1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? The optimistic view that God will save humanity The difficulties of life Country folkways Disillusionment 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? 1898 1900 1879 1912 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Philip Larkin George Eliot W.H. Auden Robert Frost 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The neutral imagery and mood in the poem The speaker's true sense of passivity The speaker's preference for a muted palette The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? 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. After breaking up with his ex-partner, the speaker maintains a facade of passivity that does not quite manage to conceal his bitterness. 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 suffered more than the speaker did. She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. She has blue eyes. 8 Define "rove." (noun) a grouping of ash trees (noun) a secret place in a forest (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? lucky threatening auspicious futuristic 10 In which season is the poem set? Summer Unspecified Winter Spring 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? Love, Loss, and Disillusionment The Facade of Neutrality The Optimism of Love The Persistence of Memories 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? conceals chides casts curses 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? hides chides curses celebrates 14 What does the starving sod represent? The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. 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. 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 ex-lover's smile The speaker's angry bitterness The setting and the facade of neutrality The ending of the relationship 17 Define "keen." (noun) a heartfelt cry (adjective) disengenuous (adjective) neutral (adjective) sharp and well-defined 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? ABCD ABBA The poem does not rhyme AABB 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? The poetry of Alfred Tennyson None The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? A raven arriving at one's doorstep An ominous bird taking flight A crow coming home to roost A blackbird singing in a tree 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 bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook 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 23 Which is not a symbol in the poem? The ex-partner's smile Winter 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" "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" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Agnostic, but complexly so Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God Spiritualistic Evangelical Christian