ENGLISH 111/9

Exam 1

Instructor: Julie Peluso

Course created by Dr. Diane Thompson, NVCC, ELI

You may take this exam in the Testing Center of any NVCC Campus. If it is not possible for you to get to an NVCC Testing Center, you may arrange for a proctor at another location. If you need a proctor, go to the ELI Policies and Procedures Screen. Select the link for Examination Proctors from the Table of Contents for information on how to arrange for a proctor.

This exam will have three parts: 

• questions based on your reading of the Course Guide; 

• questions about an Internet article you have identified;

• a short writing sample. 

To prepare for the exam:

1. Print out a copy of the entire Course Guide and read it carefully. You will bring it with you to the Testing Center. Since I make changes to the Course Guide as the need arises, be sure to print out your copy within a few days of taking the exam.

2. Read ONLINE!, Chapter 1, "Finding Internet Sources," about finding information on the Internet. Then, go to Yahoo, or your favorite search engine, and search for information on a topic that interests you. Choose an article that includes the following information: 

• the author

• the date of writing or posting of the article

• the qualifications of the author and/or of the group posting the article

• the URL (web address)

When you find a substantial article (at least five screens or 500 words long) that includes all this information, print it out. Be sure you have the information about the author, the posting group, and the date of the article along with its Internet address (URL). Write this information on the printout if you find it elsewhere.

You will be asked to answer questions about this article as part of the exam. 

3. Think about how you will answer the following question: "Write about an experience that changed your life." You do not have to write about a major, life-shaking experience. Sometimes a small experience such as getting a new pet or moving to a new house or even entering school for the first time can change the way a person sees and understands life. 

You will write at least two fully developed paragraphs on this topic. This is a writing sample, which means it will not be graded, but I need it to be able to better evaluate your writing needs. Although the writing sample will not be graded, if you omit doing it, your exam grade will drop by 10 points (20%). 

Bring the following to the Testing Center of your choice:

In the Testing Center, you will take a short exam that includes a few questions about the Course Guide, a question for a short writing sample,  and some brief questions asking you to do a critical analysis of the Internet article you have brought with you. 

To prepare for the section on the web article, be ready to explain:

You will write this exam in the Testing Center using the Blackboard testing system.  An hour should be enough time, but there is no time limit, so go to the Testing Center early enough to allow yourself plenty of time. You may use a dictionary or your English Handbook.

After you have completed the exam, I will receive it on the Blackboard testing system. I will read your exam and email your grade to you along with my comments. Allow about two weeks for turn around. You will not receive the exam back. You may keep the Course Guide printout. The www article will be collected by the Testing Center and sent to me at ELI. I will discard it after I see it, so if you want a copy for yourself, print an extra one that you do not bring  to the Testing Center.

Exam 1 Grading Criteria:

Exam 1 is worth up to 50 points.

(c) Diane Thompson; 11/7/1998; updated: 9/20/2004