A. E. Housman: Poems

"In Memoriam, A.H.H., “The Lady of Shalott,” The Princess: “Tears, Idle Tears,” and “Ulysses” Help?

1. What does Tennyson mean by “state to state” in these lines from In Memoriam, A.H.H.?

Eternal process moving on,

From state to state the spirit walks. . . .

A. personal choices in life

B. the end of life

C. the stages of life

D. different parts of the country

2. What is the theme of In Memoriam, A.H.H.?

A. The end of love is death.

B. Love fails to prevent death.

C. Death means an end to friendship.

D. Love lasts even after death.

3. Which answer choice best describes the speaker in In Memoriam, A.H.H.?

A. a distant friend of A.H.H.

B. Alfred, Lord Tennyson

C. someone who did not know A.H.H.

D. someone who worries over his own deat

4. Why did Tennyson write In Memoriam, A.H.H.?

A. to honor a friend who died

B. to celebrate Queen Victoria’s reign

C. to mourn the death of his father

D. to describe a myth of long ago

5. In “The Lady of Shalott,” what does the Lady of Shalott spend her time doing?

A. thinking

B. waiting

C. singing

D. weaving

6. What is one important message Tennyson tries to communicate in “The Lady

of Shalott”?

A. Society makes loners of artists.

B. No one listens to poets.

C. Love always ends unhappily.

D. People should pay attention to curses.

7. What does the speaker mean in this line from “Tears, Idle Tears”?

Dear as remembered kisses after death . . .

A. The memory of kisses of someone who has died are sweet.

B. Kisses we remember after we are dead are the dearest.

C. We quickly forget the kisses of those who have died.

D. We only remember the kisses of those who are now gone.

8. What is the main idea of “Tears, Idle Tears”?

A. Mornings are a time of sad memories.

B. People should be happy in the present.

C. Memories cause sadness.

D. All memories should not be sad.

9. Which term best describes the speaker in “Ulysses”?

A. the poet

B. fictional

C. real

D. generalized

10. What does the speaker plan to do in “Ulysses”?

A. He plans to rule his country for many years.

B. He plans to teach his son to be a good ruler.

C. He plans to board his ship and sail away.

D. He plans to retire and quietly await his death.

11. Which vocabulary word best completes this sentence?

The ship dug temporary in the sea as it sailed toward the west.

A. diffusive

B. churls

C. waning

D. furrows

12. Which word is an antonym for waning in these lines from “The Lady of Shalott”?

In the stormy east wind straining,

The pale yellow woods were waning . . .

A. dying

B. singing

C. strengthening

D. owning

13. Which of the following is an example of parallel structure?

A. “Only reapers, reaping early / In among the bearded barley. . . .”

B. “There she weaves by night and day / A magic web with colors gay.”

C. “And at the closing of the day / She loosed the chain, and down she lay . . .”

D. “She left the web, she left the loom, / She made three paces through the room. . . .”

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a."only reapers, reapin early / In among the bearded barely. . . ."