8/12/2019 Final Note

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To: All Students in History 9A, Introduction to Indian Civilization

As the quarter draws to a close, I wanted to bring to your attention some issues related to thecourse. Last week I spent a few minutes in class describing the nature of the final exam, which willbe held on Monday, June 9, 3-6 PM, in Bunche 1209B. Please make a careful note of the time andlocation; and bring blue books with you. You are not allowed the use of any books, computers,iPads, iPhones, or notebooks during the exam. If you were not present in class when I discussedthe format of the exam, I suggest that you contact your TA or one of the other students taking thiscourse. But, in brief, the final exam will be comprised of two portions. You will receive 15 ID s and

will write a short paragraph on 10 of those this will account for 20% of the final exam grade. Thelarger portion of the exam will consist of essay questions, and you shall be responsible for 4 of the 8questions; each of those answers will account for 20% of the final exam grade. The essay portion, inother words, accounts for 80% of the final exam grade.

Since I have a great deal of material that I have to cover in the remaining four lectures, it will bedifficult for me to entertain questions in class. I urge you to come see me during my office hoursnext week, Wed 2-4:30, if you seek clarifications or have any questions related to the course. Forthose who are keen on meeting with me but cannot do so on Wed., I can make myself available on

Tuesday afternoon but you must email me to make an appointment, or we can speak on the phone.

It is imperative that you keep up with readings and, just as importantly, come to class regularly forthe remaining part of the quarter. The YouTube lectures of this course from 2012 will unfortunatelynot be sufficient, even if they are helpful, in preparing for the final exam, since some of the materialbeing covered this time is new; moreover, in different years I have placed emphasis on differentpoints. I can only rei terate what I ve mentioned several time s beforehand, namely that you areresponsible for everything on the syllabus and whatever is covered in lectures for the entire period

of ten weeks. To the question, which is often posed by students, as to how one can best prepare forthe final exam, the answer is relatively straightforward: attend the lectures, do all the readings, andthink of the big questions.

How should you answer the ID questions? Consider the following illustration: Robert Clive .Clive was an officer employed by the East India Company. When Fort William was capturedby Siraj-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, Clive succeeded in recapturing Fort William for theBritish. It is often said that the victory he achieved at Plassey in 1757 over Siraj-ud-daulahestablished the foundations of British rule in India. With this victory, the British foundthemselves transformed from traders to rulers.

You could also answer the ID this way : Clive was an officer employed by the East IndiaCompany. When the Company entered into a conflict with the Nawab of Bengal, Clive ledthe Company s forces at a battle at Plassey in 1757 that resulted in the Nawab s defeat. Clivethus became instrumental in securing India for the British. With this victory, the Britishfound themselves transformed from traders to rulers.

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Either of these two answers will easily be adequate to earn you a straight A.

Here is a second example: MOHENJO-DARO. Mohenjo-daro was one of the principal cities of what is called the Indus Valley Civilization. Archaeological and scholarly work has established thatthis was an urban settlement, now in Pakistan, established sometime between 2600-2000 BCE. The

site furnishes evidence of centralized town planning and the extensive ruins point to the presence ofthe Great Bath , a granary, streets built according to some plan, and an extensive drainage system.

Note that the above answer is comprised of only three sentences. Since there is some uncertaintyabout its exact date, you need not mention 2600 or 2500 BCE but rather can give a range of dates.

This also places less of a burden upon you to remember exact dates. The crucial point is to conveyimportant information.