Question

what makes a story a exemplum

Answer 1

This genre sprang from the above, in classical, medieval and Renaissance literature, consisting of lives of famous figures, and using these (by emphasizing good or bad character traits) to make a moral point.

Collections of Exempla helped medieval preachers to adorn their sermons, to emphasize moral conclusions or illustrate a point of doctrine. The subject matter could be taken from fables, folktales, legends or real history. Jacques de Vitry's book of exempla, c. 1200, was one of the most famous collections. Geoffrey Chaucer's The Miller's Prologue and Tale became a vivid satire on these collections and the abuse they found wherever they were just brought into monotonous litanies.

Examples include:

- Suetonius's De vita Caesarum or Lives of the Twelve Caesars
- Plutarch's Parallel Lives
- Jerome's De viris illustribus
- Petrarch's De viris illustribus
- Chaucer's The Monk's Prologue and Tale, "The Friar's Tale", and The Legend of Good Women
- Boccaccio's On Famous Women and On the Fates of Illustrious Men
- Christine de Pizan's The Book of the City of Ladies.
- Don Juan Manuel's Libro de los ejemplos del conde Lucanor y de Patronio.
- Mirror for Magistrates by various Tudor authors
- Der Stricker's bispel

Answer 2

And here is the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exemplum

Answer 3

Medal?
If helped.........