1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? Disillusionment The optimistic view that God will save humanity Country folkways The difficulties of life 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Hardy's town of origin Current day South England Ancient Southwestern England Hardy's fictional literary landscape 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1898 1912 1879 1900 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Robert Frost W.H. Auden Philip Larkin George Eliot 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The speaker's true sense of passivity The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The neutral imagery and mood in the poem The speaker's preference for a muted palette 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? The speaker suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. 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. 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 has blue eyes. She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. 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 auspicious futuristic threatening 10 In which season is the poem set? Spring Winter Summer Unspecified 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Optimism of Love The Facade of Neutrality Love, Loss, and Disillusionment The Persistence of Memories 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? casts conceals curses chides 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? chides hides curses celebrates 14 What does the starving sod represent? The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. 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. The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Cookies, Santa, and celebration Death, hibernation, and endings Cycles, rest, and family 16 What is revealed in the first line? The ending of the relationship The ex-lover's smile The speaker's angry bitterness The setting and the facade of neutrality 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 The poem does not rhyme AABB ABBA 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets None 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? An ominous bird taking flight A raven arriving at one's doorstep A blackbird singing in a tree A crow coming home to roost 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love is cruel but it pays off. Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. 22 What is polysyndeton? A literary device in which one word refers in part to another The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis A kind of metaphor The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook 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? "And the sun was white, as though chidden of God" "The change was like the knell" "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" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God Evangelical Christian Agnostic, but complexly so Spiritualistic
