The Prelude Quizzes

The Prelude Quiz General Knowledge

By Eleanor Stern · Last reviewed February 14, 2022

1 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

ABA ACA

ABAB

It is unrhymed

The rhyme scheme changes with every book
2 Which of the following is most accurate?

The speaker narrates at a slight remove from his younger self

The speaker narrates from the immediate perspective of his childhood self

It is impossible to tell whether the speaker is a child or an adult

The speaker feels completely alienated from his childhood self
3 What is the speaker's biggest concern about his own poetry?

Whether it will create political change

Whether it will upset his friends and family

Whether it can achieve immortality

Whether it is factually accurate
4 How many books does the Prelude contain?

14

4

10

20
5 To which fellow Romantic poet is the work addressed?

John Keats

Percy Shelley

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

William Blake
6 Which of the following devices is LEAST frequently used in this work?

Alliteration

Hyperbole

Simile

Understatement
7 What is the poem's meter?

It has no meter

Iambic pentameter

Dactylic pentameter

Iambic hexameter
8 Which word does NOT describe the poem's tone?

Impassioned

Intense

Detached

Meticulous
9 Which philosophical outlook is most severely critiqued in this poem?

Feminism

Rationalism

Existentialism

Platonism
10 In which years were the main editions of the Prelude published?

1805 and 1850

1800 and 1815

1798 and 1805

1789 and 1797
11 To which artistic movement does this work belong?

Romanticism

Transcendentalism

Dadaism

The Enlightenment
12 Which landscape is NOT described in this poem?

England's Lake District

The Scottish Highlands

The Welsh Seaside

The French Alps
13 Where is the poem primarily set?

America

India

Wales

England
14 Which of the following is NOT a significant theme of this work?

Imagination

Childhood

Reason

Sexuality
15 Which is a major difference between the two main editions of this work?

The poet adds far more detail about his childhood in the second

The speaker removes mentions of God from the second

The poet expresses more conservative political views in the second

The poet rids his text of figurative language in the second
16 Which of the following is a motif in this work?

Mansions

Ruins

Technology

Clothing
17 Which of the following is most often personified in the poem?

Natural landscapes

Food

Household items

Weapons
18 Which poetic work was the "Prelude" intended as a prologue to?

The Recluse

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The Songs of Innocence and Experience

Lyrical Ballads
19 Which is a major theme of the work?

Honesty

Racism

Disability

Nature
20 What can be considered the ultimate goal of this work?

Proving the author's worth and fitness as a poet

Describing nature in as much detail as possible

Undermining Napoleon's reign in France

Better understanding the human mind as it changes throughout life
21 Which is the alternative title of The Prelude?

From Boyhood to Artistry

An Artist's Story

Growth of a Poet's Mind

The Poet's Evolution
22 Which best describes the Prelude?

It is a fictional account of a boy's upbringing

It is an autobiographical account of its author's life

It is a satirical text mocking rationalism

It is a political treatise on the importance of moderation
23 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the work?

The speaker's house

Stonehenge

Cliffs

Shepherds
24 How are women generally portrayed in this work?

As being impulsive and immoral

As being slightly more virtuous and patient than men

As being mysterious and beguiling

No female characters appear in the work
25 Which of the following best describes the speaker of the poem?

Thoughtful

Witty

Distractible

Single-minded

Essays for The Prelude

The Prelude essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Prelude by William Wordsworth.

View our essays for The Prelude…

Wikipedia Entries for The Prelude

Introduction

View Wikipedia Entries for The Prelude…