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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I was struck by this title in the following, and would be very glad to learn where it came from. A quote from "A history of Trinity College":
In 1961 a moderatorship in English literature and language was introduced. The introduction of these moderatorship examinations was accompanied by the
development of honor courses and of a system of ‘honor privileges’ which eventually enabled honor students to substitute honor for ordinary lectures, and honor for all ordinary examinations except the Final Freshman examination, or ‘Little-go’. The abolition in 1959 of ‘Little-go’ for honor students completed the separation of the honor from the ordinary curriculum;
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Jackie: I found a couple sites about "little-go". This excerpt is from a student in 1911.
Parts of the rest of it are quite amusing.
So I accepted the Cambridge offer and began to study for the Previous Examination commonly
called the`Little Go'. That exam was in three parts. Part I consisted of papers in Latin and Greek
- no matter what one subsequently took for one's degree - and I found myself reading Cicero's
Bellum Civile in Latin and, in Greek, Euripedes' Medea and the Gospel of St Mark. I knew the English
version of St Mark fairly well and decided that the best way to surmount Part I was to learn the
translations by heart. The rest I was excused, except a Paper on Paley's Christian Evidences.
I think that was the dullest book I have ever read. Anyhow I passed and in October 1911.
I found myself a Commoner of Queens' College, Cambridge.
The following Sunday I attended the Freshmens' Service at Great St Mary's, the University
Church. I discovered afterwards that the reason for the very large congregation was because
the Master of Trinity was the preacher. Like Dr Spooner of Oxford, the Master of Trinity
always said the wrong thing at the right time. He chose for his text the parable of the ten
virgins and proceeded to give a most helpful and straightforward warning of the pitfalls which
might beset an undergraduate fresh from the guardianship of school and home. It was an
excellent discourse until the peroration when the Master said, "And now my dear young
brethren I hope when the time comes you will be found watching with the five wise virgins
and not sleeping with the five foolish ones".
Little-Go. (from Bartleby)
The examination held in the Cambridge University in the second year of
residence. Called also "the previous examination," because it precedes by a year
the examination for a degree. In Oxford the corresponding examination is called
The Smalls. (See MODS.)
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Nice one, wwh!
I got totally confused with all that honors stuff.
Can anyone elucidate?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Apparently candidates for honours must at the outset be subject to extra requirements and exams.
A four-year B.A. (Honours) in English
Language and Literature
Honours English students must complete
an array of historical period courses, and
are strongly advised to take courses in
literary criticism or theory and in the
history of the English language.
A four-year BA with a Major in English and
Professional Writing
This program combines study in English
literature with training in professional
writing, and is designed for students
planning to seek work in areas which
emonstrated proficiency in writing
for the workplace
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Carpal Tunnel
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Thanks Bill, although it's little enough to go on, really.
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear CK: Please feel free to improve on my mediocre efforts.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Bill, that was wonderful! It reminds me of the letters to and from Rupert Brooke that I've read. And, (you can trust me on this) CK was not referring to your efforts, Dearest, but to the mediocrity of the content of your findings, in re: being helpful at shedding light on how the exam came to be called Little-go. Thank you.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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My impression is that it was called a "little-go" because it was not nearly as difficult as the examinations that were close to graduation time and less important.
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