1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? The difficulties of life Country folkways The optimistic view that God will save humanity Disillusionment 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Current day South England Hardy's fictional literary landscape Hardy's town of origin Ancient Southwestern England 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1898 1900 1912 1879 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Robert Frost Philip Larkin W.H. Auden George Eliot 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The neutral imagery and mood in the poem The speaker's preference for a muted palette The speaker's true sense of passivity 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? 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 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. 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." (noun) a grouping of ash trees (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod (noun) a secret place in a forest (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? futuristic auspicious lucky threatening 10 In which season is the poem set? Unspecified Summer Winter Spring 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Persistence of Memories The Optimism of Love The Facade of Neutrality Love, Loss, and Disillusionment 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? chides curses casts conceals 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 ground of the speaker's relationship to his ex is sterile, as is the speaker's capacity for new love. The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. Humans don't know how to farm efficiently. The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Cycles, rest, and family Cookies, Santa, and celebration Death, hibernation, and endings 16 What is revealed in the first line? The ex-lover's smile The speaker's angry bitterness The ending of the relationship The setting and the facade of neutrality 17 Define "keen." (adjective) neutral (adjective) disengenuous (adjective) sharp and well-defined (noun) a heartfelt cry 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? The poem does not rhyme AABB ABCD ABBA 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets None The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? A blackbird singing in a tree A crow coming home to roost A raven arriving at one's doorstep An ominous bird taking flight 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. Love is cruel but it pays off. 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? The ex-partner's smile The yellow sun Winter The white sun 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "And a grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing" "The change was like the knell" "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? Evangelical Christian Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God Spiritualistic Agnostic, but complexly so
