This exercise offers some practice in exploring how New Testament writers draw on Old Testament writings. After all, there is a lot of scripture in scripture: quotations, allusions, and shadows of (especially Old Testament) texts in the Bible, especially the New Testament.
Choose a passage in one of the New Testament books we have already covered that quotes a passage from the Old Testament. (Set allusions and other less direct dependencies aside for now.) I suggest something from Paul, since you are reading enough of his writings to get a better sense of his style, agenda, and 'hermeneutics' (strategies for interpreting scripture) than you can with some of the semester's earlier material.
Answer these questions:
What does the OT passage mean in its original literary and historical context?
What role does it play in its NT context? In other words, how is the author using the passage?
How does its significance or meaning shift, if at all, in its new setting?
You may find an OT commentary useful in helping you get a sense of original literary and historical context. I recommend that you not use any NT commentaries, though, because I want the discoveries to be your own, and I want you to rely on your knowledge from Powell, the Bible Project, and your own close reading of the biblical texts.
I don't have a formal length requirement, but if you need one, I suggest about a thousand words. Follow the directions in my handout for writing papers. Remember, I want to see proper style, clear writing, a thorough answer to the question, and explicit citations of course materials. Of course, cite any sources you draw on, whether directly or indirectly, or you're plagiarizing.