1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? Country folkways Disillusionment The optimistic view that God will save humanity The difficulties of life 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Current day South England Hardy's fictional literary landscape Ancient Southwestern England Hardy's town of origin 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1912 1879 1898 1900 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 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 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. The speaker is finally able to heal from his past relationship and embark on a new one. 7 What is true about the speaker's partner? She suffered more than the speaker did. She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. She left a devastating impression on the speaker as a result of the break-up. She has blue eyes. 8 Define "rove." (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander (noun) a grouping of ash trees (noun) a secret place in a forest 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? futuristic lucky threatening auspicious 10 In which season is the poem set? Spring Winter Unspecified Summer 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Optimism of Love Love, Loss, and Disillusionment The Facade of Neutrality The Persistence of Memories 12 What does God do to the white sun in the first stanza? casts curses chides conceals 13 What does God do to the white sun in the fourth stanza? curses celebrates hides chides 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 lower-class people of Wessex suffered more than the upper-class. 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? Cycles, rest, and family Slowness, tidiness, and introspection Cookies, Santa, and celebration Death, hibernation, and endings 16 What is revealed in the first line? The speaker's angry bitterness The ex-lover's smile The setting and the facade of neutrality The ending of the relationship 17 Define "keen." (adjective) neutral (noun) a heartfelt cry (adjective) sharp and well-defined (adjective) disengenuous 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 The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets None The first octave of Petrarchan sonnets 20 What does the speaker compare his ex-partner's bitter grin to? A crow coming home to roost An ominous bird taking flight A raven arriving at one's doorstep A blackbird singing in a tree 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? 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. Love is cruel but it pays off. 22 What is polysyndeton? A literary device in which one word refers in part to another The purposeful repetition of conjunctions in close succession for emphasis The bleak despair that demonstrates the speaker's outlook A kind of metaphor 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? "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? Evangelical Christian Agnostic, but complexly so Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God Spiritualistic