The Poetry of John Dryden Quizzes

The Poetry of John Dryden Dryden's Poetry

1 Which of the following is a central topic of "A Song for St. Cecilia's Day"?
Music

Romantic love

Monarchy

Nature
2 Which type of stanza is Dryden most associated with?
Blank verse

Tercet

Heroic couplets

Ballad Stanza
3 The phrase "Trade, which, like blood,/should circularly flow" contains which of the following?
Personification

Simile

Hyperbole

Metaphor
4 Which of Dryden's poems celebrates the new reign of Charles II?
Happy the Man

Alexander's Feast

Astrea Redux

Religio Laici
5 Which of the following poems is an elegy?
Anne Killigrew

A Song for St. Cecilia's Day

Astrea Redux

Marriage a-la-mode
6 Which of the following is metaphorically compared to a "peal of thunder" in Alexander's Feast"?
The sound of a lyre

The yelling of crowds at James II's coronation

The arrival of St. Cecilia

The singing at a Catholic church service
7 Which of the following is NOT an apt description of Dryden's typical tone?
Incisive

Saccharine

Reasoned

Astute
8 Which of the following is NOT a prominent theme in Dryden's work?
Grief

Reason and passion

Art

Gender and gender inequality
9 Which situational irony is described in The Medall?
The medal's image is shallowly carved, but it depicts a deep, profound mind

Shaftesbury is praised and rewarded, despite acting traitorously

The Whigs create a medal, though they are against ornament and material possessions

The medal is made for Shaftesbury, but ultimately awarded to his enemy
10 Which animal represents Catholicism in The Hind and the Panther?
The fox

The panther

The hind

The goose
11 Which of Dryden's poems criticizes the poet Thomas Shadwell?
The Hind and the Panther

Mac Flecknoe

To the Memory of Mr. Oldham

Absalom and Achitophel
12 For which real event is Absalom and Achitophel an allegory?
The Exclusion Crisis

The Great Fire of London

The English Civil War

The French Revolution
13 In Mac Flecknoe, the claim that Shadwell "never deviates into sense" is an instance of what?
Metonymy

Alliteration

Simile

Understatement
14 Which poem most prominently praises Protestantism?
Religio Laici

Annus Mirabilis

Alexander's Feast

The Hind and the Panther
15 The word "hiss" in the phrase "See the snakes that they rear / How they hiss in their hair" in an instance of what?
Anaphora

Metaphor

Hyperbole

Onomatopoeia
16 The phrase "Of the thundering drum" includes an example of which device?
Assonance

Understatement

End rhyme

Alliteration
17 Which of Dryden's poems is NOT primarily about another poet?
To the Memory of Mr. Oldham

Anne Killigrew

Mac Flecknoe

The Medall
18 Which of the following works is written in quatrains rather than couplets?
Dryden never wrote in quatrains

Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell

To the Memory of Mr. Oldham

Absalom and Achitophel
19 The use of "tongue" to mean "language" in "To the Memory of Mr. Oldham" is an instance of what?
Personification

Metonymy

Understatement

Motif
20 Which of the following is a major event in "Annus Mirabilis"?
The Great Fire of London

Neither

England's naval victories

Both
21 What is the English translation of the title "Annus Mirabilis"?
Year of Farce

Year of Tranquility

Year of Return

Year of Wonders
22 Which of the following does Dryden most often allude to?
Classical texts

The Bible

Renaissance poetry and art

Modern science
23 Which of the following figures is NOT allegorically represented in "Absalom and Achitophel"?
Thomas Shadwell

The Duke of Monmouth

King Charles II

The Earl of Shaftesbury
24 Dryden's description of flutes "breathing" in "Alexander's Feast" is an instance of which?
Hyperbole

Onomatopoeia

Symbolism

Personification
25 What verse form comprises the play "All for Love"?
Sonnets

Prose

Heroic couplets

Blank verse

The Poetry of John Dryden Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Poetry of John Dryden is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for The Poetry of John Dryden

The Poetry of John Dryden study guide contains a biography of John Dryden, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Poetry of John Dryden…