1 When was A. E. Housman born? 1889 1912 1859 1936 2 Where was Housman born? Shropshire Paris Worcestershire London 3 Where did Housman attend university? Cambridge Oxford Housman did not attend university University College, London 4 Which of the following best describes Housman's career as a student? Consistently poor Promising but disappointing Dazzling Unmotivated but brilliant 5 What did Housman do after graduating? Married his wife Worked as a clerk Immediately became a professor Earned a Ph.D. 6 What was Housman's priority during his life? His academic work His poetry His political activism His family 7 What kind of editing did Housman do? Determining which poems should be published Fact-checking things in newspapers Giving advice to writers Reconstructing classic texts 8 Which of the following is true of the poems in A Shropshire Lad? Most feature rural narrators Most are autobiographical Most employ a flowery style Most are about athletes 9 How did Housman see poetry? As a means of depicting beauty As an expression of feeling As a way of better understanding the classics As an intellectual game 10 What is the overarching tone of Housman's poetry? Melancholic Ironic Erotic Frustrated 11 Which two stanzas of "To an Athlete Dying Young" most closely parallel one another? Five and seven One and seven Six and seven One and two 12 Who is the speaker in "To an Athlete"? A complete stranger A close friend of the runner A member of the community Housman himself 13 What is the point of view of "To an Athlete"? First person singular Third person distant First person plural Third person close 14 Which of the following does not contain the motif of "boundaries"? The fleet foot on the sill of shade And hold to the low lintel up And set you at your threshold down Smart lad, to slip betimes away 15 What does the speaker want? For the runner to defend his title For the runner to come back from the death For the runner to hold onto life For the runner to embrace death 16 Which movement does Housman's subject matter most resemble? Neoclassical Romantic Gothic Modernist 17 Which of the following best describes Housman's diction in "To an Athlete"? Minimalist Descriptive Emotive Extensive 18 Which of the following is NOT a similarity between "To an Athlete" and ancient Roman poetry? Depiction of the afterlife Focus on honor Use of iambic meter Stripped-down style 19 What does the laural symbolize? The pointlessness of fame The ephemerality of fame The eternal glory of fame The joy of fame 20 How does "To an Athlete" describe death? As a continuation of life As a period of eternal punishment As a closing off from the world of the living As the time when one's good deeds are rewarded 21 Which text does Housman's depiction of the afterlife likely allude to? The Bible The Aeneiad The Iliad The Odyssey 22 Housman compares the runner to a girl in the last line. What does this most plausibly suggest, given the rest of the poem? Masculinity is inferior to femininity Death is desirable because it brings androgyny Masculinity is tragically short-lived The runner was in touch with his feminine side 23 What does Housman's return to the laurel in the final stanza suggest about the athlete's fame amongst the dead? It will diminish his strength of character It will be false It will only come when he is old It will be short-lived 24 To what does Housman most consistently compare death? An architectural space A lost race A shady place A deep sleep 25 How does Housman depict the loss of fame? As a kind of death As a minor problem As the runner's fault As a kind of freedom
