1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? The optimistic view that God will save humanity Country folkways The difficulties of life Disillusionment 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Hardy's town of origin Ancient Southwestern England Hardy's fictional literary landscape Current day South England 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1879 1900 1912 1898 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Robert Frost Philip Larkin W.H. Auden George Eliot 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The speaker's preference for a muted palette The speaker's true sense of passivity The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The neutral imagery and mood in the poem 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? The speaker is finally able to heal from his past relationship and embark on a new one. The speaker has read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." 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 suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. 7 What is true about the speaker's partner? She has blue eyes. She suffered more than the speaker did. 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 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"? lucky threatening futuristic auspicious 10 In which season is the poem set? Spring Summer Winter Unspecified 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Persistence of Memories The Facade of Neutrality The Optimism of Love Love, Loss, and Disillusionment 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? celebrates chides hides curses 14 What does the starving sod represent? Humans don't know how to farm efficiently. The lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. The ground of the speaker's relationship to his ex is sterile, as is the speaker's capacity for new love. 15 What does winter symbolize in the poem? Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Death, hibernation, and endings Cycles, rest, and family Cookies, Santa, and celebration 16 What is revealed in the first line? The ex-lover's smile The ending of the relationship The setting and the facade of neutrality The speaker's angry bitterness 17 Define "keen." (adjective) disengenuous (adjective) neutral (adjective) sharp and well-defined (noun) a heartfelt cry 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? The poem does not rhyme ABCD AABB 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 crow coming home to roost A raven arriving at one's doorstep A blackbird singing in a tree An ominous bird taking flight 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. 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. 22 What is polysyndeton? The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis A kind of metaphor A literary device in which one word refers in part to another 23 Which is not a symbol in the poem? Winter The ex-partner's smile The white sun The yellow sun 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "And the sun was white, as though chidden of God" "The change was like the knell" "Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove / Over tedious riddles of years ago" "And a grin of bitterness swept thereby / Like an ominous bird a-wing" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Spiritualistic Evangelical Christian Agnostic, but complexly so Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God