1 Who is the poem about? Jonson's seven-year-old son Jonson's friend's son The child Jesus A fictional character 2 What does the speaker say his greatest mistake was? Liking his son too much Having high expectations for his son's future Not telling his son he loved him when he had the chance Resenting God for taking his son 3 Who does the speaker compare himself to? A loaner A God A debtor A father 4 Which word in the ninth line is an unconventional addition to a cliché? Soft Here Rest Peace 5 What is Jonson's tone in the first line? Bitter Angry Wistful Despairing 6 What is the genre of the poem? Lyric Epitaph Sonnet Limerick 7 How does "On my First Son" compare to "On my First Daughter"? More conventional and distant Less conventional and more distant More conventional and impassioned Less conventional and more impassioned 8 Who of the following is a famous contemporary of Ben Jonson? Milton Marvell Chaucer Shakespeare 9 Which of the following is NOT one of the traditional three parts of an epitaph? Lamentation Consolation Commemoration Recrimination 10 What do the lines, "Seven years tho' wert lent to me, and I thee pay, / Exacted by thy fate, on the just day" suggest about the speaker's relationship with God? The speaker has a close and loving relationship with God The speaker is losing his faith in God The speaker sees God as a distant but righteous force The speaker sees God as actively malicious 11 Why is the line "O, could I lose all father now!" ambiguous? It isn't clear whether the speaker is actively trying to get rid of fathers It isn't clear whether the speaker is referring to himself or God It isn't clear whether the speaker really means what he says It isn't clear whether the speaker is referring to himself or his own father 12 How does Jonson present the relationship between fatherhood and grief? Being a father means you're too busy to grieve Being a good father means being strong and not grieving Being a father means he can't help but grieve his son's death Being a father means you're always grieving, whether your children live or die 13 Which of the following is NOT an attribute of an "ideal" patriarch? Dominant over the family Emotionally stoic Economically powerful Politically powerful 14 What is the most important similarity between God and Jonson in the poem? Both are heartbroken Both are just Both are creators Both are male 15 How does Jonson treat his own poetic work in this poem? As a powerful antidote to death As his most important work As immortal but superficial As relatively insignificant 16 What is the tone of the end of the poem? Angry Resigned Mournful Bitter 17 What does the final line of the poem present? An impossible predicament A chance for hope A bold new vow A resolve to fight 18 What was Jonson best known for during his life? His aristocratic status His poems His plays His love for his children 19 Who first used the language of debt to speak about religious matters? Ben Jonson Medieval Christians Elizabethan theologians Early Christians 20 What is original sin, according to orthodox Christianity? The most important sin Adam and Eve's first sin The first sin someone commits Sin everyone is born with 21 What is unusual, for early-modern poetry, about Jonson's description of his son as a poem? Referring to poetry in a poem Describing writing a poem as akin to having a child Describing the poet as a creator Describing the son as a poem, rather than the poem as a son 22 What is NOT implied by Jonson's account of the world as miserable? The speaker currently has a pessimistic attitude The speaker cannot console himself The speaker finds his own life difficult The speaker wants to end his own life 23 What is Jonson's relationship to his son in the poem? Intimate Ignorant Tense Formal 24 What is the speaker's attitude towards the body? Positive Passionate Indifferent Negative 25 Which literary device does NOT appear in the poem? Metaphor Simile Personification Apostrophe
