ENG 335: SF as Social Criticism
Spring 2014 Final Examination [250 Points]
Your final examination will consist of two parts: a twenty-five question matching section
covering the five short stories and two novels read between Week Nine and the end of the
semester and a long essay question on Coyote: A Novel of Interstellar Exploration. The
specific format of each section of the examination follows.
Part I: 25 Matching. [4 points each = 100 points]
Place the letter of the alphabet corresponding to the correct story or novel title in the blank
preceding each item. The stories are presented in alphabetical order and assigned a letter of the
alphabet below.
A. “The Algorithms for Love” by Ken Liu
B. “Burning Day” by Glenn Grant
C. Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
D. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick
E. “Helen O’Loy” by Lester Del Rey
F. “I, Robot” by Cory Doctorow
G. “Second Variety” by Philip K. Dick
I will supply a quotation and you will place the letter of the alphabet corresponding to the correct
story title in the blank preceding the item. Please note that this matching portion covers only
seven texts, so each story can be the correct answer to more than one item. Therefore, it is not at
all useful to keep track of which stories you have used and which you haven't while entering
your answers. Some may be the correct response on three or more occasions, while others may
be the correct response only once. Here are a couple of sample questions; use the above key to
select your answers:
__ __1. It’s unpopular now, politically uncool, to mimic humans too closely. Pinocchio
Syndrome, they call it.
_____2. “I’d like to order one pound of artificial flies that really fly around and buzz, please.”
Part II. A Long Essay on Coyote: A Novel of Interstellar Exploration. [150 Points]
Write an essay in which you discuss the function in the novel of one of the following
characters. The term, "function," may be interpreted rather loosely here. How does the
character help to develop a principal thematic concern or conflict in the novel? Or how
does the character help us to understand a philosophical position being promoted by Steele
through his novel? Or how does the character help us to understand a point of social
criticism being developed by Steele through his novel?
Choose one of the following characters:
Robert E. Lee
Colonel Gilbert “Gill” Reese
Wendy Gunther
Carlos Montero
Kuniko Okada
Chris Levin
If you are interested in an alternative approach to the novel, send me an e-mail explaining
what you prefer to write about and including your preliminary thesis and I will reply. I
must receive your request no later than Saturday evening.
You are also required to bring to class a typed page containing your thesis statement
and an outline of your short essay. The outline may include the topic sentence for each
body paragraph and lists of examples that you intend to use while completing the in-class
essay. Of course, you will use MLA documentation style when presenting quotations from
the text that you have chosen. Set the margins of your typed 8.5 X 11” page at 1” on all four
sides of the page and use a Times New Roman 12 font. Set your paragraphs for double
space.
I will supply lined paper for the examination.