DePaul University Introduction to Philosophy Exam Questions
DePaul University Introduction to Philosophy Exam Questions
cumulative average).
*Please be sure to read all of the questions carefully. Make sure that you answer EVERYTHING that each question asks.
*Make sure that you answer only the number of questions in each section that are required. I will not give you credit for answering more than the required number of questions. You will be omitting some questions in each of the three sections of the exam.
*Please note that these questions are NOTstandard “essay” questions, so no flowery introductions and no formal conclusions, and there are no length standards: just leap right into the question, and write as much as necessary to answer it adequately.I’ve emphasized the word “adequately”, because while these aren’t “essay” questions, you will not be able to answer most of these questions in just a few sentences– your answers need to be substantive; they must accurately and thoughtfully reflect our class lectures.
Make sure that you proofread your work. All of your answers must be in complete sentences. Check your grammar and your spelling. Obviously, since this is a philosophy class rather than an English class, I’m grading the content of your answers rather than your grammar or style. However, as Aristotle taught us a long time ago, form and content are not entirely separable from one another, and when it comes to written work it is often the case that bad form (bad grammar or style) can obscure or weaken what you intend to communicate. After all, I have to understand what you have written in order to assess it. So, at least read your work back to yourself, preferably out loud. And a gratuitous number of careless errors demonstrates, well, carelessness: there is no excuse for simple spelling and grammatical errors (you know, the kinds that every word processor indicates with a red or blue squiggle). If you turn in a piece of work that is rife with such mistakes, this shows me that you have put very little effort into it. So, do not wait until the night before – and don’t even wait until the night before the night before – to do this exam.If you do, I can almost guarantee that you will not do very well. Again, you will not be able to answer these questions adequately in a sentence or two.
*You are allowed (but not required) to quote from the readings, but if you do so you must citethe page, and you must make sure that you articulate what the quote meansin your own words. If you fail to do this, you will lose credit. It goes without saying that you are to use nothing but the readings and your notes to answer these questions.
*Note: Even though this is a take-home exam, this is an exam just like any other. That means that you are not allowed to collaboratewith a fellow classmate. If I find any evidence of collaboration, all parties will receive no credit for the entire exam. This assignment is no different from an in-class exam or from a paper – it must your own work.
*Please typeyour answers underneath each question. Do not forget to type your namein the space provided at the top. You must printand staple your exam and hand it in on the day that it’s due. DO NOTemail them to me. And I will
