History and Literature Revises System of General Examinations

General examinations in History and Literature will be spread over a two day period this year, William R. Taylor '43, assistant professor of History and Literature, announced last night. Previously the department has held a single four-hour exam.

The major departure from the old system is a one-hour essay which will be more factual and specific than the rest of the examination. According to Taylor, this is intended to insure proper coverage of a student's individual field, and there will be a wide choice of topics.

In the past, Taylor noted, students have tended to spend too much time on the general beginning essay, at the expense of the textual criticism which followed. Now, a two hour textual criticism will make up the entire first day program. One hour will be devoted to a history text and the other to a literary test.

On the second day the general essay which takes two hours, will precede the newly added specific one. "This essay is not a course type question," Taylor emphasized. "The student will be asked to organize the field in a particular way. We hope for a better showing than in the past from good students."