1 Which of the following does NOT characterize Thomas Hardy's writing? Disillusionment The difficulties of life Country folkways The optimistic view that God will save humanity 2 What does "Wessex" refer to? Hardy's town of origin Ancient Southwestern England Current day South England Hardy's fictional literary landscape 3 When was Wessex Poems and Other Verses published? 1898 1879 1900 1912 4 Which writer has NOT named Hardy as an influence? Robert Frost George Eliot W.H. Auden Philip Larkin 5 What does the title "Neutral Tones" refer to? The ex-lover's quiet and thoughtful nature The speaker's true sense of passivity The speaker's preference for a muted palette The neutral imagery and mood in the poem 6 Which best characterizes the speaker? The speaker suffered more than his partner as a result of the relationship. 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 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." 7 What is true about the speaker's partner? She suffered more than the speaker did. She has blue eyes. She refers to Thomas Hardy's first wife. She left a devastating impression on the speaker as a result of the break-up. 8 Define "rove." (verb) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander (noun) a grouping of ash trees (verb) attempt to plant in starving sod (noun) a secret place in a forest 9 What could be another word for "ominous"? lucky auspicious threatening futuristic 10 In which season is the poem set? Spring Winter Unspecified Summer 11 Which is NOT a theme in the poem? The Persistence of Memories The Optimism of Love The Facade of Neutrality 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? curses chides celebrates hides 14 What does the starving sod represent? 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. The speaker is starving as a result of the break-up. 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 ex-lover's smile The ending of the relationship The speaker's angry bitterness 17 Define "keen." (adjective) disengenuous (noun) a heartfelt cry (adjective) neutral (adjective) sharp and well-defined 18 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? The poem does not rhyme ABBA ABCD AABB 19 What is the rhyme scheme reminiscent of? The final quatrain of Shakespearean sonnets None The poetry of Alfred Tennyson The first octave of Petrarchan 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 A raven arriving at one's doorstep An ominous bird taking flight 21 What is the speaker's final perspective on love? Love is incorrect, unjust, and immoral. Love is capable of harm, but one must choose to risk one's heart. Love is cruel but it pays off. Love requires great sacrifice in order to receive its rewards. 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? The white sun The ex-partner's smile Winter The yellow sun 24 Which is NOT a simile in the poem? "Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove / Over tedious riddles of years ago" "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" 25 Which best describes Hardy's religious views? Spiritualistic Agnostic, but complexly so Evangelical Christian Devout atheist who refuses to discuss God