Literary Analysis Of American Poetry Before 1925

This is an MCQ-based quiz for GRE on the Literary Analysis Of American Poetry Before 1925.

This includes works like Leaves of Grass, The Author to Her Book, Microcosmographia, Nightmare Abbey, and Benito Cereno.

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A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9         A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

The speaker in the poem is very probably addressing.

A fellow veteran

A legal adviser

An acquaintance

A loved one

A stranger

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

The following is an example of alliteration:

"Smooth-laid like thatch" (line 3)

"withered weeds" (line 7)

"sadder than any words" (line 8)

"sober birds" (line 6)

"lingered brown" (line 10)

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

The following connotes the imagery of warfare:

"the last remaining aster flower" (line 15)

"The whir of sober birds" (line 6)

"Comes softly rattling down." (line 12)

"headless aftermath" (line 2)

"Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought," (line 11)

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

The phrase "sober birds" (line 6) implies that even the birds are.

Irresponsible about foraging

Serious and sad about the changing season

Playful to a fault

Delusional about the encroaching severe weather

Not intoxicated on drink

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

If the speaker feels that his life is nearing an end, what most strongly makes that argument?

"the tangle of withered weeds" (line 7)

The leaf that "the tangle of withered weeds" (line 7)

The speaker's going up "through the mowing field" (line 1)

"The whir of sober birds" (line 6)

The speaker's coming "to the garden ground" (line 5)

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

What does the speaker believe caused the "leaf that lingered brown" (line 10) to come "softly rattling down" (line 12)?

The shivering tree

A squirrel

The leaf's own wishes

His thoughts

The wind

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

Which of the following is a simile?

"sadder than any words" (line 8)

"the tangle of withered weeds" (line 7)

"The headless aftermath," (line 2)

"Smooth-laid like thatch" (line 3)

"the wall stands bare," (line 9)

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

In line 14, the adjective "faded" contributes to what?

The speaker's symbolic rebirth

The abundance of nature imagery in the poem

The pastoral character of the poem

The elegiac style of the poem

The lightheartedness of the poem

A Late Walk
1          When I go up through the mowing field,

2          The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

One theme of the poem is__________.

The life of the farmer is better than the urbanite's

Spring will always return

Romantic habits are pointless

Human beings are the only creatures burdened by time

The passing of time is something sorrowful

A Late Walk
1   When I go up through the mowing field,

2    The headless aftermath,

3          Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

4          Half closes the garden path.

5          And when I come to the garden ground,

6          The whir of sober birds

7          Up from the tangle of withered weeds

8          Is sadder than any words

9          A tree beside the wall stands bare,

10        But a leaf that lingered brown,

11        Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

12        Comes softly rattling down.

13        I end not far from my going forth

14        By picking the faded blue

15        Of the last remaining aster flower

16        To carry again to you.

The tone of the poem can best be described as                      .

Irreverant

Nostalgic

Lighthearted

Cavalier

Optimistic

Quiz/Test Summary
Title: Literary Analysis Of American Poetry Before 1925
Questions: 10
Contributed by:
Diego