The Woodspurge Quizzes

The Woodspurge Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?

A suburban town

The countryside

A city market

Purgatory
2 How long is the speaker's hair?

relatively long; probably down to his shoulders

very short

he does not have any hair

very very long—down to his waist
3 How many weeds does the speaker see when he looks down?

9

10

3

11
4 What plant does the speaker fixate on in the poem?

a wax plant

a cypress spurge

a woodspurge

a poinsetta
5 How many cups does the speaker observe that the woodspurge has?

1

2

0

3
6 Where does the speaker place his head?

In his hands

Between his knees

On a root

In a "crown" of yellow flowers
7 What does the speaker describe as "naked" in the poem?

His ears

His souls

His legs

His head
8 What did the wind do in the first line of the poem?

Pick up

Become a tornado

Stand still

Toss around debris
9 What does the wind cause in the second line of the poem?

the speaker to accidentally slap himself in the face

the speaker to start sobbing

dead leaves and other debris to come out of the trees and hills

a tree to topple over, much to the speaker's amazement
10 What does the colon at the end of the second line imply?

That the speaker is equally as "dead" as the debris

That the speaker doesn't actually exist in the world of the poem

That the speaker is more important than the debris

That ghosts are coming back to life, thanks to the wind
11 What is one thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

Polytheism

Christianity

The beautiful union between man and wife

Religion in general
12 What is another thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

the speaker's grief at the loss of his wife, Elizabeth Siddal

the speaker's sickness

the speaker's sin and temptation caused by the devil

the medicinal qualities of the plant suggest that the woodspurge "purges" the speaker's grief
13 What is another thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

the speaker's lack of personhood

the speaker's hopeless attitude

the speaker's audacity in believing that he can continue on after grief

the speaker's emotional intensity while he is in a dream-like state
14 Where was Dante Gabriel Rossetti from?

Rome

Paris

London

Edinburgh
15 When did Rossetti most likely write "The Woodspurge"?

1888

1859

1870

1861
16 When was "The Woodspurge" published?

1888

1873

1859

1870
17 Where were Rosetti's ancestors from?

Italy

Wales

France

England
18 What was the name of the literary movement to which Rossetti belonged?

Pre-Raphaelite

Postmodern

Modern

Romantic
19 What was the name of Rossetti's wife?

Marianne Dashwood

Elizabeth Browning

Elizabeth Siddal

Lizzie Dashwood
20 How old was Rossetti when he tried to publish his first volume of poetry?

17 years old

41 years old

39 years old

22 years old
21 What happened to Rossetti in 1872?

He was excommunicated from the Catholic church

He suffered a mental breakdown

He was accused of being immoral

He fell in love with another woman
22 How did Rossetti die?

Syphilis

Cancer

A brain tumor

Blood poisoning from uric acid
23 Where was "The Woodspurge" first published?

In Rossetti's 1888 collection, A Tribute to Lizzie

In Rossetti's 1870 collection, The House of Life

In Rossetti's 1860 collection, Songs

In Rosetti's 1859 collection, Sadness
24 How many stanzas are in "The Woodspurge"?

8

4

7

3
25 What is the meter of "The Woodspurge"?

iambic pentameter

iambic tetrameter

trochaic pentameter

trochaic tetrameter

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Study Guide for The Woodspurge

The Woodspurge study guide contains a biography of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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