Modern States Exam Flashcards
In a pungent critique of humanity addressed to the mature imagination, the author comments on human nature by examining the life of the Lilliputians, Yahoos, and Houyhnhnms. The book described above is
(A) The Way of All Flesh (B) Through the Looking Glass (C) Gulliver’s Travels (D) The Pilgrim’s Progress (E) Robinson Crusoe
(C) Gulliver’s Travels
One of the great triumphs of the play is Shakespeare’s addition of the character of the fool, who attempts to comfort his old master, but who also ironically emphasizes the folly and the tragedy of the old man. The play referred to above is
(A) Macbeth (B) Julius Caesar (C) King Lear (D) Othello (E) Hamlet
(C) King Lear
In what two cities before the French Revolution did Charles Dickens’s novel take place?
(A) Munich and Milan (B) Paris and London (C) New York and London (D) New York and Paris (E) Munich and New York
(B) Paris and London
The following passage is from Anita Desai’s novel In Custody
The time and the place: these elementary
matters were left to Deven to arrange as being
within his capabilities. Time and place, these two
concerns of all who are born and all who die:
these were considered the two fit subjects for the
weak and the incompetent. Deven was to restrict
himself to these two matters, time and place. No
one appeared to realize that to him these subjects
belonged to infinity and were far more awesome
than the minutiae of technical arrangements.
According to the passage, Deven is perceived by others to be
(A) capable of arranging important details
(B) suited to performing only simple tasks
(C) unable to see the ultimate meaning of infinity
(D) obsessed with his own mortality
(E) happy in his role of organizing minor matters
(B) suited to performing only simple tasks
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy
My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy
Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day
O could I lose all father now! for wh
Will man lament the state he should envy
To have so soon ’scaped world’s and flesh’s rage
And, if no other misery, yet age
Rest in soft peace, and asked, say, “Here doth li
Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.
For whose sake henceforth all his vows be suc
As what he loves may never like too much.
The speaker expresses all of the following thoughts EXCEPT:
(A) Life has so many trials that perhaps death should be viewed as a welcome release.
(B) Poetry can keep alive those whom fate tries to take away.
(C) Bearing the death of his son is difficult because he had high expectations for him.
(D) His son was the greatest achievement in his life.
(E) He never again wants to become as attached to anybody or anything as he was to his son
(B) Poetry can keep alive those whom fate tries to take away.
By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap
To pluck bright honor from the pale-faced moon,
Or dive into the bottom of the deep,
Where fathom line could never touch the ground,
And pluck up drowned honor by the locks,
So he that doth redeem her thence might wear
Without corrival all her dignities;
The lines suggest that their speaker is
(A) bold and reckless (B) pensive and melancholy (C) grim and indifferent (D) anxious and cowardly (E) cold and scheming
(A) bold and reckless
The family of Dashwood had been long settled
in Sussex. Their estate was large, and their
residence was at Norland Park, in the centre of
their property, where for many generations the
had lived in so respectable a manner as to
engage the general good opinion of their
surrounding acquaintance. The late owner of
this estate was a single man, who lived to a very
advanced age, and who for many years of his
life had a constant companion and housekeeper
in his sister. But her death, which happened ten
years before his own, produced a great alteration
in his home; for to supply her loss, he invited
and received into his house the family of his
nephew, Mr. Henry Dashwood, the legal
inheritor of the Norland estate, and the person
to whom he intended to bequeath it. In the
society of his nephew and niece, and their
children, the old gentleman’s days were
comfortably spent. His attachment to them all
increased. The constant attention of Mr. and
Mrs. Henry Dashwood to his wishes, which
proceeded not merely from interest, but from
goodness of heart, gave him every degree of
solid comfort which his age could receive; and
the cheerfulness of the children added a relish
to his existence
As characterized in the passage, the “late owner” (line 7) is best described as
(A) content (B) open-minded (C) dutiful (D) lonesome (E) demanding
(A) content
My friend, the things that do attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;
The equal friend; no grudge, no strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease, the healthy life;
The household of continuance;
The mean diet, no dainty fare;
Wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress;
The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.
In line 9, the word “mean” signifies
(A) dull (B) troublesome (C) cruel (D) middling (E) contemptible
(D) middling
Which of the following describes the attitude the author has towards his own work?
(A) Mood (B) Tone (C) Allusion (D) Conflict (E) Plot
(B) Tone
To whom, then, must I dedicate my wonderful, surprising and interesting adventures?—to whom dare I reveal my private opinion of my nearest relations? The secret thoughts of my dearest friends? My own hopes, fears, reflections and dislikes—Nobody!
To Nobody, then, will I write my journal! Since to Nobody can I be wholly unreserved—to Nobody can I reveal every thought, every wish of my heart, with the most unlimited confidence, the most unremitting sincerity to the end of my life! For what chance, what accident can end my connections with Nobody? No secret can I conceal from No-body, and to No-body can I be ever unreserved. Disagreement cannot stop our affection, time itself has no power to end our friendship.
The tone of the above opening entry in an eighteenth-century personal journal is best characterized as
(A) argumentative (B) playful (C) hesitant (D) resigned (E) joyful
(B) playful
“Is he a ghoul or a vampire?” I mused. I had read of such hideous incarnate demons. And then I set myself to reflect how I had tended him in infancy, and watched him grow to youth, and followed him almost through his whole course; and what absurd nonsense it was to yield to that sense of horror. “But where did he come from, the little dark thing, harbored by a good man to his bane?” muttered Superstition, as I dozed into unconsciousness. And I began, half dreaming. to weary myself with imagining some fit parentage for him; and, repeating my waking meditations, I tracked his existence over again, with grim variations; at last picturing his death and funeral: of which all I can remember is, being exceedingly vexed at having the task of dictating an inscription for his monument, and consulting the sexton about it; and, as he had no surname, and we could not tell his age, we were obliged to content ourselves with the single word “Heathcliff.”
The narrator is describing a mental conflict between
(A) the supernatural and the worldly (B) the demonic and the angelic (C) science and art (D) urban and rural (E) laborers and the gentry
(A) the supernatural and the worldly
The following excerpt is from Ben Jonson’s “To Penshurst.”
Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show,
Of touch, or marble; nor canst boast a row
Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold;
Thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told,
Or stair, or courts; but stand’st an ancient pile,
And these grudged at, art reverenced the while.
Thou joy’st in better marks, of soil, of air,
Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.
The speaker in the passage indicates that Penshurst is:
(A) known to cause resentment (B) enhanced by “a roof of gold” (line 3) (C) in need of brighter lighting (D) falling into disrepair (E) properly appreciated
(E) properly appreciated
The time and the place: these elementary
matters were left to Deven to arrange as being
within his capabilities. Time and place, these two
concerns of all who are born and all who die:
these were considered the two fit subjects for the
weak and the incompetent. Deven was to restrict
himself to these two matters, time and place. No
one appeared to realize that to him these subjects
belonged to infinity and were far more awesome
than the minutiae of technical arrangements.
The passage implies that Deven’s perspective differs from that of the people who have given him his assignment in that he is
(A) innovative instead of fastidious (B) intellectual instead of social (C) philosophical instead of pragmatic (D) cosmopolitan instead of bigoted (E) judgmental instead of apathetic
(C) philosophical instead of pragmatic
Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy;
Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
O could I lose all father now! for why
Will man lament the state he should envy,
To have so soon ’scaped world’s and flesh’s rage,
And, if no other misery, yet age?
Rest in soft peace, and asked, say, “Here doth lie
Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry.”
For whose sake henceforth all his vows be such
As what he loves may never like too much.
The tone of the poem is best described as
(A) deferential (B) malicious (C) playful (D) elegiac (E) melodramatic
(D) elegiac
In the old days she had come this way quite often, going down the hill on the tram with her girl friends, with nothing better in mind than a bit of window-shopping and a bit of a laugh and a cup of tea: penniless then as now, but still hopeful, still endowed with a touching faith that if by some miracle she could buy a pair of nylons or a particular blue lace blouse or a new brand of lipstick, then deliverance would be granted to her in the form of money, marriage, romance, the visiting prince who would glimpse her in the crowd, glorified by that seductive blouse, and carry her off to a better world.
In the passage above, the protagonist remembers herself as having been
(A) embittered (B) baffled (C) contentedly alone (D) carefree (E) naïvely optimistic
(E) naïvely optimistic
My friend, the things that do attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;
The equal friend; no grudge, no strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease, the healthy life;
The household of continuance;
The mean diet, no dainty fare;
Wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress;
The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.
Which of the following best summarizes the poem’s theme?
(A) Happiness is best realized through simple living.
(B) Life is short, so savor each experience.
(C) Our passions help keep us young.
(D) Preventive care ensures longevity.
(E) Hard work is its own reward.
(A) Happiness is best realized through simple living.
The way the poem is broken up into parts is called
(A) Verse paragraph (B) Stanza (C) Meter (D) Rhythm (E) Pace
(B) Stanza
Which of the following poets invented rime royal?
(A) William Shakespeare (B) D. H. Lawrence (C) W. H. Auden (D) Geoffrey Chaucer (E) George Meredith
(D) Geoffrey Chaucer
This structure is a stanza of 7 lines, 10 syllables each, which rhyme
(A) Terza rima (B) Elegiac stanza (C) Eclogue (D) Rhyme royal (E) Harangue
(D) Rhyme royal
This poetic form is made of 19 lines, 5 tercets and a quatrain, and repeats entire lines of itself.
(A) Sestina (B) Villanelle (C) Popular ballad (D) Pastoral elegy (E) Mock epic
(B) Villanelle
For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth, but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man[.]
The lines are written in
(A) heroic couplets (B) terza rima (C) ballad meter (D) blank verse (E) iambic tetrameter
(D) blank verse
They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld
Of Paradise, so late their happy seat,
Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate
With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms.
Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon;
The world was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.
They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow
Through Eden took their solitary way.
These lines were written by
(A) John Donne (B) Edmund Spenser (C) Christopher Marlowe (D) William Shakespeare (E) John Milton
(E) John Milton
They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld
Of Paradise, so late their happy seat,
Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate
With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms.
Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon;
The world was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.
They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow
Through Eden took their solitary way.
In line 2, “late” is best interpreted to mean
(A) recently (B) tardily (C) unfortunately (D) long (E) soon
(A) recently
They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld
Of Paradise, so late their happy seat,
Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate
With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms.
Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon;
The world was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.
They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow
Through Eden took their solitary way.
The people referred to as “they” in the passage were probably experiencing all the following emotions EXCEPT
(A) awe (B) doubt (C) suspicion (D) regret (E) sorrow
(C) suspicion
An anonymous narrative poem focusing on the climax of a particularly dramatic event and employing frequent repetition, conventional figures of speech, and sometimes a refrain— altered and transmitted orally in a musical setting—is called a:
(A) popular ballad (B) pastoral elegy (C) courtly lyric (D) villanelle (E) chivalric romance
(A) popular ballad
Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show,
Of touch, or marble; nor canst boast a row
Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold;
Thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told,
Or stair, or courts; but stand’st an ancient pile,
And these grudged at, art reverenced the while.
Thou joy’st in better marks, of soil, of air,
Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.
The poem uses which of the following forms?
(A) Ballad meter (B) Blank verse (C) Elegiac stanza (D) Rhyme royal (E) Heroic couplets
(E) Heroic couplets
Which of the following terms is used to describe literature that evokes a rural, simple, and idyllic life?
(A) Pre-Raphaelite (B) Pastoral (C) Sentimental (D) Naturalistic (E) Platonic
(B) Pastoral
The poetry of which of the following poets reflects an intense religious belief as well as a commitment to preserving the environment and inventing sprung rhythm?
(A) George Gordon, Lord Byron (B) Percy Bysshe Shelley (C) Dante Gabriel Rossetti (D) Gerard Manley Hopkins (E) A. E. Housman
(D) Gerard Manley Hopkins
Which of the following poets is best known for an unusual system of prosody called “sprung rhythm”? (A) A. E. Housman (B) Christina Rosetti (C) Gerard Manley Hopkins (D) Algernon Charles Swinburne (E) Elizabeth Barrett Browning
(C) Gerard Manley Hopkins
For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth, but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man[.
The language and ideas in these lines are most characteristic of which of the following literary periods?
(A) Medieval (B) Restoration (C) Augustan (D) Romantic (E) Early twentieth century
(D) Romantic
The “Age of Johnson” in English literature was dominated by which of the following styles?
(A) Romanticism (B) Neoclassicism (C) Expressionism (D) Naturalism (E) Abstractionism
(B) Neoclassicism
Match the poet to the literary movement each is associated with most closely.
Imagism
(A) Richard Aldington
(B) Linton Kwesi Johnson
(C) William Blake
Postcolonialism
(A) Richard Aldington
(B) Linton Kwesi Johnson
(C) William Blake
Romanticism
(A) Richard Aldington
(B) Linton Kwesi Johnson
(C) William Blake
Imagism
(A) Richard Aldington
Postcolonialism
(B) Linton Kwesi Johnson
Romanticism
(C) William Blake
It is the use of images to convey the theme of a poem rather than relying on the way it is told.
(A) Imagery (B) Imagism (C) Abstractionism (D) Realism (E) naturalism
(B) Imagism
Which of following describes a literary style in which the representations have no reference to concrete objects or specific examples?
(A) Naturalism (B) Platonic (C) Sentimental (D) Pastoral (E) Abstractionism
(E) Abstractionism
O threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise!
One thing at least is certain—This life flies;
One thing is certain and the rest is Lies;
The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.
In the fourth line, “blown’’ means
(A) blown up (B) blown away (C) bloomed (D) died (E) been planted
(C) bloomed
