Poetry - CLEP Humanities
Card 1 of 256
Federico Garcia Lorca is well-known among the art community for creating what kind(s) of artistic works?
Federico Garcia Lorca is well-known among the art community for creating what kind(s) of artistic works?
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Lorca is a well-known Spanish poet and dramatist; among his works are Odes and Suites, which are each collections of poetry, and El Publico (The Public), a play.
Lorca is a well-known Spanish poet and dramatist; among his works are Odes and Suites, which are each collections of poetry, and El Publico (The Public), a play.
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Which poet wrote "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "The Heart of a Woman"?
Which poet wrote "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "The Heart of a Woman"?
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Maya Angelou was the author of both of these poems, in which she depicts the life of an African-American woman in mid-twentieth-century America.
Maya Angelou was the author of both of these poems, in which she depicts the life of an African-American woman in mid-twentieth-century America.
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Which of the following poems was written by Allen Ginsberg?
Which of the following poems was written by Allen Ginsberg?
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Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is considered the preeminent Beat-era poem, with its stark descriptions of drugs and sexual acts, as well as its use of a blank verse form inspired by jazz. Ginsberg gained instant notoriety when "Howl" was published in 1957, and was brought forward in an obscenity trial in Ginsberg's native California in 1959.
Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is considered the preeminent Beat-era poem, with its stark descriptions of drugs and sexual acts, as well as its use of a blank verse form inspired by jazz. Ginsberg gained instant notoriety when "Howl" was published in 1957, and was brought forward in an obscenity trial in Ginsberg's native California in 1959.
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Roman poetry featured a focus .
Roman poetry featured a focus .
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Roman poetry, largely an adaptation and revision of Greek poetry, featured many different styles, from the epics of Vergil to the short, confessional poems of Catullus. Satires, religious themes, and heroic subjects were all possibilities, with romantic topics also having prominence in the Republican era. The only true uniting force in Roman poetry was a constant stress on the meter and rhythm of the poem, with strict rules governing the usage of different syllables.
Roman poetry, largely an adaptation and revision of Greek poetry, featured many different styles, from the epics of Vergil to the short, confessional poems of Catullus. Satires, religious themes, and heroic subjects were all possibilities, with romantic topics also having prominence in the Republican era. The only true uniting force in Roman poetry was a constant stress on the meter and rhythm of the poem, with strict rules governing the usage of different syllables.
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What is the Roman epic poem that is both a successor to the Homeric epics and a founding myth regarding Rome?
What is the Roman epic poem that is both a successor to the Homeric epics and a founding myth regarding Rome?
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The Aeneid, written by the poet Vergil between 29 and 19 BCE, tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and the mythical founder of Rome. As such, the story is both a continuation of Homer's Iliad, and serves as a founding myth for the Roman people. Vergil's poem traces how Aeneas fled Troy, led a Trojan fleet, and eventually settled in Italy.
The Aeneid, written by the poet Vergil between 29 and 19 BCE, tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and the mythical founder of Rome. As such, the story is both a continuation of Homer's Iliad, and serves as a founding myth for the Roman people. Vergil's poem traces how Aeneas fled Troy, led a Trojan fleet, and eventually settled in Italy.
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The medieval work that followed its author's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven is .
The medieval work that followed its author's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven is .
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The Divine Comedy tells the story of its author, Dante, traveling through the different realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, all to find what happened to his deceased lover, Beatrice. The work is divided into three separate sections between Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). The whole work is an allegory for the soul's journey to God, as expressed in Medieval Catholic theology.
The Divine Comedy tells the story of its author, Dante, traveling through the different realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, all to find what happened to his deceased lover, Beatrice. The work is divided into three separate sections between Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). The whole work is an allegory for the soul's journey to God, as expressed in Medieval Catholic theology.
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Which of these figures was in limbo in Dante Alighieri's fourteenth century epic poem The Divine Comedy?
Which of these figures was in limbo in Dante Alighieri's fourteenth century epic poem The Divine Comedy?
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Sultan Saladin is the correct answer. He was placed in limbo because he was an honorable man, despite being a non-Christian. Sultan Saladin was a contemporary of Richard the Lionheart and conquered Jerusalem in the Second and Third Crusades. Others in limbo in The Divine Comedy include Julius Caesar, Hector, and Avicenna.
Sultan Saladin is the correct answer. He was placed in limbo because he was an honorable man, despite being a non-Christian. Sultan Saladin was a contemporary of Richard the Lionheart and conquered Jerusalem in the Second and Third Crusades. Others in limbo in The Divine Comedy include Julius Caesar, Hector, and Avicenna.
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Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
The above lines are from which poem?
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
The above lines are from which poem?
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The poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" was written in 1854 to commemorate the same event in the Crimean War, where a British brigade made a nearly suicidal charge at the Battle of Balaclava. Published just six weeks after the event, Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem is a famous poetic depiction of heroic soldiering from the mid-nineteenth century, with its recitation of the marching, drilling, and cannon fire of the battle.
The poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" was written in 1854 to commemorate the same event in the Crimean War, where a British brigade made a nearly suicidal charge at the Battle of Balaclava. Published just six weeks after the event, Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem is a famous poetic depiction of heroic soldiering from the mid-nineteenth century, with its recitation of the marching, drilling, and cannon fire of the battle.
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Passage adapted from "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson (1890)
Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
We slowly drove—He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility—
What is the rhyme scheme for the above poem?
Passage adapted from "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson (1890)
Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
We slowly drove—He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility—
What is the rhyme scheme for the above poem?
Tap to reveal answer
A rhyme scheme identified by letter describes each rhyme with the same letter. Thus, since the poem's first and third lines rhyme, the first stanza should be marked as ABAB. Because the second stanza has a new rhyming word, the second stanza should be marked CDCD.
A rhyme scheme identified by letter describes each rhyme with the same letter. Thus, since the poem's first and third lines rhyme, the first stanza should be marked as ABAB. Because the second stanza has a new rhyming word, the second stanza should be marked CDCD.
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Passage adapted from "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson (1890)
Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
We slowly drove—He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility—
In this poem, what is the poetic device that Dickinson uses in reference to "Death"?
Passage adapted from "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson (1890)
Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
We slowly drove—He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility—
In this poem, what is the poetic device that Dickinson uses in reference to "Death"?
Tap to reveal answer
In this poem, Dickinson has death something that has "stopped for me," a thing that can know, and that has "Civility." These are all features of a person, despite "death" technically being an event or abstract idea. Making an abstract idea have human traits is called "personification."
In this poem, Dickinson has death something that has "stopped for me," a thing that can know, and that has "Civility." These are all features of a person, despite "death" technically being an event or abstract idea. Making an abstract idea have human traits is called "personification."
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John Milton’s Paradise Lost features which figure as its main character?
John Milton’s Paradise Lost features which figure as its main character?
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The very first character introduced into Milton's narrative in Paradise Lost is Satan. While telling the story of Adam and Eve in a new way, the narrative unfolds from Satan's perspective. Milton's epic poem has greatly contributed to the character of Satan in the Western literary tradition.
The very first character introduced into Milton's narrative in Paradise Lost is Satan. While telling the story of Adam and Eve in a new way, the narrative unfolds from Satan's perspective. Milton's epic poem has greatly contributed to the character of Satan in the Western literary tradition.
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Adapted from "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Wallace Stevens (1922)
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
What kind of event does the poem describe?
Adapted from "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Wallace Stevens (1922)
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
What kind of event does the poem describe?
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The poem describes a woman's body as "cold" and "dumb," and that it needs to be covered by a sheet, indicating that she is dead. The rest of the poem described gathering people for some kind of event where she is central. Thus, the poem is about a funeral or wake.
The poem describes a woman's body as "cold" and "dumb," and that it needs to be covered by a sheet, indicating that she is dead. The rest of the poem described gathering people for some kind of event where she is central. Thus, the poem is about a funeral or wake.
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Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
(1922)
The narrator of this poem is best described as .
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
(1922)
The narrator of this poem is best described as .
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The poem features a narrator who is attempting to gather everyone for the event. So even though the narrator has a slightly detached view of the event ("Let be be the finale of seem"), the narrator is also deeply involved. There is also a sense of wonder throughout the poem, largely thanks to the narrator's own involvement in the strange circumstances.
(Passage adapted from "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Wallace Stevens)
The poem features a narrator who is attempting to gather everyone for the event. So even though the narrator has a slightly detached view of the event ("Let be be the finale of seem"), the narrator is also deeply involved. There is also a sense of wonder throughout the poem, largely thanks to the narrator's own involvement in the strange circumstances.
(Passage adapted from "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Wallace Stevens)
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Which of the following is not a key feature of a sonnet?
Which of the following is not a key feature of a sonnet?
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The sonnet was first developed in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Italy, but became a popular form of poetry throughout Europe during the Renaissance. William Shakespeare became well known in England for his sonnets in the late sixteenth century. A sonnet typically has just fourteen strictly metered lines, with a specific structure and strict rhyme scheme.
The sonnet was first developed in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Italy, but became a popular form of poetry throughout Europe during the Renaissance. William Shakespeare became well known in England for his sonnets in the late sixteenth century. A sonnet typically has just fourteen strictly metered lines, with a specific structure and strict rhyme scheme.
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The rhythmic scheme of iambic pentameter refers to a line that contains .
The rhythmic scheme of iambic pentameter refers to a line that contains .
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Iambic pentameter is most famous as the rhythm scheme used by William Shakespeare in most of his plays. The scheme features five "feet" per line, with each foot having one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. This rhythm creates a standard speaking pattern for actors and audiences to follow.
Iambic pentameter is most famous as the rhythm scheme used by William Shakespeare in most of his plays. The scheme features five "feet" per line, with each foot having one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. This rhythm creates a standard speaking pattern for actors and audiences to follow.
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The Italian poet Petrarch is most famous for working in what poetic form?
The Italian poet Petrarch is most famous for working in what poetic form?
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Petrarch, who lived from 1304 to 1374, is not just famous for writing most of his poems in the sonnet form, but for widely popularizing the form across Europe. Petrarch used a standard fourteen line form with an ABBA rhyme scheme. Petrarch is considered one of the standardizers of the Italian language thanks to his immense popularity.
Petrarch, who lived from 1304 to 1374, is not just famous for writing most of his poems in the sonnet form, but for widely popularizing the form across Europe. Petrarch used a standard fourteen line form with an ABBA rhyme scheme. Petrarch is considered one of the standardizers of the Italian language thanks to his immense popularity.
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If a stanza of poetry has an ABBA rhyme scheme, which of its lines rhyme?
If a stanza of poetry has an ABBA rhyme scheme, which of its lines rhyme?
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When a rhyme scheme is described with letters, the first line automatically gets designated as "A." Any other line that rhymes with the first line will also be marked as "A." Therefore, in an ABBA rhyme scheme, the first and the fourth lines rhyme, as do the second and third lines.
When a rhyme scheme is described with letters, the first line automatically gets designated as "A." Any other line that rhymes with the first line will also be marked as "A." Therefore, in an ABBA rhyme scheme, the first and the fourth lines rhyme, as do the second and third lines.
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A limerick is a poem marked by what features?
A limerick is a poem marked by what features?
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The limerick is a popular short poem form originating in the British Isles and named after a city in Ireland. A limerick always consists of five lines, with a strict rhythm, and an AABBA rhyme scheme. Limericks are frequently humorous and made of doggerel and satiric statements.
The limerick is a popular short poem form originating in the British Isles and named after a city in Ireland. A limerick always consists of five lines, with a strict rhythm, and an AABBA rhyme scheme. Limericks are frequently humorous and made of doggerel and satiric statements.
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Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
The above stanza of a poem is an example of which of the following?
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
The above stanza of a poem is an example of which of the following?
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"Common meter" is the name of a simple but specific poetic format, with four lines per stanza, and an alternating rhythm and rhyme scheme. The first and third lines of a common meter poem are eight syllabes in four iambs, while its second and fourth lines are six syllables in three iambs; the rhyme scheme is a simple abab. Emily Dickinson, who wrote the poem from which the stanza in question was excerpted, wrote most of her poems in the common meter.
"Common meter" is the name of a simple but specific poetic format, with four lines per stanza, and an alternating rhythm and rhyme scheme. The first and third lines of a common meter poem are eight syllabes in four iambs, while its second and fourth lines are six syllables in three iambs; the rhyme scheme is a simple abab. Emily Dickinson, who wrote the poem from which the stanza in question was excerpted, wrote most of her poems in the common meter.
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A haiku, a three line poem with lines of 5,7, and 5 syllables, was developed in the literary tradition of which country?
A haiku, a three line poem with lines of 5,7, and 5 syllables, was developed in the literary tradition of which country?
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A haiku is a distinctive form of poetry which is a key feature of the Japanese literary tradition. In addition to its strict form, with each line having only a small number of syllables, the poem's structure also requires a kiru, or "cutting." This shift in tone and emphasis midway through the poem creates a paradox and dichotomy that is central to the genre.
A haiku is a distinctive form of poetry which is a key feature of the Japanese literary tradition. In addition to its strict form, with each line having only a small number of syllables, the poem's structure also requires a kiru, or "cutting." This shift in tone and emphasis midway through the poem creates a paradox and dichotomy that is central to the genre.
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