The Labrotory

Question 1

Who is the author of ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 1

Robert Browning

Robert Browning (1812-1889) is regarded as one of the most important poets of the Victorian period.

Question 2

In which historical setting is ‘The Laboratory’ set?

Answer 2

Seventeenth century France

Question 3

What is the primary motivation of the woman in ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 3

Revenge on her rival in love

Question 4

What themes are explored in ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 4

• Jealousy
• Revenge
• Science
• Women and femininity
• Death

Question 5

What form does ‘The Laboratory’ take?

Answer 5

Dramatic monologue

Question 6

How many stanzas are in ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 6

Twelve four-line stanzas (quatrains)

Question 7

What type of rhyme scheme is used in ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 7

Couplets

Question 8

What is the predominant rhythm used in ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 8

Tetrameter with unusual emphasis called anapaest

Question 9

What is the tone of ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 9

Vengeful but imaginative

Question 10

What was Robert Browning’s early poetry and plays reception?

Answer 10

Not popular, with the exception of ‘The Pied Piper’

Question 11

What historical figure inspired ‘The Laboratory’?

Answer 11

Marie Madeleine Marguerite D’Aubray, marquise de Brinvilliers

Question 12

What year was ‘The Laboratory’ first published?

Answer 12

1844

Question 13

Fill in the blank: The woman in ‘The Laboratory’ is wealthy and accustomed to attending _______.

Answer 13

court

Question 14

True or False: In ‘The Laboratory’, the woman’s revenge is directed at the man who rejected her.

Answer 14

False

Question 15

What does the woman in ‘The Laboratory’ want to carry to inflict death?

Answer 15

Pure death in an earring, a casket, a signet, a fan-mount, a filigree basket

Question 16

What literary form compresses an individual character’s speech into a vivid scene?

Answer 16

Dramatic monologue

Question 17

What does the speaker in ‘The Laboratory’ observe while the apothecary prepares the poison?

Answer 17

Strange things and the process of making poison

Question 18

Fill in the blank: The woman in ‘The Laboratory’ is not a _______ like the new lover.

Answer 18

minion

Question 19

What does the speaker in ‘The Laboratory’ wish to see in her rival’s death?

Answer 19

The proof remain; brand, burn up, bite into its grace

Question 20

What does the speaker offer to the apothecary in exchange for the poison?

Answer 20

Her jewels and gold