GER 341, 342, 343 HomepageOregon State University

FIRST EXAM: GER 343, Spring 2006

The date for this test is Thursday, May 11, 2006. I will arrive early and you can start a little early if you get there, so you can write as much as you can. There is a class after ours, so you will not have extra time!One of the most important things to remember is to WRITE A LOT on the essay. It is worth a large percentage of your test AND, therefore, your overall course grade. Don't write just one short paragraph!

The test will cover everything we have discussed/studied/read/seen since the beginning of the term. There will be three parts:

  1. Essay (70 pts, in English). Your essay must be both informative and interpretative. Your topic for the essay will be to discuss and interpret one of the following works/writers we have covered so far this term: Schnitzler (Liebelei), Kafka (Vor dem Gesetz and commentary pages), Zuckmayer (Hauptmann v. K.). To prepare, review the texts and think about the film. Consider why/how the author wrote them:
    • what "message" if any did s/he want to convey;
    • what form did s/he write them in and why;
    • how to they relate to the literary movements, if applicable, and the time in which they were written;
    • any additional historical or biographical context which you can see reflected in them and their significance.

  2. Objective section (Questions are in German, you answer in German if you can, English if necessary, 20 pts.) You will get VERY SPECIFIC questions here, so you have to MEMORIZE names, dates, characteristics, etc. Each question is taken DIRECTLY from the following list of web pages, PLUS biographical information (including when and where born, when and where died AND anything of special interest from their lives that affected their writing) of Schnitzler, Kafka, Zuckmayer, and Brecht.

  3. Vocabulary. 10 pts. You will be tested on the following words (including articles if the word is a noun):
    verschwinden
    verbergen
    Geheimnis
    verzweifelt
    verhaften
    bedroht
    Pechvogel
    Gehorsam
    Verspottung
    sich auskennen
    ablehnen
    Auskunft
    Teufelskreis
    Verantwortung
    Pflicht
Homepage
ljking@oregonstate.edu