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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
Renaissance and Restoration Poetry
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____
1. Which of the following excerpts from “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is the best example
of a metaphysical conceit?
a. “So let us melt, and make no noise, / No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move, / 'Twere
profanation of our joys / To tell the laity our love.”
b. “But we by a love so much refined, / That our selves know not what it is…”
c. “Our two souls therefore, which are one, / Though I must go, endure not yet / A breach, but
an expansion, / Like gold to airy thinness beat.”
d. “If they be two, they are two so / As stiff twin compasses are two; / Thy soul the fixed foot,
makes no show / To move, but doth, if th'other do.”
____
2. What can you infer about the speaker's situation from these final lines from “A Valediction:
Forbidding Mourning”?
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
And makes me end where I begun.
a. The speaker and his lover are bound, though they may be apart.
b. The speaker feels he is going around in circles to attract his lover.
c. The relationship between the speaker and his lover seems to go over the same ground again
____
and again.
d. The strength of the speaker's love keeps him prisoner.
3. In “To His Coy Mistress,” to what does Marvell allude in the line “Time's winged chariot hurrying
near”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
____
a gathering of angels
his love's acceptance of him
the approach of death
unwanted attentions from his rival
4. In “To His Coy Mistress,” the lines “The grave's a fine and private place, / But none I think do
there embrace” are an expression of which attitude toward death?
a.
b.
c.
d.
____
acceptance of death's inevitability but disbelief in any comfort of eternal life
denial that life and love end with death
desire for death and rejection of earthly passions and pains
belief in the enjoyment of earthly pleasures combined with anticipation of life after death
5. The rosebuds in the first line of “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” are a symbol of
a. the beauty of nature.
b. early childhood.
c. the joys of youth.
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
d. love and marriage.
____
6. What does the flower symbolize in these lines from “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”?
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
a.
b.
c.
d.
____
7. Where does the rhymed couplet appear in Shakespearean sonnets?
a.
b.
c.
d.
____
the length of human life
a prosperous garden
the innocence of life
disappointment in love
at the end of each quatrain
at the beginning of each quatrain
in the first two lines of the poem
in the final two lines of the poem
8. In “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” what does the speaker urge his love to do?
a.
b.
c.
d.
____
forgive him for loving another
run away with him to the city
come live with him in the country
help him feed his flocks
9. Which word best describes the setting in “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
imperfect
primitive
harmonious
idealized
____ 10. Why does the nymph reject the shepherd in “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Time will pass and the joys of youth will fade.
She has no desire to live in the country.
She loves another and will not leave him.
She grew tired of waiting and married another.
____ 11. What is the speaker's attitude in “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
agreeable
passionate
realistic
insulted
____ 12. What is the speaker's attitude toward love and youth in “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”?
a. Youth never experiences true love.
b. Youth is the only time for love.
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
c. Love and youth are endless.
d. Love and youth are brief.
____ 13. What does the speaker mean in these lines from “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”?
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses, / Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies / Soon break, soon
wither, soon forgotten, / In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
a.
b.
c.
d.
None of these things matter if love is true.
All of these things wear out in time, as does love itself.
The reasons for these things have changed.
Those are foolish and illogical ideas.
____ 14. What does the speaker mean in this line from “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd”?
But could youth last and love still breed….
a.
b.
c.
d.
As people get older, love fades.
Young people do not know the meaning of love.
Love will outlast time.
Only young people are able to love completely.
____ 15. What does carpe diem mean?
a.
b.
c.
d.
live for tomorrow
prepare for death
seize the day
life is long
Frankenstein
True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
____
16. Victor dislikes Professor Waldman because he is ugly.
____
17. Victor is unhappy when his creature disappears.
____
18. The miniature portrait is found in Justine’s clothes.
____
19. The monster hates the lazy cottagers.
____
20. The monster tries to gain the friendship of the old man.
____
21. At first Victor refuses to create a female monster but then changes his mind.
____
20. On their honeymoon, Victor hears Elizabeth’s scream but arrives too late to save her.
____
21. Walton achieves revenge for Victor by killing the monster.
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____
22. When Walton rescues Victor, he is astonished because Victor
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
a. first asks him which way the ship is
c.
going.
b. tries to hijack the ship.
d.
22. An act of nature that strongly affects Victor is a
a. volcanic eruption in Italy.
c.
b. blinding blizzard in the Alps.
d.
has a strange companion.
looks like a monster.
lightning bolt that destroys an oak.
solar eclipse.
23. Victor’s first response to the monster is to
a. comfort him and attend to his needs.
c. try to lock him up.
b. try to talk to him.
d. shudder at his appearance.
24. Justine confesses to William’s murder because
a. she is the real murderer.
c. she saw the monster kill William.
b. Elizabeth doesn’t believe in her
d. she wants to obtain God’s forgiveness.
innocence.
25. One of the monster’s earliest discoveries involves the
a. value of weapons.
c. usefulness of fire.
b. importance of reading.
d. need for a saw and hammer.
26. The monster stops stealing the cottagers’ food because he
a. gets caught.
c. finds a nearby storehouse of food.
b. realizes that they need it.
d. doesn’t need to eat.
27. When the cottagers reject the monster, the monster
a. blames Henry.
c. kills De Lacey.
b. ransacks the village.
d. burns the cottage.
28. After telling his story, the monster wants Victor to
a. see him no more.
c. accept him into the family.
b. die in mortal combat.
d. create a female monster.
29. Victor goes to the Orkneys to
a. meet Henry.
b. confer with other scientists.
c. create the female monster.
d. find the monster.
30. Victor dies in the presence of
a. the monster
c. his father.
b. Walton.
d. Margaret.
31. Why doesn’t Victor protect Elizabeth, his wife, from the monster’s attack on their wedding night?
a. He does not think the monster will
c. He misunderstands the monster’s
come.
warning.
b. He thinks that Elizabeth can protect
d. He doesn’t love Elizabeth anymore.
herself.
32. What does Walton do after Victor dies?
a. He returns to England.
c. He continues on toward the North Pole.
b. He remains stuck in the Arctic ice.
d. He pursues Frankenstein’s monster.
33. How does the monster taunt Victor?
a. By reminding Victor of his former
c. By forcing Victor to relive Elizabeth’s
obligation.
death.
b. By leaving clues and messages for
d. By writing his own life story.
Victor.
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
____
34. What does the monster say that he has become?
a. a civilized man
c. a traumatized victim
b. a new kind of artist
d. an instrument of evil
Age of Reason - Satire
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 35. In Gulliver's Travels, what are the Lilliputians quarreling about that leads to war?
a.
b.
c.
d.
what to do with Gulliver
which end of an egg to break open
who owns the island of Blefuscu
how to elect political leaders
____ 36. What is Swift satirizing in the story of the dispute between the Big-Endians and the Little-Endians
in Gulliver's Travels?
a.
b.
c.
d.
arguments over unimportant things
the inability to learn how others think
the superiority of the upper class
stubbornness against trying new ideas
____ 37. In Gulliver's Travels, what is Swift satirizing when he writes about the Lilliputian wars?
a.
b.
c.
d.
religious wars
land wars
political wars
family conflicts
____ 38. What does Gulliver do to help prevent a war between the Lilliputians and the Blefuscudians in
Gulliver's Travels?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He destroys the Blefuscudians' entire navy.
He acts as an ambassador for the Lilliputians to work out a peace treaty.
He shows himself to the Blefuscudians, frightening them into giving up.
He captures fifty of the Blefuscudians' mightiest warships.
____ 39. In Gulliver's Travels, why does the Lilliputian king become angry with Gulliver?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Gulliver has threatened to leave the country.
Gulliver changed sides and is aiding the Blefuscudians.
Gulliver refuses to help the king conquer Blefuscu.
Gulliver has refused to break open his egg.
____ 40. What conclusion about the qualifications of England's lawmakers does the king of Brobdingnag
draw in Gulliver's Travels?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They should be ignorant, idle, and corrupt.
They should be thoughtful, hard-working, and just.
They should be generous, careful, and kind.
They should be intelligent, clever, and wise.
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
____ 41. In Gulliver's Travels, the king of Brobdingnag listens carefully to Gulliver's stories of England.
What does the king conclude about the English?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They are a powerful group.
They are democratic people.
They are disgusting vermin.
They are a civilized race.
____ 42. In “A Modest Proposal,” what does Swift propose doing to solve the problem of poverty in
Ireland?
a.
b.
c.
d.
sell children of the poor into slavery
ship all Catholic children to England
slaughter children of the poor for food
train poor children for the English army
____ 43. Which statement from “A Modest Proposal” is an example of sarcasm?
a. “They can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing till they arrive at six years old.”
b. “It is a melancholy object…when they see the streets…crowded with beggars…”
c. “I think it is agreed…that this prodigious number of children…is…a very great additional
grievance.”
d. “These mothers…are forced to employ all their time…to beg sustenance for their helpless
infants.”
____ 44. According to “A Modest Proposal,” how long does Swift propose that mothers keep their children?
a.
b.
c.
d.
until they are one year old
until they are adults
until they finish school
until someone buys them
____ 45. Which term best describes the italicized portion of this statement from “A Modest Proposal”?
I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have
already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Understatement
Modest
Historical
Exaggeration
____ 46. Swift titled his essay, “A Modest Proposal.” Which term best describes his use of the word
modest?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Understatement
Exaggeration
Sarcasm
Historical
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
____ 47. Swift includes many facts and statistics in “A Modest Proposal.” What seems to be his purpose in
including this information?
a.
b.
c.
d.
to convince people to act
to make his proposal appear logical
to add humor to his proposal
to justify laws to protect the poor
____ 48. Who is Swift's main audience for “A Modest Proposal”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
poor Irish people
Americans
French citizens
English landlords
____ 49. In “A Modest Proposal,” why does Swift seem unconcerned about poor people who are old and
sick?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Poor older people already receive help from their neighbors.
The old and sick in Ireland are cared for by their families.
They are not a long-term problem because they die quickly.
Their economic conditions are improving due to government aid.
____ 50. What is the author's purpose in writing “A Modest Proposal”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
to quickly reduce the population of Ireland
to call attention to the problem of poverty in Ireland
to enable poor mothers to earn more money
to encourage Catholics to leave Ireland
____ 51. Underlying Swift’s proposal is
a. sympathy for the poor
b. indifference toward the poor
c. outrage at England’s policies in Ireland
d. outrage at Ireland’s meek acceptance of
British policies
____ 52. By having the proposal favor the “lessening of the number of Papists among us,” Swift indicates that
a. he himself is prejudice against Roman
c. there are too many Papists in the world
Catholicism
b. religious persecution is a factor in
d. most Irish people are Roman Catholic
England’s policies toward Ireland
____ 53. Swift conveys his message by primarily employing
a. understatement
c. threats
b. exaggeration
d. historical allusions
____ 54. Swift’s main purpose in writing this essay was most probably to
a. provide a solution to world hunger
c. shock the reader into realizing the plight
of the Irish poor
b. persuade the reader of the righteousness of d. present his views on birth control in a nonCatholicism
threatening manner
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
The Romantics and Reform
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 55. According to Austen in “On Making an Agreeable Marriage,” what is the most important reason
for marrying someone?
a.
b.
c.
d.
wealth
personality
affection
respect
____ 56. What is Jane Austen's purpose in writing to her niece Fanny in “On Making an Agreeable
Marriage”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
to tell her about the success of her book
to advise her on marriage
to share news of the family
to discuss their interest in music
____ 57. Why does Austen tell Fanny in “On Making an Agreeable Marriage” that “I have no hope of
writing anything to the purpose”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
She knows little about the man who wants to marry Fanny.
She knows that events will have changed before Fanny gets her letter.
She does not want to appear to tell Fanny what to do about marriage.
She realizes that Fanny will ignore anything she says.
____ 58. As social commentary, what does Austen accomplish in “On Making an Agreeable Marriage”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
She consciously analyzes marriage customs of the period.
She unconsciously depicts society's expectations for marriage.
She consciously points out the flaws in how society treats women.
She unconsciously criticizes how women allow themselves to be treated.
____ 59. What was Wollstonecraft's purpose in writing A Vindication of the Rights of Woman?
a.
b.
c.
d.
to call attention how society has limited women's potential
to complain about the lack of education she was given
to criticize the education and intelligence of men
to discourage women from rebelling against a social system
____ 60. To what does Wollstonecraft compare the minds of women in A Vindication of the Rights of
Woman?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the impression of being too frivolous to learn
flowers that are planted in soil that is too rich
men who have never had the benefits of education
children before they go to school
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____ 61. What does Wollstonecraft mean in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman when she says women
should “become more masculine”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They should learn to compete with men as equals.
They should try hard to make themselves beautiful.
They should educate themselves and exercise their bodies.
They should not hesitate to use their beauty to gain power.
____ 62. In Byron's “Speech to Parliament,” he tries to convince Parliament not to severely punish the
weavers for an action they have taken. What did they do?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The workers went on strike.
The workers destroyed their looms.
The workers rioted in the streets.
The workers refused to work overtime.
____ 63. According to Byron in “Speech to Parliament,” what punishment is Parliament considering for the
weavers' crimes?
a.
b.
c.
d.
loss of jobs
Imprisonment
Death
high fines
____ 64. Which of the following would be an ineffective purpose for reading “Speech to Parliament”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
to learn about British class divisions
to decide how Byron appeals to the hearts of his listeners
to discover what kinds of persuasive devices Byron uses
to analyze Byron's poetic techniques
____ 65. What argument does Byron make in his “Speech to Parliament” to persuade members of
Parliament that the actions they are considering are too harsh?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Serious crimes are committed by people much better off than the weavers.
The weavers could have committed far more destructive crimes.
The weavers have already lost their jobs, so there is no point in punishing them more.
No one was hurt by the weavers' actions, so they should not be considered criminals.
____ 66. Which choice best describes this line from Percy Bysshe Shelley's “A Song: ‘Men of England’”?
Men of England, wherefore plough
For the lords who lay ye low?
a.
b.
c.
d.
balanced clauses
rhetorical question
Evidence
Assumption
____ 67. Which of the following would be the least effective purpose for reading “A Song: ‘Men of
England’”?
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
a.
b.
c.
d.
to analyze Shelley's use of poetic devices
to learn the conditions of workers in early nineteenth-century England
to study the history of production technology in the textile industry
to learn more about Shelley and his attitudes and philosophy
____ 68. What attitude does Shelley express in “A Song: ‘Men of England’” toward working conditions in
England?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Bitter
Hopeful
Humorous
Forgiving
____ 69. What is the biggest difference between the audiences for Macaulay's “On the Passing of the
Reform Bill” and Byron's “Speech to Parliament”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Macaulay's audience is known to him, whereas Byron's audience is not.
Macaulay's audience is better educated than Byron's.
Macaulay's audience disagrees with him, but Byron's supports his cause.
Macaulay has an audience of one person, while Byron speaks to many.
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
PART I: QUOTATIONS
Match the characters to the following quotations. You may use characters more than once.
Jack Durbeyfield (Tess’s father)
Joan Durbeyfield (Tess’s mother)
Tess Durbeyfield
Alec D’Urberville
Angel Clare
____________________ 70. “’Tis quite true. If I had gone for love o’ you, if I had ever sincerely
loved you, if I loved you still, I should not so loathe and hate myself for my weakness as I do
now!”
____________________ 71. “…that on no account do you say a word of your bygone trouble to
him.”
____________________ 72. “I admired spotlessness, even though I could lay no claim to it, and
hated impurity, as I hope I do now.”
____________________ 73. “I am almost glad – because now you can forgive me! I have not
made my confession.”
____________________ 74. “Remember, my lady, I was your master once; I will be your master
again.”
____________________ 75. “I’m thinking of sending round to all the old antiqueerians in this part
of England asking them to subscribe a fund to maintain me.”
____________________ 76. “That’s very likely, sir; for I have never really known her.”
____________________ 77. “It is as it should be! I am almost glad….This happiness could not
have lasted – it was too much – I have had enough; and now I shall not live for you to despise me.”
PART II: TRUE / FALSE
78. The novel begins with the woman’s club-walking celebrating May Day.
79. Tess blames the postman for the death of Prince.
80. When Tess’s baby becomes ill, she secretly baptizes the baby herself in order to save his soul.
81. Joan Durbeyfield encourages Tess to tell Angel of her past.
82. Tess takes very seriously her responsibility to protect Angel’s honor.
PART III: MULTIPLE CHOICE
83. All of the following are characteristics of Hardy’s novels EXCEPT
A. a woman protagonist is sought in marriage by two men
B. the woman is granted the freedom of choice of a marriage partner
C. a beneficent force intervenes to protect the protagonist
D. she invariably chooses the wrong man
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
84. The belief that the universal will urges individuals to satisfy goals which can never be satisfied
belongs to
A. Charles Darwin
B. Reverend Clare
C. William Shakespeare
D. Arthur Schopenhauer
85. The greatest conflict in Tess is between her inherent will to enjoy and
A. the circumstantial forces which are indifferent to her wishes and efforts
B. her desire for self-preservation
C. the inherent goodness in mankind
D. society’s loose moral codes
86. During the dance, the young women wear white dresses, symbolizing their
A. wealth
B. purity
C. poverty
D. sins
87. According to Tess, the Durbeyfields live under a “blighted” star. Through this image, Hardy
suggests that their lives are
A. doomed
B. hopeful
C. significant
D. evil
88. Mrs. D’Urberville enjoys the songs of the bullfinches because she is
A. a musician
B. blind
C. deaf
D. paralyzed
89. Alec is a D’Urberville because
A. he is a rightful descendant
B. he was adopted by Mrs. U’Urberville
C. he bought the title and changed his name to D’Urberville
D. he purchased the name from Jack Durbeyfield
90. Tess names her baby
A. Angel
B. Sorrow
C. Aby
D. Liza-Lu
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SAMPLE EXAM: June 2010
91.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Tess agrees to leave Angel after he tells her
that their children will one day learn of her past
that they can get a divorce
that he is ashamed of Tess
that he dislikes old families
92.
A.
B.
C.
D.
When Tess finds Alec again, she discovers he has become a(n)
farmer
student
preacher
teacher
93.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Tess kills Alec when he
calls Angel a bad name
reveals his name is Stokes
tells her Angel will never return
threatens to abandon her
94.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Tess and Angel spend their last night together at
the empty mansion
the train station
Stonehenge
Kingsbere
95.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Tess asks Angel if he thinks they shall meet again after they are dead. His response is
yes, they will be reunited in heaven
no, they will never see one another again
they will never die
silence
96.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The phrase “’Justice’ was done” is ironic because
the tragedy of Tess’s life and death was an injustice
Angel was punished for wronging Tess
Alec’s death was avenged
the D’Urberville family is extinct