How to Study for a Literature Exam

Studying for a literature exam can be frustrating. Where do you begin? What can you do besides read? Rest assured there are strategies for making a study session effective. By taking the time to prepare, you can guarantee that you’ll be as ready as you can be when you sit down for the test. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• pen
• paper
• texts being studied

1. Read the texts. Do not try to pass an exam by reading crib notes. There are often subtle aspects that abbreviated guides leave out, like writing style and language, which your instructor may ask about. Take the time to read the texts required, even if you skim through parts.
2. Identify the main characters and their relationships. Make notes that describe the protagonist, antagonist, and any love interests. Describe how they interact, and whose story it actually is. Make note, also, of other characters that may have significance.
3. Distinguish the plot: the main conflict from minor conflicts. Make an outline that lists the major events of the story and how they unfold. Include minor events where you think they are necessary. Make special note of the climax.
4. Isolate the different themes. Not every piece of literature has only one theme. Most have a few that intertwine and support each other. Decide which themes are at work and why they may be important.
5. Single out the social issues that are being addressed in the text. Record any historical events highlighted by the author and whether they address issues such as race, gender, or class.
6. Write a book review. Book reviews do not simply report on what happens in the story. A good review includes comments on the way the text is written, its strengths and its weaknesses. Book reviews give you a space to include your own educated opinion on the text, which many instructors welcome in test essays.
7. Spend time writing mini-essays. Write about the different themes, the ways the characters interact, the importance of the text to society or anything else that you can think of. Literature exams often involve writing of one sort or another. Prepare in advance by practicing responses to a variety of questions.

Tips & Warnings

• Give yourself enough time before the exam to do each of the steps above thoroughly.
• Always consult your notes. If your class talked about particular points of the book together, it is likely that your instructor will include a question of two on the exam that addresses them.
• Find a study partner from within your class, or who knows the text well, with whom you can go through this process. Discuss which elements are likely to come up on the exam and how your instructor might ask you to address them.