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