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AP English Literature and Composition Unit 5: Poetry II

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Unit 5: Poetry II

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Question 1

Poem 1 (John Keats, "When I have fears that I may cease to be," 1818 — public domain).

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starred face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love — then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

In Poem 1, the EXTENDED METAPHOR comparing writing to harvest most directly suggests:

A.The speaker fears producing too much.B.The speaker views his mind's contents as something to be harvested into books before death.C.The speaker is a farmer who also writes.D.The speaker mistrusts his own talent.

Question 2

Poem 3 (Gerard Manley Hopkins, "God's Grandeur," 1877 — public domain).

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

In Poem 3, the SOUND DEVICES (alliteration, repetition) most chiefly serve to:

A.Showcase the poet's technical skill independent of meaning.B.Enact the world's wear and weariness through the repetitive sound texture.C.Imitate church bells.D.Make the poem easier to memorize.

Question 3

Poem 2 (Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess," 1842 — public domain, excerpt).

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
"Frà Pandolf" by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there;

Which choice best describes the SPEAKER of Poem 2?

A.The painter Frà Pandolf.B.An aristocrat displaying a portrait of his deceased wife to a visitor.C.The Duchess herself, narrating from beyond death.D.A neutral curator or guide.

Question 4

Poem 2 (Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess," 1842 — public domain, excerpt).

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
"Frà Pandolf" by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there;

Based on Poem 2, the speaker's casual mention of Frà Pandolf creates an effect best described as:

A.A flat report of a famous painter.B.Casual social display — making sure the visitor recognizes the value of what they are being shown.C.Confession of forgery.D.Anxiety about the painting's authenticity.

Question 5

Poem 1 (John Keats, "When I have fears that I may cease to be," 1818 — public domain).

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starred face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love — then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

Poem 2 (Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess," 1842 — public domain, excerpt).

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
"Frà Pandolf" by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there;

Poem 3 (Gerard Manley Hopkins, "God's Grandeur," 1877 — public domain).

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

Across Poems 1, 2, and 3, which feature is most distinctive of each poet's mode?

A.All three poems use the same formal structure.B.Keats uses extended metaphor; Browning uses dramatic monologue with a single speaker's revealing voice; Hopkins uses dense sound texture to enact meaning.C.All three are written by Romantic poets in the same decade.D.All three address the same subject.

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Question 6

Poem 1 (John Keats, "When I have fears that I may cease to be," 1818 — public domain).

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starred face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love — then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

Based on Poem 1, the closing image of the speaker standing "on the shore / Of the wide world" with Love and Fame sinking "to nothingness" chiefly conveys:

A.Sudden peace as the speaker arrives at indifference.B.The diminishment of even cherished things in the face of mortality.C.A literal trip to the seaside.D.Anger at fame and love.

Question 7

Poem 2 (Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess," 1842 — public domain, excerpt).

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
"Frà Pandolf" by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there;

Based on Poem 2, the line "since none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I" most directly reveals:

A.The speaker's careful control over who is allowed to see the portrait.B.The portrait is too fragile to be on permanent display.C.The painter requires the curtain.D.The speaker is hiding the painting from himself.

Question 8

Poem 1 (John Keats, "When I have fears that I may cease to be," 1818 — public domain).

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starred face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love — then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

Based on Poem 1, the structure of the sonnet is best described as moving from:

A.Multiple specific fears to a single reflective resolution.B.A single fear to multiple resolutions.C.An argument to a refutation.D.Joy to despair.

Question 9

Poem 2 (Robert Browning, "My Last Duchess," 1842 — public domain, excerpt).

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
"Frà Pandolf" by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there;

Based on Poem 2, the closing question of the excerpt ("How such a glance came there") chiefly sets up:

A.A revelation about the Duchess's fate at the speaker's hands.B.An argument about portrait technique.C.A change of speaker.D.A philosophical digression on art.

Question 10

Poem 3 (Gerard Manley Hopkins, "God's Grandeur," 1877 — public domain).

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

Based on Poem 3, the closing line "the soil / Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod" most chiefly suggests:

A.Modern humanity has lost direct sensory contact with the natural world.B.Soil quality has improved.C.Shoes are made of natural materials.D.Generations have walked across bare soil for centuries.

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Question 11

Poem 1 (John Keats, "When I have fears that I may cease to be," 1818 — public domain).

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starred face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love — then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

Based on Poem 1, the speaker's three repeated openings ("When I have... When I behold... when I feel") chiefly create:

A.A cumulative catalog of losses before the speaker arrives at the closing resolution.B.A series of unrelated thoughts.C.Three separate poems combined.D.A sequence of unfulfilled requests.

Question 12

Poem 3 (Gerard Manley Hopkins, "God's Grandeur," 1877 — public domain).

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

Based on Poem 3, the simile "like the ooze of oil / Crushed" suggests that God's grandeur:

A.Emerges from pressure or compression rather than being immediately visible.B.Is messy and difficult to clean up.C.Resembles industrial pollution.D.Is invisible.

AP English Literature and Composition Unit 5: Poetry II — Free with Answer Explanations | Test Practice Hub