1 When was John Clare born? The late eighteenth century The early nineteenth century The mid eighteenth century The mid nineteenth century 2 Which of the following is NOT true of Clare's parents? They were from London They became estranged from Clare later in life They were barely literate They were laborers 3 Who was Clare's first love? Susan Smith John Keats Patty Turner Mary Joyce 4 What was Clare's first book? Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery The Shepherd's Calendar The Rural Muse The Village Minstrel and Other Poems 5 Which of the following best describes Clare's poetic career during his life? He published many volumes, but remained largely unknown His first book was highly successful, but then he faded into obscurity He never published his poetry during his life His first book was a failure, but he gradually earned respect with his subsequent volumes 6 Where was Clare when he wrote "I Am!"? High Beech asylum Northampton Lunatic Asylum Helpston London 7 Which of the following is NOT a primary theme of "I Am!"? The uncertainty of existence The evils of social isolation The instability of the individual The beauty of the countryside 8 What is the rhyme scheme of "I Am!"? abcabc aabbcc ababab abababab 9 What is the meter of "I Am"? Iambic tetrameter (three pairs of one unstressed and then one stressed syllable) Free verse (no fixed meter) Iambic pentameter (five pairs of one unstressed and then one stressed syllable) Trochaic pentameter (five pairs of one stressed and then one unstressed syllable) 10 How does Clare define the self in the first stanza of "I Am!"? As dependent on the perception of other people As the exclusive attribute of poets As the one thing independent of other people's opinions As entirely non-existent 11 Which of the following BEST replaces the word vapours in line 6? Ghosts Odors Mists Specters 12 Which of the following is NOT an example of simile? And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed Into the living sea of waking dreams Like shadows in love’s frenzied stifled throes My friends forsake me like a memory lost 13 What characteristic of the sea is MOST relevant to Clare's use of it as a symbol in stanza 2? Its lack of landmarks Its vastness Its turbulence Its capacity to drown him 14 Which of the following BEST replaces the word "esteems" in line 10? Delusions Goals Respects Worships 15 Which of the following BEST replaces the word "strange" in line 12? Weird Distant Alien Gross 16 What literary device does NOT appear in the second stanza? Parallelism Repetition Simile Metaphor 17 What does the speaker desire in the third stanza? Death The apocalypse Sleep A return to childhood 18 What problem does the speaker hope to solve in the third stanza? The speaker's feelings of woe Existence without a sense of self The speaker's failure to achieve his goals The destruction of the countryside 19 Which line of "I Am!" recalls the themes of Clare's early work? Like shadows in love’s frenzied stifled throes I am the self-consumer of my woes But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems The grass below—above the vaulted sky. 20 Which of the following BEST replaces the word "abide" in line 15? Live Pray Play Grieve 21 What is the tone of "I Am!"? Mournful and reflective Overwhelmed and emotional Resentful and frustrated Cheerful and hopeful 22 How does the speaker see grief? As something that brings him closer to God As an inevitable part of life As a problem As something that makes him stronger 23 Which images in "I Am!' suggest impermanence? Memory, vapours, dreams The grass, the sea, vapours Memory, vapours, the sea Memory, the grass, vapours 24 How does the third stanza differ from the first two? The speaker entirely abandons hope The speaker believes his life can improve The speaker comes up with a solution to his problem The speaker's tone becomes mournful and yearning 25 In which line does Clare NOT use syntax to question the role of the individual? I am the self-consumer of my woes There to abide with my Creator, God But the vast shipwreck of my life’s esteems I am—yet what I am none cares or knows