Advice for in-class Exam

ADVICE FOR IN-CLASS EXAMS

The advice for these exams is very much like the advice for the take-home exams:

1. It is often useful to draw up an outline for your essay. Obviously, this will take a little bit of time, and it will take time away from the writing of the essay itself. Even so, it will most likely lead to a better structured essay, and this will pay off. Make sure that your outline includes responses to each part of the question asked. Do not include extraneous material. When writing your essay, closely follow your outline.

2. When discussing any philosophical view, explain what the view is. Don't assume that your reader knows the various technical terms which you are using.

3. When you claim that a philosophical view has a certain consequence, show how that consequence follows from your characterization of the view.

4. In writing your answers, imagine them being read by someone (say, a roommate) who hasn't been in class and who has no background in philosophy. An intelligent reader with no background in this area at all should be able to understand your essays.