1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? Disillusionment Country folkways The optimistic view that God will save humanity The difficulties of life 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Ancient Southwestern England Hardy's town of origin Hardy's fictional literary landscape Current day South England 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1879 1900 1912 1898 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Robert Frost Philip Larkin George Eliot W.H. Auden 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The neutral imagery and mood in the poem The speaker's preference for a muted palette The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The speaker's true sense of passivity 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? After breaking up with his ex-partner, the speaker maintains a facade of passivity that does not quite manage to conceal his bitterness. The speaker has read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." The speaker is finally able to heal from his past relationship and embark on a new one. The speaker suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. 7 What is true about the speaker's partner? She left a devastating impression on the speaker as a result of the break-up. She has blue eyes. She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. She suffered more than the speaker did. 8 Define "rove." (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod (noun) a grouping of ash trees (noun) a secret place in a forest (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? lucky futuristic threatening auspicious 10 In which season is the poem set? Summer Unspecified Spring Winter 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Persistence of Memories The Facade of Neutrality The Optimism of Love Love, Loss, and Disillusionment 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? chides conceals curses casts 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? celebrates chides hides curses 14 What does the starving sod represent? The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. The ground of the speaker's relationship to his ex is sterile, as is the speaker's capacity for new love. Humans don't know how to farm efficiently. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Death, hibernation, and endings Cycles, rest, and family Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Cookies, Santa, and celebration 16 What is revealed in the first line? The ending of the relationship The setting and the facade of neutrality The speaker's angry bitterness The ex-lover's smile 17 Define "keen." (noun) a heartfelt cry (adjective) sharp and well-defined (adjective) disengenuous (adjective) neutral 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? The poem does not rhyme ABCD ABBA AABB 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? None The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? An ominous bird taking flight A blackbird singing in a tree A crow coming home to roost A raven arriving at one's doorstep 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love is cruel but it pays off. Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. 22 What is polysyndeton? The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis A kind of metaphor A literary device in which one word refers in part to another The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook 23 Which is not a symbol in the poem? The yellow sun The ex-partner's smile Winter The white sun 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "And the sun was white, as though chidden of God" "Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove / Over tedious riddles of years ago" "And a grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing" "The change was like the knell" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Evangelical Christian Spiritualistic Agnostic, but complexly so Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God