On most in-class exams, I will include a battery of short question or identification items. The instructions for this section will be something like:

Short questions. 50 points. Answer 7 of the following 9 questions in a detailed paragraph. You should carefully explain  the key concepts or reading assignment titles in the question. Your answers should demonstrate that you know what the question is asking and what its significance is. Please provide as many concrete examples from the readings as you answer questions.

I score identification items and short answer questions using a 5-to-10 point scale, based on the following criteria:

5 points. The answer is left blank or is completely wrong in a way that indicates both that the concept/term is not understood by the student and that the course materials related to the concept/term have not been reviewed with any care whatsoever.

6 points. The answer is mostly or completely wrong; however, the student has provided some bit of information related to the concept/term that suggests that s/he has a general idea about where the concept fits into the larger scheme of the course even if s/he cannot define the concept and explain its significance.

7 points. A “C” answer defines the concept/term correctly and provides a basic idea of its significance. A “C” answer fails to address (or does so inaccurately) major dimensions of a concept/term, but still demonstrates that a student has made a minimum of effort to review and understand the class materials related to the concept/term.

8 points. A “B” answer identifies and accurately explains most or all key aspects of the concept/term. The answer also describes the term’s relationship to major themes and topics in the course so that it is clear that the student grasps the larger significance of the term.

9 points. An “A” answer goes beyond correctly defining the concept and accurately explaining its relationship to major class topics. An “A” answer provides examples and multiple specific references to course readings and seminar discussions, indicating that the student thoroughly understands and can apply the concept/term.

10 points. An “A-plus” identification answer is a model response. An A+ answer explains clearly all major aspects of a concept/term, and it provides many examples from the course readings and seminars, thus showing that the key materials related to the concept have been mastered by the student.

Answers that fall somewhere between two categories are assigned a score corresponding to the half-point between the two categories (e.g., 8.5).

I  calculate grades for the identification section of an exam by multiplying the average item score by the total points awarded for the section. As an example, a student who averaged a 7.3 out of ten points on an identification section worth 40 total points would earn 30 points (73 percent x 40 points = 29.2 points, which I would round up to 30 points).

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