Toru Dutt: Poetry Quizzes

1 Which of the following correctly describes Toru Dutt's relationship with Christianity?

She converted at a young age, but returned to Hinduism after facing social rejection.

Toru Dutt never converted to Christianity, but was significantly influenced by it her whole life.

Her family converted when she was young, and the Christian belief system influenced her and her work throughout her life.

Toru Dutt was not interested in Christianity at all, but rather was intensely focused on Buddhism.
2 In which of the following locations was Dutt exposed to European language and culture?

Germany and England

France and England

France and Germany

England and Spain
3 Which landscapes did Toru Dutt experience extensively and intimately, shaping her fascination with nature?

The coastal landscapes of England and France

The pampas of Argentina and Chile

The mountains of northern India

Her garden home in India and the pastoral landscapes of England
4 What was the only work of Toru Dutt's published when she was alive?

Bianca, or the Young Spanish Maiden

Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan

The Diary of Mademoiselle D’Arvers

A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields
5 Which English critic favorably reviewed Dutt's work and brought it fame?

Harihar Das

H.A.L. Fisher

Mary Martin

Edmund Gosse
6 Which poem of Dutt's inspired her biographer to investigate her life?

"Sita"

"Buttoo"

"Our Casuarina Tree"

"Lakshman"
7 Which of the following is NOT a key thematic focus of Toru Dutt's poetry?

Youth and loss

The injustices of English colonialism in India

The natural world

Multinationalism and multiculturalism
8 Which of the following best describes Toru Dutt's family?

A moderately famous family of performers and entertainers

A well-regarded family of bureaucrats and writers

A little-known farming family

A well-known merchant family of Bengal
9 Who were Toru Dutt's favorite authors?

Victor Hugo and Pierre-Jean de Béranger

Emile Zola and Thomas Carlyle

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Alfred Lord Tennyson and Victor Hugo
10 Who is responsible for compiling Dutt's autobiography, Life and Letters of Toru Dutt?

Mary Martin

Her sister, Aru Dutt

Clarisse Bader

Harihar Das
11 Which of the following poetic constructions was NOT commonly deployed by Toru Dutt?

Sestina

Ballad

Blank verse

Sonnet
12 What were Toru Dutt's first published works?

Essays on women in India based on Clarisse Bader's work

Fourteen poems from A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields

Essays on Henry Derozio and Leconte de Lisle

The poems "Sita" and "Savitri"
13 What were the major languages in which Toru Dutt wrote?

English and French

Hindi and English

English and Bengali

Bengali and French
14 Which of the following is NOT a reason that there is very little information on Toru Dutt's life?

Until the turn of the 20th century, biographies were not as extensively written as histories in India.

Toru Dutt died at a very young age.

Toru Dutt only published one work in her life and only gained fame after her death.

Many of the records about Toru Dutt were destroyed in a fire.
15 Which of the following best describes Western influences on Toru Dutt's work?

Toru Dutt intentionally Anglicized her work so that an English audience would enjoy it.

Western poetry and culture significantly influenced Dutt, but her work still maintains an essential and local Indian quality.

Toru Dutt's work appropriated Western stories and legends, retelling them using traditional Indian verse forms.

Toru Dutt was relatively uninfluenced by Western cultures and languages.
16 Which of the following is NOT a poem written or translated by Toru Dutt?

"The Tree of Life"

"Night of the Scorpion"

"My Vocation"

"The Broken Bell"
17 Which of the following best describes Dutt's legacy?

Dutt's work is popular in India but has failed to capture the attention of a global readership.

Dutt's work is technically strong, but it is easily understood and justified as a product of contemporary influences.

Dutt is considered a forerunner of Anglo-Indian literature, as well as a forerunner of Indian women's writing.

Dutt is curious as a historical abnormality, but her work is generally acknowledged to be insignificant.
18 Which Indian sources does Dutt reference primarily in Ancient Ballads?

The works of Sanskrit writer Kalidasa

The Brahma Sutras

The Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas

The Vedas
19 What personal tragedies did Dutt experience?

A series of mental breakdowns in her teen years

The death of her father Govind Chunder

The deaths of her brother Abju and her sister Aru

The loss of her home in a fire
20 Fill in the Blank: "And Flora gave the ___, 'rose-red' dyed, / And 'lily-white,'—the queenliest flower that blows"

Carnation

Peony

Lotus

Germanium
21 What is Dutt's most significant alteration or addition to the scene described in "Lakshman"?

Sita's accusation that Lakshman wants to take her and Rama's kingdom for himself

Lakshman's original hesitation to leave Sita alone

Lakshman's use of an arrow to draw a circle around Sita

Dutt's insertion of a new metaphor comparing Lakshman to a dull cloud
22 Which Christian figure is described in Dutt's works as being burdened by divine power?

Judas

Abraham

Moses

Jesus Christ
23 Fill in the blank: "My vocation is high— / 'Mid the glasses that ring, / Still—still comes that reply, / ___."

Write, wretched thing

Chant, poor little thing

Sing, poor small thing

Fly, little starling
24 In "The Death of the Wolf," which of the following are seen as virtues exclusive to nature?

Patience and generosity

Selflessness and athleticism

Resilience and beauty

Silence and courage
25 Why does Dutt take care to emphasize nature and farm imagery so heavily in "Christmas"?

To show how the winter landscape is affected by Jesus's birth

To portray the solitary labor of farmworkers as a divine task

To emphasize Jesus's humble, human origins and draw additional attention to the miracle of incarnation

To show that, before Jesus, humanity is merely animalistic

Toru Dutt: Poetry Quiz 1

Essays for Toru Dutt: Poetry

Wikipedia Entries for Toru Dutt: Poetry