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"?
Monarchy

Nature

Music

Romantic love
2 Which type of stanza is Dryden most associated with?
Tercet

Blank verse

Ballad Stanza

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

Hyperbole

Metaphor

Simile
4 Which of Dryden's poems celebrates the new reign of Charles II?
Religio Laici

Astrea Redux

Alexander's Feast

Happy the Man
5 Which of the following poems is an elegy?
Anne Killigrew

Astrea Redux

Marriage a-la-mode

A Song for St. Cecilia's Day
6 Which of the following is metaphorically compared to a "peal of thunder" in Alexander's Feast"?
The arrival of St. Cecilia

The singing at a Catholic church service

The sound of a lyre

The yelling of crowds at James II's coronation
7 Which of the following is NOT an apt description of Dryden's typical tone?
Saccharine

Reasoned

Astute

Incisive
8 Which of the following is NOT a prominent theme in Dryden's work?
Reason and passion

Art

Grief

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

The medal is made for Shaftesbury, but ultimately awarded to his enemy

Shaftesbury is praised and rewarded, despite acting traitorously

The Whigs create a medal, though they are against ornament and material possessions
10 Which animal represents Catholicism in The Hind and the Panther?
The panther

The fox

The goose

The hind
11 Which of Dryden's poems criticizes the poet Thomas Shadwell?
To the Memory of Mr. Oldham

The Hind and the Panther

Mac Flecknoe

Absalom and Achitophel
12 For which real event is Absalom and Achitophel an allegory?
The French Revolution

The Great Fire of London

The English Civil War

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

Simile

Understatement

Alliteration
14 Which poem most prominently praises Protestantism?
Annus Mirabilis

The Hind and the Panther

Alexander's Feast

Religio Laici
15 The word "hiss" in the phrase "See the snakes that they rear / How they hiss in their hair" in an instance of what?
Hyperbole

Anaphora

Metaphor

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

End rhyme

Understatement

Alliteration
17 Which of Dryden's poems is NOT primarily about another poet?
The Medall

Anne Killigrew

Mac Flecknoe

To the Memory of Mr. Oldham
18 Which of the following works is written in quatrains rather than couplets?
Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell

To the Memory of Mr. Oldham

Absalom and Achitophel

Dryden never wrote in quatrains
19 The use of "tongue" to mean "language" in "To the Memory of Mr. Oldham" is an instance of what?
Motif

Understatement

Personification

Metonymy
20 Which of the following is a major event in "Annus Mirabilis"?
England's naval victories

The Great Fire of London

Both

Neither
21 What is the English translation of the title "Annus Mirabilis"?
Year of Tranquility

Year of Return

Year of Farce

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

Renaissance poetry and art

Modern science

The Bible
23 Which of the following figures is NOT allegorically represented in "Absalom and Achitophel"?
The Earl of Shaftesbury

Thomas Shadwell

The Duke of Monmouth

King Charles II
24 Dryden's description of flutes "breathing" in "Alexander's Feast" is an instance of which?
Personification

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

Symbolism
25 What verse form comprises the play "All for Love"?
Heroic couplets

Sonnets

Prose

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…