World Literature I
Exam 1
Directions
This exam is a beginning assessment leading into more complicated analysis of genre and
aesthetics and how these change over time. That’s the formal stuff. This exam will also probe
some into context and assist you in examining historical and social dynamics. The exam is
divided into short answer and essay questions. You are encouraged to work in groups to
complete the exam. Provide this document with your completed exam so I can evaluate your
performance.
Your responses will be evaluated against the abilities that follow:
Level 1: Identifies and
describes the
characteristics of subject
genre.
Imprecisely identifies
fiction and/or nonfiction genres and their
characteristics. Often
generalizes and lacks
overall clarity.
Identifies fiction and/or
non-fiction genres and
their relevant
characteristics.
Identifies fiction and
non-fiction genres and
their characteristics with
purpose, precision, and
thorough control of
content.
Level 1: Identifies and
defines aesthetic
elements using
terminology of the
discipline.
Identifies and defines
aesthetic elements
inaccurately and/or
inconsistently.
Identifies and defines
aesthetic elements using
terminology of the
discipline.
Identifies and defines
aesthetic elements using
terminology of the
discipline. Work is
refined, subtle, and
precise.
Level 1: Evaluates the
significance of specific
passages to the complete
text using appropriate
terminology.
Evaluation of the
significance of specific
literary passages to the
complete text is
insufficient. Passages
lack relevance and/or
direct relationship to a
conclusion. Use of
terminology is
imprecise or incoherent.
Evaluation of the
significance of specific
literary passages to the
complete text is
sufficient and
contextually relevant.
Use of terminology is
most often precise and
coherent.
Evaluation of the
significance of specific
literary passages to the
complete text is
thorough and insightful.
Use of terminology is
precise and coherent.
Short Answer
Complete the short answer section with brief but specific answers. Include quotations as
illustration to support your answers. This is a good habit to get into.
1. In Chapter 1 of Genesis, what is the first command the deity gives “man?”
2. Identify and explain one example of cause and effect in Homer’s Iliad.
3. Examine the significance of fate in The Iliad. How does this notion compare to the idea of
faith in the Hebrew texts.
4. Identify and explain irony as a literary device. Use Job as a means of briefly illustrating what
you mean. See longer essay question below.
5. What is the method of creation the deity uses in Genesis?
6. In terms of plot, why, given Achilles’s arête, are the Greeks unable to overwhelm the Trojans?
7. Why is debate a significant literary device to the story or storytelling of The Iliad?
8. If you could answer 7, what about speeches, as certainly speeches are significant to all the
literature we’ve encountered thus far.
9. In Genesis why is the order of creation important?
10. What role does Satan play in Job?
11. In a classical sense, define the idea of sophrosyne and provide an example from The Iliad.
12. Why is Genesis called γένεσις in Greek or B e ʾršye tin Hebrew?
13. Identify the genre of The Iliad. Explain.
14. Identify the genre of The Book of Genesis. Explain.
Essay Questions
Essay questions must be completed in MLA format. You should quote substantially from the
texts to support your conclusions. Typically, three pages might be enough to complete each
essay. But the rule in these sorts of essays is: adequate length.
Required:
1. Glory is an important idea to a person like Achilles. But is it also important to Job and his
relationship to deity? Does answering the question require a consideration of similarity and
difference between Job and Achilles in their respective texts and the meaning of glory to each.
In an essay, examine the nature of glory in the Book of Job and The Iliad and try to come to some
conclusion about the contrasts between Hebrew and Greek “values.” We don’t want to over
simplify the notion of glory: it involves definitions and functions of remembering, renown,
reputation. But how do these vary across cultures given what the texts say?
Choice 1 Optional essay:
1. In the literature we’ve covered thus far, deities have played a significant role. In an essay
examine the significance of deities in World Literature for the human persons in the stories. In
what way might this role show evidence of other interesting or significant literary devices (like
personification or anthropomorphism or metaphor)? Note the emphasis in this question is not
about personal belief, spirituality, or religious doctrine but about the usage of literary techniques
in literary (written) works.
2. Examine in an essay the significance of irony as a literary device in Genesis, Job, and The
Iliad. Remember that irony can take on the characteristics of dramatic or visual irony. In what
way does the use of irony contribute to plot, event, and action in Hebrew and Greek narrative.
Try to take into account the types or genre of works we've covered.