Assess students' ability to identify and interpret recurring symbols, motifs, and central themes in 19th-century Gothic literature; evaluate close-reading skills, use of textual evidence, and understanding of historical/cultural contexts as they relate to themes such as the sublime, the uncanny, terror vs. horror, gender anxieties, and social critique. Include short-answer and brief-essay items that require analytical reasoning and connections between symbolism and thematic development across representative texts (e.g., works by Shelley, Stoker, Poe, Brontë).