Sonnet 55 - Test

1. In which year were William Shakespeare's sonnets published?

A) 1609
B) 1616
C) 1588
D) 1599

2. How many sonnets did William Shakespeare publish in 1609?

A) 200
B) 154
C) 100
D) 120

3. What is the rhyme scheme of a typical English or Shakespearean sonnet?

A) AABB CCDD EEFF GG
B) ABC ABC DEF DEF
C) ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
D) ABBA ABBA CDE CDE

4. What type of poetic metre is used in Sonnet 55?

A) Iambic pentameter
B) Trochaic tetrameter
C) Anapestic hexameter
D) Dactylic dimeter

5. What does Sonnet 55 claim will outlast physical monuments?

A) The poem itself
B) War memorials
C) Masonry structures
D) Statues of princes

6. Which ancient works are referenced in Sonnet 55?

A) Horace's Odes and Ovid's Metamorphoses
B) Virgil's Aeneid and Homer's Iliad
C) Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Poetics
D) Dante's Divine Comedy and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

7. What does John Crowe Ransom point out about the promises of immortality in Sonnet 55?

A) The poem is self-refuting as it keeps the young man mostly hidden
B) It guarantees eternal life for both the poet and the subject
C) It clearly describes the young man's physical features
D) It focuses on the poet's own immortality

8. What does Lars Engle argue about Shakespeare's claim regarding poetry?

A) Engle believes Shakespeare's poetry is inferior to ancient works
B) Shakespeare claims that only royalty can achieve immortality
C) Shakespeare bestows immortality on another through his poetry, unlike Horace and Ovid who claimed it for themselves
D) He argues that statues are more enduring than poetry

9. What does Ernest Fontana focus on in the second quatrain of Sonnet 55?

A) The power of war
B) The beauty of the young man
C) The grandeur of monuments
D) The epithet 'sluttish time'

10. According to Fontana, what does Shakespeare's use of 'besmeared' imply?

A) It metaphorically refers to syphilis and its effects on the body
B) It describes the weathering of stone statues
C) It signifies the purity of marble monuments
D) It highlights the resilience of masonry

11. How does Helen Vendler describe the speaker's attitude towards entities connected to the beloved?

A) The speaker bestows grandeur on them when connected to the beloved, but mocks them otherwise
B) The speaker is indifferent to their connection to the beloved
C) The speaker only focuses on their physical attributes
D) The speaker always regards them with contempt

12. What theme does Vendler argue revolves around in Sonnet 55?

A) The glory of war
B) The keyword 'live'
C) The inevitability of death
D) The beauty of nature

13. What does the couplet in Sonnet 55 suggest about the young man's existence?

A) The young man will only live physically until the Last Judgment
B) His existence is limited to the poem itself
C) He will cease to exist after his death
D) 'Real' living is assigned to the day of the Last Judgment, but he also lives in memory and lovers' eyes

14. Where was an epitaph written in memory of Shakespeare found?

A) The Globe Theatre
B) The Folger Library
C) The British Museum
D) Westminster Abbey

15. What style of handwriting was used for the epitaph found in the Folger Library?

A) Gothic script
B) Italic hand
C) Secretary hand
D) Cursive script

16. What imagery is used in Sonnet 55 to describe time?

A) "Eternal spring"
B) "Golden age"
C) "Sluttish time"
D) "Silent night"

17. Which word does Ernest Fontana suggest Shakespeare intended as a metaphor for venereal disease?

A) "Shining"
B) "Besmeared"
C) "Living"
D) "Obvious"

18. How does Helen Vendler describe the transformation of monuments in Sonnet 55 when they are not connected to the beloved?

A) They transform into golden statues.
B) They shine brighter.
C) They are celebrated by all.
D) They become 'unswept stone besmeared'.

19. What is the central theme of Sonnet 55 according to Helen Vendler?

A) War
B) Time
C) Love
D) Death

20. Which word does Vendler identify as revolving around in Sonnet 55, indicating different aspects of life and memory?

A) "Live"
B) "Remember"
C) "Forget"
D) "Die"

21. In what century was the secretary hand style of handwriting commonly used?

A) 16th Century
B) 17th Century
C) 18th Century
D) 19th Century

22. What color ink was the epitaph written in?

A) Black ink
B) Brown ink
C) Blue ink
D) Red ink

23. Where is Shakespeare buried?

A) Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon
B) The Tower of London
C) St. Paul's Cathedral
D) Westminster Abbey

24. Which sonnet contains lines echoed in the epitaph found for Shakespeare?

A) Sonnet 55
B) Sonnet 18
C) Sonnet 116
D) Sonnet 73

25. Who discovered the epitaph in the Folger Library?

A) Robert Evans
B) William Shakespeare
C) Richard Briers
D) An unknown author

Created with That Quiz — the site for test creation and grading in math and other subjects.