The Woodspurge Quizzes

The Woodspurge Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?

A suburban town

A city market

Purgatory

The countryside
2 How long is the speaker's hair?

he does not have any hair

relatively long; probably down to his shoulders

very short

very very long—down to his waist
3 How many weeds does the speaker see when he looks down?

10

9

3

11
4 What plant does the speaker fixate on in the poem?

a wax plant

a poinsetta

a cypress spurge

a woodspurge
5 How many cups does the speaker observe that the woodspurge has?

1

3

0

2
6 Where does the speaker place his head?

Between his knees

In a "crown" of yellow flowers

In his hands

On a root
7 What does the speaker describe as "naked" in the poem?

His souls

His legs

His ears

His head
8 What did the wind do in the first line of the poem?

Stand still

Pick up

Toss around debris

Become a tornado
9 What does the wind cause in the second line of the poem?

the speaker to accidentally slap himself in the face

dead leaves and other debris to come out of the trees and hills

the speaker to start sobbing

a tree to topple over, much to the speaker's amazement
10 What does the colon at the end of the second line imply?

That the speaker doesn't actually exist in the world of the poem

That the speaker is equally as "dead" as the debris

That ghosts are coming back to life, thanks to the wind

That the speaker is more important than the debris
11 What is one thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

Christianity

The beautiful union between man and wife

Polytheism

Religion in general
12 What is another thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

the speaker's grief at the loss of his wife, Elizabeth Siddal

the medicinal qualities of the plant suggest that the woodspurge "purges" the speaker's grief

the speaker's sickness

the speaker's sin and temptation caused by the devil
13 What is another thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

the speaker's emotional intensity while he is in a dream-like state

the speaker's lack of personhood

the speaker's audacity in believing that he can continue on after grief

the speaker's hopeless attitude
14 Where was Dante Gabriel Rossetti from?

Rome

Edinburgh

Paris

London
15 When did Rossetti most likely write "The Woodspurge"?

1859

1870

1888

1861
16 When was "The Woodspurge" published?

1859

1888

1870

1873
17 Where were Rosetti's ancestors from?

Wales

France

Italy

England
18 What was the name of the literary movement to which Rossetti belonged?

Pre-Raphaelite

Romantic

Modern

Postmodern
19 What was the name of Rossetti's wife?

Lizzie Dashwood

Elizabeth Siddal

Elizabeth Browning

Marianne Dashwood
20 How old was Rossetti when he tried to publish his first volume of poetry?

39 years old

41 years old

22 years old

17 years old
21 What happened to Rossetti in 1872?

He was accused of being immoral

He suffered a mental breakdown

He fell in love with another woman

He was excommunicated from the Catholic church
22 How did Rossetti die?

A brain tumor

Blood poisoning from uric acid

Cancer

Syphilis
23 Where was "The Woodspurge" first published?

In Rossetti's 1860 collection, Songs

In Rossetti's 1870 collection, The House of Life

In Rosetti's 1859 collection, Sadness

In Rossetti's 1888 collection, A Tribute to Lizzie
24 How many stanzas are in "The Woodspurge"?

8

7

3

4
25 What is the meter of "The Woodspurge"?

trochaic tetrameter

iambic pentameter

iambic tetrameter

trochaic pentameter

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Study Guide for The Woodspurge

The Woodspurge study guide contains a biography of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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