Sources of exam questions include the lecture
notes, the assigned readings as well material that was covered in the lecture
which is not available through any of the other sources.
The role of the required readings with respect to the midterm
Reading and understanding the content in these extra materials may allow
you to better understand the lecture material and thus provide 'richer'
answers. In addition there may be a written question and/or multiple
choice that asks you
specifically about material from one of the papers which wasn't directly
covered in lecture.