TEST no. 2 (Unit 2)/OCTOBER 24, 2006 (Tuesday night class)

     The second test will be given on October 24, and it will be based on the work covered from Sept. 26 (Archaic Greece) through October 17 (Plato's Republic). This includes all of the following: the assigned readings (selections from Herodotus' Histories and Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War in the Procopy packet, the lyric poems distributed in class and posted on Blackboard, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, the Apology, Crito, and assigned selections from the Republic), the course notes and commentaries on the website (including the summary of the Odyssey and accompanying notes, and the commentaries on the Trial of Socrates and the Republic), material covered in class and/or discussed on the discussion board.  You will not be responsible for the material on Greek pottery, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, or the Parthenon: we did not cover these in class.  You are responsible for the material on the Greek temple in the course notes for October 2 (including the architectural elements that form part of the Doric and Ionic orders) and an understanding of the "refinements" and their importance.
     Please arrive on time; you will have one hour and twenty minutes to complete the test. When you finish, I urge you to read it over carefully and check your work. Once you are done, please hand the test in and leave the classroom. Please do not talk, take out books, or disturb other students who are still taking the test.  We will resume class at  8:00 for a fifty-minute introduction to Rome, Virgil's Aeneid, and Unit two.  Please do not return to the classroom until after all students have completed the test.
     Please remember that I will not answer questions about the test, about questions, or about vocabulary during the test: understanding the test is part of the test.
     The test will have four parts. You may do them in any order:

Part 1: Identifications
10-25 short identifications:  You will have to fill in the blank with the appropriate name or term taken from a list of terms (1 point each)

______________________ Oedipus was raised here. (answer: Corinth)
______________________ I was branded a traitor and denied burial by my uncle. (answer: Polynices)
______________________ These square panels are alongside the triglyphs (answer: Metope)
______________________  My funeral is described in the last book of the Odyssey (answer: Achilleus)

Part 2: Remember when... (Chronologies)
You will be given 8-12 statements about the plot of Oedipus Rex, and you will be asked to number them in the order in which they occurred IN THE PLAY.  They are worth one point each. If, for example, one of your statements is out of order, you will lose one point. That will not affect my scoring of your remaining answers if they are in the correct order.  Be sure to read the statements carefully.  Sample statements:

_______ Oedipus told Jocasta how he killed a man at a place where three roads meet.  (note: the issue here is when he was told, not when the killing took place)
_______ Oedipus learned he was not the son of Polybus. (note: the issue here is when he LEARNED this from the messenger, not when he heard a rumor)
_______ Oedipus was told that Laius was killed by several men.  (note: the issue here is when he was told, not when the killing took place)

You will be given about 8-10 statements about archaic and classical culture.  You will be asked to number them in chronological order beginning with the earliest.  They are worth one point each. If, for example, one of your statements is out of order, you will lose one point. That will not affect my scoring of your remaining answers if they are in the correct order.  Sample statements:

________ Xerxes led an army into Greece.
________ Socrates was tried.
________ The Theogony was written.

Part 3: You will be asked to "identify or define" several terms (at least six, possibly as many as ten), and "explain their importance." You will have a choice of terms. These will be worth 5 points each, graded on a scale from 0-5 depending on how complete and accurate your answer is. For example, a basic, satisfactory definition and an additional accurate comment might get 2 points, a satisfactory "C level" grade. "A level" answers that earn 4 or 5 points will typically have three to six informative sentences, with accurate and specific information. Normally, the best answers should include the basic identification or definition; a fuller description - in one to four sentences, including, for example, the most important characteristics of an event or concept, or the most important actions of a character; that description - or a clear, concluding sentence or two - ought to make plain the primary importance of the term or person in the context of our readings and discussions. To explain the importance of a person or character, you should relate it to important issues discussed in class, such as the Greek concern with order, the importance of the individual, the views of the gods, or ideas of justice in Athens (those are just some examples). The strongest answers will vary in length and detail according on the importance of the particular term or person. Representative terms would include - but not be limited to - characters from the assigned readings; other terms - episodes, events etc. - related to those readings; major historical and cultural figures and events; terms related to Greek literature, philosophy and the arts; types of Greek pottery; and terms related to Greek architecture.  If appropriate, you may use a drawing to supplement your answer. Answer only the required number of questions: additional answers will not be graded).

Here are four sample answers with commentary.  They have been taken from actual tests, but please remember that different materials may have gotten more or less emphasis in different classes.  I have used underlined, bold-faced text to highlight key points in the identifications, and I have placed my own comments in square brackets and italics:

CITY DIONYSIA: a religious festival in Athens honoring the god Dionysus [The first sentence provides a concise definition with three of the four key elements: what this was (“a religious festival”), where it took place (“in Athens”), in whose honor it was held (“the god Dionysus”).  The next section describes the festival in specific and accurate detail, and, in doing so, it elaborates on the fourth key element of the definition - this was where the Greek plays were performed].  This festival took place over five days.  On Day 1, there were choral odes and hymns sung by 50 boys from the tribes. Days 2, 3, 4  each consisted of a trilogy of tragedies and a satyr play, with each day’s plays all by the same author.  On the 5th day, five comedies were performed each by a different author.  It is not known if women were in attendance at these festivals.  (For good measure, the student adds an interesting remark which recalls a comment I made in class about the uncertainty over whether women attended the plays.  Even without this comment, the answer would have merited full credit.)

HAEMON was, in Sophocles’ Antigone, the son of Creon and Eurydice.  He was betrothed to Antigone at the time of her sentence to death.  Creon wants him to be obedient above all else and to support all his choices.  Haemon tries to point out to Creon that he is not ruling in the interest of the city but for his own ego.  He tells Creon he wishes to be a good son, but must tell him the citizens don’t want Antigone put to death.  Creon is angry which is a little ironic since he claims to put the state above all family bonds, which is actually what Haemon is doing here.  Haemon tries to stab Creon after Antigone dies, but fails, so he turns the sword on himself.  It was prophesized that Creon would lose a child for his actions and it was Haemon.
[COMMENTS: This answer identifies Haemon precisely and specifically cites the major events surrounding HIS role in the play without just giving a plot summary: his betrothal to Antigone, her death sentence, his argument with his father and both parties’ viewpoints, his effort to kill his father - mentioned in very few answers, his suicide, and Tiresias’ prophecy.  The account of Haemon's argument with Creon could be more concise, but the student does an excellent job of linking his actions to an important issue in the play: the conflict between the family and the state.]

PELOPONNESIAN WAR
: [The student begins with the basic facts] 431-404 B.C.  Athens and its allies go to war with Sparta and its allies.  This is recorded by Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War.  [The student continues by describing the effects of war in more detail] During this time, a plague in Athens and the Civil War in Corcyra undermined the Athenian way of life, as lawlessness, treachery and irreverence to the gods prevailed. [Finally, the student explains the importance of the Peloponnesian War by relating it to Greek ideas about justice and the gods, and the trial of Socrates, two subjects of great importance in unit 2Athens was eventually defeated and two things happened as a result: people began searching for new definitions of the gods and justice and the anxiety and unrest resulting from Athens’ defeat helped turn the tide of tolerance against Socrates, who was tried in 399 B.C.

POLYBUS: adopted father of Oedipus, king of CorinthOedipus flees Corinth, thinking it is Polybus he is doomed to kill and Merope he is doomed to marry.  The death of Polybus brings the messenger who reveals that Polybus was not really Oedipus’ father. [This is an appropriately short - but very specific - answer for a minor character.  First, the student offers a basic identification.  Then, two concise statements accurately describe the importance of Polybus in the unfolding of the plot of Oedipus Rex.  The answer is not cluttered with any unnecessary plot summary.]

Part 4: You will be asked to choose between two and four quotations from a longer list.  For each quotation you will be asked the following question: "Identify the source and context of the following quotation."  Then you will be asked ONE of the following questions:  How does it contribute to an understanding of the work from which it is taken? How does it contribute to an understanding of important issues in ancient culture?
You should identify the source and context of the quotation briefly, but as precisely as possible (work, speaker - if appropriate, immediate context).  Do not provide a thorough summary of the plot.  Then, you should answer the followup question, explaining how it contributes to an understanding of the work or (depending on the question) of important issues in ancient culture.  In effect, explain why it is an important quotation. I am not looking for plot summaries, but I am looking for relevant and specific references to the assigned texts.  Your answer will be strengthened by specific references to the assigned readings.
The strongest answers would include about two sentences identifying the source of the quotation and placing it in context, and two concise paragraphs addressing the question. (10 points each, graded on a scale from 0-10 (A: 9/10, B: 6-8, C: 3-5, D: 1-2), depending on how complete and accurate your answer is). Additional answers will not be graded.

ATTENTION: Given the size of the classes,  the nature of the questions, and other pressing deadlines, it may take up to three weeks for me to return this test.

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