Exams are a challenge for instructors.
If all we wanted to do was make sure you had done the reading and attended lectures, we could simply ask you to summarize each book, throwing in a few interesting facts as illustrations of the main points. But there would be two problems with such an approach. First, our ultimate aim in assigning texts and giving lectures is not to have you memorize the material, but to apply it. The exam is our chance to test our success in helping you do that. Remember, then, as you take the exam, we are not so much interested in your ability to regurgitate as your ability to digest.