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There are some exam topics in the link above. For most of the course, your main worry will be TMAs.
The longer essay part of the TMA should keep to the word limit, and give a clear answer to the question, with reasons.
The shorter 'context' question is where many students lose marks unnecessarily.
(a) You aren't obliged to answer all four parts of the question, but you will get more marks if you
do.
(b) There are some ideas about 'Context' to the right.
(c) Form - say what form, then see if you can also make a comment about that form in the ancient
world. For example, if it is biography, say that they did not share our view of what biography was for; there
was less attention to factual accuracy, and more attention to moral message, or showing off a literary style. Often
this comment about form will affect your judgement about its value as evidence.
(d) Value as evidence. This is very seldom about content. For example, when the millionaire's
wife says the butler did it, we can't say her evidence is valuable because it tells us who did it. That's the content,
not the value. We should say its value has to be questioned, because she stands to inherit millions, and
has been having an affair with the gardener. That's an assessment of its reliability. So don't tell me a piece
of ancient evidence is valuable as evidence because of its content. Sometimes the answer to 'form' will give you some
help in assessing its reliability.
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Context questions
(a) Place
·
Where does the passage
come in the story?
·
What has happened that
leads up to this passage?
·
What does this passage
do in the overall story?
·
How does this passage
help us understand what is happening overall?
·
What happens as a result
of the events in this passage?
(b) Type:
·
Narrative, dialogue,
genre passage, choral song, something else?
(c) Details - look at:
·
Characterisation,
·
Development of plot
·
Use of poetic resources
(d) Wider view
·
What this passage tells
us about the author, his world and his writings?
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