A Exam
Important: To qualify to write the A exam, you must complete the C exam and B exam satisfactorily
and score a cumulative 45 points on the six Reading Quizzes.
VERY IMPORTANT: This exam requires a research component. Read the assignment requirements below carefully.
Welcome to the A exam. This exam centers on the analysis of figurative language (symbolism, irony, or allusion) in one of the stories listed below. An author may use figurative language to enhance the surface story, or, more substantially, to overlay the surface story with a more abstract figurative story.
- Begin this exam process with the assumption listed for your chosen story, and then proceed to analyze the figurative language in the story in a thorough and detailed discussion (minimum 1000 words).
- You must include a CAPITALIZED central idea and a clear, direct, underlined thesis statement.
- Do not use first-person or second-person pronouns to write this essay.
- You may use as many or as few of the elements of fiction as you desire in your analysis, as long as you meet the basis requirements in the Note below.
- Each element you use should be explicitly linked to your thesis. Use relevant support material.
- All analysis should be pertinent to the thesis you have developed. Use a clear, direct style of writing.
- Use a limited number of direct quotes (no more than 10% of the total word count of the essay). Use proper quotation conventions.
- You must use at least two secondary sources to write your exam. The bulk of the exam should be your original analysis, but you will use the secondary sources to supplement your analysis.
- You must have at least one citation for each of your secondary sources.
NOTE: To be acceptable, an exam essay at this level must contain these basic components:
- a clear and direct statement of central idea in CAPITAL LETTERS
- an underlined thesis statement that directly mentions your chosen question's primary element
- specific and direct indication of the figurative language used in the story
- a specific and direct indication in the body of your essay of central character and key trait
- a specific and direct indication in the body of your essay of central conflict and climax
- a specific and direct indication in the body of your essay of the central character's ending key trait
- a specific indication and a substantial explanation in the body of your essay, with evidence, of the static or dynamic nature of the central character
- a clear link between the primary element and secondary elements
- citations for any quotes from the story
- at least one MLA citation each for at least two secondary sources
- a Works Cited list including your primary source and secondary sources
Your introductory paragraph for this exam analysis must include:
- "title of story," author, subject matter
- indication of central character
- brief plot summary, including outcome
- clear and direct statement of central idea in CAPITAL LETTERS
- underlined thesis statement that directly mentions your chosen question's primary element (language) and any secondary elements
VERY IMPORTANT: The story you choose is your primary source. You must also use at least two secondary sources and MLA documentation in your analysis. In other words, you must do research to aid you in writing this assignment, and you must use proper MLA documentation that accurately credits your sources.
For this assignment, a secondary source is one that discusses or analyzes your chosen story. Many academic journals contain articles that discuss short stories. You should get your secondary sources from the ACC subscription databases (such as Gale Literary Databases, Academic Search Complete, Literature Resource Center, Gale Virtual Reference Library) so that I can easily access your sources.
If you do not get your secondary sources from the ACC subscription databases, you must supply printed or photocopied source copies to me before I can grade your exam analysis.
ACC subscription databases can be accessed from your home computer. Follow this link for information on the ACC databases and where to find them online:
Using ACC Library Databases.
Secondary sources such as Cliff's Notes, SparkNotes, enotes.com, bookrags.com, and exampleessays.com are totally unacceptable. I have named only four such sources, but many exist. Your secondary source must come from an academic journal or published book. You can find many such acceptable sources in the ACC subscription databases.
You must have at least one MLA citation for each secondary source.
You must include a Works Cited list that includes MLA entries for your primary source and where you got it, and for your secondary sources and where you got them.
Limit direct quotes from primary and secondary sources to no more than 10% of the total word count of your analysis. For example, if your analysis has 1000 words, you may have no more than 100 direct quote words.
If you are caught plagiarizing on this analysis, you will not be allowed to revise your work or rewrite the exam.
If you don't know what plagiarism is, visit this ACC Library tutorial and learn about this academic offense. Note that plagiarism is more than simply presenting another's words and ideas as your own without crediting the original source. Incorrect, inaccurate, or missing citations are a form of plagiarism, too.
If you have forgotten your MLA documentation from your Composition I course, you can find a refresher guide at this link:
Research Paper Guide.
You might also check out these other links.
ACC Library MLA Documentation Tutorial
Info Game Tutorial
Note: The A exam is a "take home" exam. It is not written in the Testing Center, and it should not follow the same format as the C exam. It will be more similar to the analyses you wrote in Assignments 5-7 or the B exam.
If your exam on your first-choice story is unacceptable, you will not have the opportunity to revise. You must choose another story and rewrite the exam. Time permitting, you have two opportunities to write an acceptable exam.
Last date to turn in work for credit: 5 pm Saturday, December 13. Good luck and good writing!
Submit this exam using the Submissions button in Blackboard.
Choose one question and answer it substantially.
1. Begin with the assumption that Emily is a symbol of the Old South in "A Rose for Emily" (Faulkner). Discuss the symbolic use of setting, character, and conflict in the story.
2. Begin with the assumption that the plane tree in the grove is a symbol of spiritual rebirth or rejuvenation in "The Road from Colonus" (Forster). Discuss the symbolic use of setting, character, and conflict in the story.
3. Begin with the assumption that the old man is a symbol of the spiritual or moral state of humanity in "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" (Garcia Marquez). Discuss the symbolic use of setting, character, and conflict in the story.
4. Begin with the assumption that "The Yellow Wall-Paper" (Gilman) is a story about a woman's alienation from society. Discuss the symbolic use of setting, character, and conflict in the story.