Neutral Tones

Question 1

Who made neutral tones

Answer 1

Thomas hardly

Question 2

What is the main subject of the poem discussed?

Answer 2

A maid named Eliza Nichols and her relationship

The poem explores themes of love and relationships.

Question 3

What do the colors in the poem symbolize?

Answer 3

Passion and emotion

The use of color is significant in conveying the depth of feelings.

Question 4

What literary device is used with the phrase ‘your eyes on me were as eyes that rove’?

Answer 4

Metaphor

It represents being starved of love.

Question 5

What does the phrase ‘the smile on your mouth was the deadest thing’ imply?

Answer 5

Falseness of emotion

It suggests a lack of genuine warmth or affection.

Question 6

What does the imagery of nature in the poem convey?

Answer 6

Melancholy and depression

Nature reflects the emotional state of the speaker.

Question 7

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

Answer 7

ABBA

This structure contributes to the poem’s overall tone and flow.

Question 8

Who is the poet of the work discussed?

Answer 8

Thomas Hardy

He lived from 1840 to 1928 and published the poem in 1898.

Question 9

Fill in the blank: The poem reflects on a moment in _______.

Answer 9

Present tense

This choice of tense emphasizes the immediacy of the emotions.

Question 10

What is the effect of using ‘greyish leaves’ in the poem?

Answer 10

Conveys a sense of decay and sadness

The imagery enhances the poem’s themes of loss and sorrow.

Question 11

True or False: The poem uses archaic language.

Answer 11

True

Words like ‘chidden’ indicate an older style of writing.

Question 12

What does the term ‘God-curst sun’ suggest?

Answer 12

A negative perception of nature

It reflects the speaker’s emotional turmoil.

Question 13

What do the ‘tedious riddles of years ago’ refer to?

Answer 13

Past misunderstandings in the relationship

This highlights the complexity and difficulties faced.

Question 14

Fill in the blank: The poem compares the relationship to _______.

Answer 14

Nature

Nature serves as a backdrop for exploring emotional themes.

Question 15

What does the phrase ‘The sun is drained of warmth and colour’ symbolize in the poem?

Answer 15

It reflects how the love has drained from their relationship

This imagery creates a lifeless atmosphere and indicates emotional coldness.

Question 16

How does weather reflect the characters’ feelings in the poem?

Answer 16

It symbolizes their emotional coldness towards each other

Question 17

What literary device is used to emphasize how the leaves are still and unmoving?

Answer 17

Alliteration

Question 18

In love poems, what are eyes traditionally seen as?

Answer 18

A positive feature

Question 19

How are eyes portrayed in this poem?

Answer 19

Negatively

Question 20

What does enjambment mimic in the poem?

Answer 20

How her eyes move over his face

Question 21

The words ‘rove’ and ‘Over’ are used to reflect what feeling?

Answer 21

Boredom

Question 22

What does the phrase ‘The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing’ exemplify?

Answer 22

Oxymoron

Question 23

What does the imagery of a bird flying away suggest?

Answer 23

The end of the relationship

Question 24

What does the term ‘keen’ mean in the context of the poem?

Answer 24

Sharp or strong

Question 25

What has shaped the narrator's perception of love according to the poem?

Answer 25

Keen lessons that love deceives and wrings with wrong

Question 26

What effect does alliteration have at the beginning and end of the poem?

Answer 26

It emphasizes the narrator's pain and anguish

Question 27

What does the harsher sound of 'curst' compared to 'chidden' hint at?

Answer 27

The narrator has become more bitter over time

Question 28

What does the narrator imagine about God in relation to the sun?

Answer 28

That God has scolded the sun

Question 29

What do the leaves from an ash tree symbolize in the poem?

Answer 29

The decayed relationship

Question 30

What does game imagery in the poem suggest about love?

Answer 30

Love should be fun and playful

Question 31

What does ellipsis represent in the poem?

Answer 31

The time when the relationship came to an end

Question 32

What pessimistic generalization does the narrator make about love?

Answer 32

All love is deceptive

Question 33

What does the color grey symbolize in relation to the leaves?

Answer 33

The decay of their love

Question 34

Define 'chidden' as used in the poem.

Answer 34

Scolded

Question 35

What does 'sod' refer to in the poem?

Answer 35

Grass-covered earth

Question 36

What does 'rove' mean?

Answer 36

Wander

Question 37

What does 'thereby' signify in the poem?

Answer 37

By

Question 38

What does 'a-wing' mean?

Answer 38

Flying

Question 39

What does 'wrings' mean in the context of the poem?

Answer 39

Squeezes or twists forcefully

Question 40

Define 'curst' as it appears in the poem.

Answer 40

Cursed

Question 41

What does 'Neutral Tones' refer to?

Answer 41

Colours such as black, white, and grey.

Question 42

What does 'neutral' imply in the context of the poem?

Answer 42

Ambivalence.

Question 43

What is the focus of the poem 'Neutral Tones'?

Answer 43

Disappointment with an attempt at detachment and cool contemplation.

Question 44

True or False: The poem 'Neutral Tones' expresses a lack of bias.

Answer 44

False.

Question 45

What is the main theme of Thomas Hardy's poem 'Neutral Tones'?

Answer 45

The theme revolves around the bitterness and pessimism associated with failing love.

Question 46

What significant event does the narrator remember in 'Neutral Tones'?

Answer 46

A day when he and his lover stood by a pond, reflecting on their failing relationship.

Question 47

How does the narrator perceive his lover's feelings towards him?

Answer 47

He believes she found him boring and had fallen out of love with him.

Question 48

What literary form is used in 'Neutral Tones'?

Answer 48

The poem is written from the point of view of a man addressing a past lover.

Question 49

How does the structure of 'Neutral Tones' contribute to its meaning?

Answer 49

It starts with specific memories, then shifts to a general reflection on love, ending with the same pond image.

Question 50

What effect does the indented final line of each stanza have?

Answer 50

It slows the pace of the poem, hinting at the narrator's sadness about the failed relationship.

Question 51

What type of language does the narrator use to express his feelings?

Answer 51

He uses language associated with pain, death, and punishment.

Question 52

What does the 'neutral' tone in the poem signify?

Answer 52

It indicates a lack of love and reflects the narrator's pessimistic view of love.

Question 53

What emotions does the narrator feel towards his lover's smile?

Answer 53

Bitterness and resentment about the lack of genuine emotion.

Question 54

How does the setting in 'Neutral Tones' reflect the narrator's feelings?

Answer 54

The bleak, decaying, and cold landscape mirrors his lack of hope and the death of the relationship.

Question 55

Fill in the blank: The cyclical structure of 'Neutral Tones' represents how the narrator has been repeatedly hurt by _______.

Answer 55

love

Question 56

What key themes are present in 'Neutral Tones'?

Answer 56

* Death * Nature * Memory

Question 57

True or False: The poem 'Neutral Tones' conveys a positive view of love.

Answer 57

False

Question 58

How does the poem relate to other works like 'Winter Swans' and 'The Farmer's Bride'?

Answer 58

'Winter Swans' and 'The Farmer's Bride' also use imagery of nature to reflect troubled relationships.

Question 59

What is the significance of memory in the poem?

Answer 59

It serves as a reminder of the pain associated with the past relationship.

Question 60

What does the title 'Neutral Tones' refer to?

Answer 60

It reflects the lack of emotion and the bleakness of the narrator's experiences in love.

Question 61

What does the past tense in the poem signal?

Answer 61

Memory of the precise moment they both stood by the pond

Question 62

What literary device is used to convey bleakness in the scene?

Answer 62

Pathetic fallacy

Question 63

What connotations does 'starving sod' evoke?

Answer 63

Nature dying

Question 64

What imagery is presented regarding the landscape?

Answer 64

Drained of colour and barren

Question 65

How is the sun described in the poem?

Answer 65

White, as though chidden of God

Question 66

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

Answer 66

ABBA

Question 67

How does the final line of each stanza differ from the first three lines?

Answer 67

It has just three feet that hit hard on bleak

Question 68

What does the imagery of 'gray' leaves suggest?

Answer 68

Accentuates that love is missing

Question 69

What do the fallen leaves symbolize?

Answer 69

Disappointment and confusion

Question 70

What is implied by the terms 'rove' and 'tedious riddles'?

Answer 70

The companion is not interested in the speaker

Question 71

Which famous line from Tennyson's elegy is referenced?

Answer 71

'Better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all'

Question 72

How does Hardy's tone differ from Tennyson's?

Answer 72

Concentrating on melancholy and emptiness

Question 73

What does the phrase 'powerless ruler' imply about the speaker?

Answer 73

A sense of loss and lack of control

Question 74

Fill in the blank: The poem's landscape imagery suggests a _______.

Answer 74

[cursed soil]

Question 75

True or False: The final line of each stanza follows the same regular rhythm as the first three lines.

Answer 75

False

Question 76

What literary device is present in stanza 3 that relates to death imagery?

Answer 76

Oxymoronic imagery ## Footnote The juxtaposition of contradictory terms enhances the emotional impact.

Question 77

What does the term 'deadest' signify in the context of the poem?

Answer 77

'Deadest' heightens how hurt the speaker is ## Footnote It conveys deep emotional pain and the end of a relationship.

Question 78

What do lips symbolize in the poem?

Answer 78

Passion ## Footnote The speaker's 'smiles and grin of bitterness' evoke feelings of judgment.

Question 79

What does the word 'ominous' indicate in the poem?

Answer 79

Something bad is about to happen ## Footnote It foreshadows negative events in the speaker's relationship.

Question 80

Complete the line: 'The smile on your mouth was the _______ thing.'

Answer 80

'deadest' ## Footnote This line conveys a sense of lifelessness and emotional detachment.

Question 81

What does the phrase 'grin of bitterness' suggest?

Answer 81

A mix of sorrow and cynicism ## Footnote It reflects the speaker's complex emotions regarding the relationship.

Question 82

What does the assonance of 'ee' in the lines convey?

Answer 82

The heart of bitterness ## Footnote It emphasizes the painful lessons learned from love.

Question 83

What does the alliteration of 'wrings' and 'wrongs' signify?

Answer 83

Deceit and pain in love ## Footnote It highlights the emotional turmoil experienced by the speaker.

Question 84

What does 'Wring sounds like 'ring' imply?

Answer 84

A connection to lasting memories ## Footnote It suggests that the pain of the relationship is cyclical.

Question 85

What does the final imagery of the last stanza evoke?

Answer 85

Traumatic memory ## Footnote It haunts the reader and reflects the speaker's struggle with the past.

Question 86

What does the use of polysyndeton in the poem do?

Answer 86

Draws attention to uncomfortable familiarity ## Footnote It emphasizes the repetitive nature of the speaker's thoughts.

Question 87

How does Hardy use sound, structure, and language in the poem?

Answer 87

To show the speaker's disenfranchisement over a past moment ## Footnote It illustrates the emotional weight and complexity of the experience.

Question 88

What theme is highlighted by the speaker's attempt to move on?

Answer 88

Crippled by memories ## Footnote The speaker struggles against the cycle of painful recollections.