1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? The optimistic view that God will save humanity Disillusionment The difficulties of life Country folkways 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Ancient Southwestern England Current day South England Hardy's town of origin Hardy's fictional literary landscape 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1912 1879 1898 1900 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Philip Larkin George Eliot W.H. Auden Robert Frost 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The neutral imagery and mood in the poem The speaker's preference for a muted palette The speaker's true sense of passivity The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? After breaking up with his ex-partner, the speaker maintains a facade of passivity that does not quite manage to conceal his bitterness. The speaker has read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." The speaker is finally able to heal from his past relationship and embark on a new one. The speaker suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. 7 What is true about the speaker's partner? She suffered more than the speaker did. She has blue eyes. She left a devastating impression on the speaker as a result of the break-up. She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. 8 Define "rove." (noun) a secret place in a forest (noun) a grouping of ash trees (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? futuristic lucky auspicious threatening 10 In which season is the poem set? Summer Unspecified Spring Winter 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Optimism of Love The Facade of Neutrality Love, Loss, and Disillusionment The Persistence of Memories 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? conceals curses casts chides 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? chides hides celebrates curses 14 What does the starving sod represent? The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. Humans don't know how to farm efficiently. The ground of the speaker's relationship to his ex is sterile, as is the speaker's capacity for new love. The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Cookies, Santa, and celebration Death, hibernation, and endings Cycles, rest, and family Slowness, tidiness, and introspection 16 What is revealed in the first line? The setting and the facade of neutrality The speaker's angry bitterness The ex-lover's smile The ending of the relationship 17 Define "keen." (adjective) sharp and well-defined (noun) a heartfelt cry (adjective) neutral (adjective) disengenuous 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? ABBA The poem does not rhyme ABCD AABB 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets None 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? A crow coming home to roost A blackbird singing in a tree A raven arriving at one's doorstep An ominous bird taking flight 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love is cruel but it pays off. Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. 22 What is polysyndeton? A kind of metaphor The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis A literary device in which one word refers in part to another The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook 23 Which is not a symbol in the poem? The white sun Winter The yellow sun The ex-partner's smile 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "And a grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing" "The change was like the knell" "And the sun was white, as though chidden of God" "Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove / Over tedious riddles of years ago" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Agnostic, but complexly so Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God Spiritualistic Evangelical Christian