Post by ernesto thaddeus m. solmerano on Feb 2, 2009 2:25:12 GMT -5
Poetry Analysis Test
Read the following poems very carefully and then answer the questions that follow.When I Was One-And-Twenty
By A.E. Housman
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
“Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.”
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
“The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
‘Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.”
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, ‘tis true, ‘tis true.
1. The narrator’s tone can best be described as:
a. miserable
b. reminiscent
c. tragic
d. passionate
e. nonchalant
2. Lines 1 and 9 can best be described as:
a. refrain
b. apology
c. repetition
d. parallel structure
e. rhetorical question
3. In line 12, the term “vain” means:
a. proud
b. heroic
c. without direction
d. without purpose
e. unsuccessful
4. The theme of this poem can be found in which lines?
a. lines 5 & 6
b. lines 7 & 8
c. lines 11 & 12
d. lines 13 & 14
e. lines 15 & 16
5. The repetition in the final line provides or enhances the poem’s:
a. refrain
b. syntactical weakness
c. tone of lamentation
d. lack of originality
e. sorrowful mood
6. The poem best reflects which underlying, universal theme?
a. One must be careful in love.
b. One should not be so concerned with material possessions.
c. With age comes wisdom that youth often ignores.
d. Without wisdom one cannot have wealth.
e. If at first you don’t succeed, try again next year.
7. Although this poem is written in a single stanza, it could be divided into:
a. two octaves in juxtaposition
b. alternating heroic couplets
c. leave as one single flowing stanza
d. four quatrains
e. three quatrains followed by a couplet
8. In line 14, the word ”rue” refers to:
a. sadness
b. regret
c. money
d. wisdom
e. exhilaration
9. The repetition of lines beginning with the short conjunctions “But” and “And” is
an example of:
a. parallelism
b. syntax error
c. poetic rhythm
d. assonance
e. anaphora
10. The following poetic devices are evident in this poem:
a. couplet, alliteration, conceit
b. assonance, metonymy, direct quotation
c. consonance, onomatopoeia, personification
d. metaphor, rhythm, caesura
e. symbol, litotes, allusion
11. The poem suggests an underlying conceit using imagery related to:
a. unrequited love
b. fancy-free loving
c. suffering from heartache
d. birthdays and aging
e. buying, spending and exchanging goods
12. The last two lines of the poem serve all of the following purposes except:
a. reinforces the theme
b. project the narrator’s tone
c. add a touch of humor
d. defy the wisdom of age
e. reintroduce the narrator
13. The wisdom of the “wise man” can best be summarized as:
a. Be careful in your love life.
b. Being poor materially is better than being unhappy in love.
c. Nothing is as bad as financial failure.
d. One can learn from experiences and mistakes.
e. With age come wisdom and understanding.
The World Is Too Much With Us; Late And Soon
By William Wordsworth
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little did we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our heart’s away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.—Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
14. Which of the following ideas best describe the meaning(s) of this poem?
I. The purpose of life is to work hard in order to accumulate wealth.
II. We have lost our ability to appreciate and be uplifted by nature.
III. The pursuit of materialism has weakened us.
a. I only
b. II only
c. III only
d. I and II only
e. II and III only
15. What is the effect of the change from first person plural voice (lines 1-9) to first person singular
voice (lines 9-14)?
a. to suggest that we are all alike
b. to emphasize the similarity between Pagans and Christians
c. to contrast the speaker’s appreciation of nature to the lack of appreciation of nature
by most people
d. to emphasize the difference between Pagans and Christians
e. to suggest that each person is different from other people
16. From the context we can conclude that “Proteus” and “Triton” (lines 13-14) refer to:
a. flowers
b. happy feelings
c. wasted powers
d. howling winds
e. ancient deities
17. The speaker’s tone in this poem can be best described as:
a. admonitory
b. indifferent
c. mocking
d. appreciative
e. kind and gentle
18. What is the effect of the personification of “This Sea” (line 5)?
a. The human qualities of the “Pagans” (line 10) are underscored.
b. The identity of “Proteus” (line 13) becomes clearer.
c. An element of nature is portrayed as an object of romance to the speaker.
d. The “Sea” is awake while the flowers sleep.
e. The “Sea” is likened to God.
19. What is the function of the phrases “to the moon” (line 5) and “sleeping flowers” (line 7)?
a. They suggest the nature of the “Sea” (line 5).
b. They suggest that “Nature” (line 3) is asleep.
c. They suggest that we are asleep.
d. They suggest that the time setting of the poem is night.
e. They suggest that the speaker mourns our wasted powers.
20. In its context, the phrase “I’d rather be / A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn” (lines 9-10)
suggests which of the following beliefs of the speaker?
a. A “Pagan” was closer emotionally to “nature” (line 3) than the speaker’s contemporaries.
b. A “Pagan” beliefs are no longer valid.
c. A “Pagan” has no specific beliefs.
d. The speaker wishes to fantasize about life.
e. Contemporary religions bring people close to “Nature”.
Dream Deferred
By Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
Like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
21. The poem is concerned primarily with the:
a. inevitability of dreams
b. gradual change from dream to reality
c. necessity of living in the real world
d. nature of unfulfilled dreams
e. consequences of dreams and reality
22. The effect of such phrases as “dry up”, “fester like a sore”, “stink like rotten meat”, “crust and
sugar over”, “sags like a heavy load” and “explode” is to:
a. catalog the many negative possibilities of deferred dreams
b. stress the speaker’s dissatisfaction with reality
c. satirize those who defer dreams
d. underscore the necessity to dream
e. suggest the fruits of dreaming
23. As it is used in the poem, “explode” can be understood in all of the following except:
a. blow up
b. expand
c. destroy
d. erupt
e. madden
24. In the context of the poem as a whole, the speaker’s attitude toward “a dream deferred” can best
be described as:
a. mocking
b. disappointed
c. deferential
d. dispassionate
e. sympathetic
25. Which of the following changes is introduced in line 11?
a. The deferred dream could lead to violence.
b. The deferral of dreams is accepted.
c. The deferral of dreams is rejected.
d. The question in line 1 is answered.
e. The deferred dream is defined.
In a Station of the Metro
By Ezra Pound
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
26. The speaker in the poem is:
a. the poet himself
b. a character in the poem
c. nobody in particular
d. the reader
e. none of these aforementioned
27. What time of day is it outside the subway station?
a. day
b. night
c. noon
d. afternoon
e. nothing in particular
28. What is the weather condition?
a. clear, sunny
b. rainy, damp
c. wintry, frosty
d. scorching, blistering
e. windy, blustery
29. What is the season?
a. Spring
b. Summer
c. Winter
d. Fall
e. Not mentioned in the poem
30. What are the people in the station wearing?
a. tuxedos and evening gowns
b. dark colored raincoats
c. casual pants and shirts
d. briefs and bikinis
e. nothing