphs) on the back of this sheet. Use examples from some of the things we\u2019ve read to support your statements.<\/span> \nSo, anybody want to take a crack at answering?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now that my final exams are over, I thought it might be fun to post the questions from some of them here. Keep in mind that my students are not (for the most part) native speakers of English, and in … Continue reading
\nShort-Answer: Answer these questions with one or two complete sentences.<\/span>
\n 1. In \u201cThe Faery Handbag\u201d (Kelly Link), why is the game Scrabble important?
\n 2. In Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell<\/span> (Susanna Clarke), what social class are the members of York society of magicians?
\n 3. What are some of the things that Galaad does to show Mrs. Whitaker that he is a good man in \u201cChivalry\u201d (Neil Gaiman)?
\n 4. At the end of \u201cTroll Bridge\u201d (Neil Gaiman), why does Jack give his life to the Troll?
\n 5. What are some of the things about Arnold Friend which make us think that he may be the Devil, in \u201cWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been\u201d (Joyce Carol Oates)?
\n 6. In \u201cGodzilla\u2019s Twelve Step Program\u201d (Joe R. Lansdale), what is a twelve-step program?
\n 7. How is the America of \u201cThe New Atlantis\u201d (Ursula K. Le Guin) different from today\u2019s America?
\n 8. How is the London of \u201cLooking for Jake\u201d (China Mi\u00e9ville) different from today\u2019s London?
\n 9. In \u201cObjects of Desire in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear\u201d (Harlan Ellison), why does the Boss worry about Jacobs (the main character)?
\n 10. Why does the main character shoot the girl in \u201cCrossing into Cambodia\u201d (Michael Moorcock)?<\/p>\n
\nCompare the role of women in traditional fantasy stories or fairy tales, with the role of women in some of the modern fantasy stories that we read in class.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nShort-Answer: Answer these questions with one or two complete sentences.<\/span>
\n 1. In \u201cThe Enormous Radio\u201d (John Cheever), why does Irene become so upset?
\n 2. In what way is the futuristic house in \u201cThe Veldt\u201d (Ray Bradbury) gothic?
\n 3. Why does the narrator of \u201cJohnny Panic & the Bible of Dreams\u201d (Sylvia Plath) worship Johnny Panic?
\n 4. What causes the transformations in \u201cShattered Like a Glass Goblin\u201d (Harlan Ellison)?
\n 5. How does Vollmer change in \u201cHuman Moments in World War III\u201d (Don DeLillo)?
\n 6. In \u201cThe Temple\u201d (Joyce Carol Oates), what is the temple?
\n 7. How does Louis save the Freniere sisters in \u201cFreniere\u201d (Anne Rice)?
\n 8. What does Stella finally do that she had long refused to do in \u201cThe Reach\u201d (Stephen King)?
\n 9. What are the creatures of \u201cReplacements\u201d (Lisa Tuttle) replacing?
\n 10. Why are people disturbed by Lissy\u2019s pregnancy in \u201cThe Girl Who Loved Animals\u201d (Bruce MacAllister)?<\/p>\n
\n\u201cChange\u201d has been a winning political message recently, but in gothic stories, change is often a source of unease and fear. How is change used as a gothic element in stories we have read?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nShort-Answer: Answer these questions with one or two complete sentences.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n 2. In what way is Thomas More\u2019s Utopia<\/span> a utopian satire?
\n 3. What are some of the utopian characteristics of the Land of Cockaigne?
\n 4. Why did the Shakers keep men and women apart from each other?
\n 5. Why did the Oneida Community practice \u201ccomplex marriage\u201d?
\n 6. According to Marx and Engels, who are the proletariat and who are the bourgeoisie?
\n 7. How did the narrator of Bellamy\u2019s Looking Backward: 2000-1887<\/span> travel to the future?
\n 8. What do the women of Gilman\u2019s Herland<\/span> think of the American practice of keeping dogs as pets?
\n 9. What are the utopian characteristics of Odo\u2019s philosophy in Le Guin\u2019s \u201cThe Day before the Revolution\u201d?
\n 10. According to John Lennon in his song \u201cImagine,\u201d how can we create a utopia?<\/p>\n
\nWhat is the use of utopias?<\/span><\/p>\n