The Woodspurge Quizzes

The Woodspurge Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?

The countryside

A city market

A suburban town

Purgatory
2 How long is the speaker's hair?

very very long—down to his waist

relatively long; probably down to his shoulders

very short

he does not have any hair
3 How many weeds does the speaker see when he looks down?

10

9

3

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

a woodspurge

a poinsetta

a wax plant

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

1

3

0

2
6 Where does the speaker place his head?

In his hands

Between his knees

In a "crown" of yellow flowers

On a root
7 What does the speaker describe as "naked" in the poem?

His head

His legs

His souls

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

Become a tornado

Toss around debris

Pick up

Stand still
9 What does the wind cause in the second line of the poem?

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

the speaker to start sobbing

the speaker to accidentally slap himself in the face

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 ghosts are coming back to life, thanks to the wind

That the speaker is more important than the debris
11 What is one thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

Polytheism

The beautiful union between man and wife

Religion in general

Christianity
12 What is another thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

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

the speaker's sickness

the speaker's grief at the loss of his wife, Elizabeth Siddal
13 What is another thing that scholars have thought the woodspurge to symbolize?

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

the speaker's lack of personhood

the speaker's emotional intensity while he is in a dream-like state

the speaker's hopeless attitude
14 Where was Dante Gabriel Rossetti from?

London

Paris

Rome

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

1859

1888

1870

1861
16 When was "The Woodspurge" published?

1859

1870

1873

1888
17 Where were Rosetti's ancestors from?

England

Italy

Wales

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

Modern

Romantic

Postmodern

Pre-Raphaelite
19 What was the name of Rossetti's wife?

Marianne Dashwood

Elizabeth Siddal

Lizzie Dashwood

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

22 years old

41 years old

39 years old

17 years old
21 What happened to Rossetti in 1872?

He suffered a mental breakdown

He was excommunicated from the Catholic church

He was accused of being immoral

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

Blood poisoning from uric acid

Syphilis

A brain tumor

Cancer
23 Where was "The Woodspurge" first published?

In Rosetti's 1859 collection, Sadness

In Rossetti's 1888 collection, A Tribute to Lizzie

In Rossetti's 1860 collection, Songs

In Rossetti's 1870 collection, The House of Life
24 How many stanzas are in "The Woodspurge"?

7

3

4

8
25 What is the meter of "The Woodspurge"?

iambic pentameter

trochaic pentameter

iambic tetrameter

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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