Masters Exam
Samples
Russian Literature (Part I)
Choose 1 question from Group A
and 1 question from Group B. Answer question C in Russian.
Discuss all questions in essay form.
Group A
Assess the achievement of Vissarion Belinsky as literary
critic.
Pushkin OR Dostoevsky: discuss the general scope of his work and
its position in Russian literature. Choose one major work or a
selection of smaller works for detailed analysis to illustrate
your comments.
Group B
In his provocative essay "What is Socialist Realism?"
Andrei Sinyavsky (aka Abram Terts) suggests that the term
"socialist realism" is a misnomer and that the
prevailing aesthetic during high Stalinism would be better
called "socialist classicism". Explain comparing
Russian (pseudo or neo-) classicism with socialist realism
referring to examples from literature and other cultural
artificats.
Great poets and writers rarely are defined within the bounds of
separate literary movements. Give an example of such a writer
from any century or period and explain.
Group C
Essay in Russian on previously assigned theme.
Russian Literature (Part II)
Choose 1 question from Group A and 1 question from Group B.
Discuss all questions in essay form.
Group A
Please identify the four poems (the last one is an excerpt).
Discuss them as examples of the theme of the poet's calling or
vocation. Comment on individual and historical differences in
addressing the theme and in the formal devices used to express
it. [Note: Poems are not given in this sample exam.]
Discuss the "superfluous man" in Russian literature.
Illustrate your essay with references to 19th and 20th century
writers and comment on whether you think the "superfluous
man" is a useful concept.
Group B
The concept of period has both a historical and a literary
association. We can even say that certain periods seem to favor
certain genres, whether defined broadly (prose, poetry, drama)
or more specifically (ode, "poema", lyric, novel,
rasskaz). Choose a particular genre and comment on its
prevalence and effectiveness in expressing the focus of a given
period or movement. Be sure to give specific examples.
Outline the main lines of development of either Russian drama OR
Russian poetry during the 19th century.
MA Exam in Linguistics
I. History of Russian
A. Identity five of the following terms. Be sure to address
their significance and provide examples
[Only three samples are given here]
1. ablaut
2. progressive velar palatalization
3. vocative
B. Comment on five of the following correspondences from an
historical point of view, i.e. what evidence do they provide for
changes that took place? (30 minutes)
[Only one sample is given here.]
1. What is the Common Slavic source for Modern Russian <a>
in the
following words?
C. Answer one of the following questions. Be sure to provide
examples. (30 minutes)
[Only one sample is given here.]
1. What were the consequences of the fall of the jers for the
Russian phonological and morphological system?
II Synchronic Linguistics
A. Identify five of the following terms. Be sure to address
their significance and provide examples (30 minutes)
[Only three terms are given here.]
1. phoneme vs. allophone
2. topic/comment
3. cokan'e
B. Answer two of the following essay questions. Be sure to
provide examples. (60 minutes)
1. Discuss the relationship of grammatical gender, referential
gender and declension class in Modern Russian.
2. Explain the following quote:
"The gerunds, designated 'present' and 'past' in most
popular grammars,
do not in fact express the grammatical category of tense."
Historical Essay Question: Answer one of the following
questions.
Read the question carefully and plan your answer before writing.
[Only one choice is given here.]
Be sure to provide examples when appropriate.
1. Discuss the development of animacy from OR to CSR. Be sure to
make
reference to the chronology and conditions of this development,
for
example, what types of nouns reflected animacy.
Sample Grammar Questions
MA Reading List
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