Advice on Studying for Exams
The place to begin is by reading the syllabus
material describing the exam.
There are four things you need to be able to do:
- Know the key terms. You should be able to define them and to generate examples of them.
- Know systems of terms that allow you to describe the strategic dimensions of discourse.
Be able to list the terms that go together in systems of analysis.
- Know how to use the systems of terms to interpret strategic discourse. Be able to make
statements about why discourse succeeds or fails strategically, how it might be improved.
- Be able to identify some of the great strategic discourse of the twentieth century. We will
study some of the most memorable speeches of the century. You should be able to identify the
speakers, the major themes of the speeches, and about when they were given.
Some additional hints to keep in mind in preparing:
- Remember that the terms, systems of terms, and ways to use them may come
from the Campbell and Huxman text or class lecture and discussion.
- You also need to be familiar enough with the speeches and other strategic
discourse we have discussed in class that you can answer questions about it.
That means that you should read the speeches and other material we heard with
an eye to remembering the speakers, their themes, and about when the speeches
are given, and with an eye to being able to use the terminology you are learning
to analyze the speeches.
- Generally, the exam will test the first two and the fourth skills above through objective or short
answer questions. The third will be tested through essay questions.
- Remember that the website is designed to supplement class, not to replace it. Do not expect
the to gain all the knowledge from the website that you would by attending class. There is no
alternative to being in class for preparing you for the exam.
Format of the Exam:
- In weight, the objective portion of the exam will be worth 2/3; the essay exam will be worth
- In time, I anticipate that the objective portion will take about ½ the time and the essay part
- Objective questions will include multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short definitions.
- There will be one essay exam on the midterms. There might be a choice of essay questions to
answer, but there may also be only one.
Advice on studying for the exam:
- On the short answer material:
- Flash cards of terms and definitions may help you memorize terminology.
- Be sure and use the terminology to analyze discourse.
- From the speeches you studied, make a chart of the speakers, the dates
of the speeches, the rhetorical situation in which they were delivered,
and important notes on the content of the speeches.
- On the essay questions:
- I recommend that you study with another student who has worked about as hard as
you have in the class.
- Ask each other questions that you generate, then critique your answers
- Use whatever strategic discourse you find: speeches (no need to restrain yourself to
those we have formally studied), advertisements on TV, in the newspapers, and
- Make certain that you are asking questions about the strategic success and failure of
messages and the reasons for them.
- Press here for additional advice on essay exams
Sample Essay Questions
- Describe the constructed audience for Obama's Inaugural Address. What strategies
do you see in the speech that appeal to this audience? Does he succeed in
putting the audience together? Why? Why not?
- Think of some television or print ad that you have seen recently. Describe
the ad. What is the ad's target audience? What is the central idea of the
ad? How well does it develop that central idea?
- What is John F. Kennedy's purpose in his speech to the Houston Ministerial
Alliance? Who is his target audience? Do you think he achieves that purpose
with his target audience? How?
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