1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? The difficulties of life Country folkways Disillusionment The optimistic view that God will save humanity 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Ancient Southwestern England Current day South England Hardy's town of origin Hardy's fictional literary landscape 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1912 1900 1898 1879 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? George Eliot Philip Larkin W.H. Auden Robert Frost 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The speaker's true sense of passivity The speaker's preference for a muted palette The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The neutral imagery and mood in the poem 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 suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. 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. 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 refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. She suffered more than the speaker did. She has blue eyes. 8 Define "rove." (noun) a secret place in a forest (noun) a grouping of ash trees (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? threatening lucky futuristic auspicious 10 In which season is the poem set? Unspecified Winter Spring Summer 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Persistence of Memories The Optimism of Love The Facade of Neutrality Love, Loss, and Disillusionment 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? curses conceals casts chides 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? hides chides celebrates curses 14 What does the starving sod represent? The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. Humans don't know how to farm efficiently. The ground of the speaker's relationship to his ex is sterile, as is the speaker's capacity for new love. The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Cookies, Santa, and celebration Cycles, rest, and family Death, hibernation, and endings 16 What is revealed in the first line? The ending of the relationship The speaker's angry bitterness The setting and the facade of neutrality The ex-lover's smile 17 Define "keen." (adjective) sharp and well-defined (adjective) neutral (adjective) disengenuous (noun) a heartfelt cry 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 first octave of Petrarchan sonnets The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? A blackbird singing in a tree A raven arriving at one's doorstep An ominous bird taking flight A crow coming home to roost 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. Love is cruel but it pays off. Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. 22 What is polysyndeton? A kind of metaphor The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis A literary device in which one word refers in part to another 23 Which is not a symbol in the poem? Winter The ex-partner's smile The yellow sun The white sun 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "The change was like the knell" "And a grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing" "Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove / Over tedious riddles of years ago" "And the sun was white, as though chidden of God" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God Evangelical Christian Agnostic, but complexly so Spiritualistic