Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 4, No. 374.  Saturday, 19 June 1993.
 
From:           Tom Derrick <
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Date:           Friday, 18 Jun 93 15:03:07 EST
Subject:        Explicating Shakespeare: O thou dull god
 
In 1991 the Educational Testing Service used Henry's soliloquy on insomnia (2H4
3.1.1-31) as part of an Advanced Placement exam taken by about 90,000 high
school students. For an essay about I. A. Richards' Shakespeare criticism, I am
interested in hearing of other large-scale tests requiring close reading of a
Shakespearean passage. Do the O or A level exams or Open University exams in
Britain, for example, test students' ability to explicate Shakespeare? What
about the National Teachers exam in the U.S.? By large-scale tests, I mean
examinations given to more than 30 people, say, at one sitting.
 
Tom Derrick                            "It is not madness
                 That I have utt'red. Bring me to the test,
                 And I the matter will reword, which madness
                 Would gambol from."