English 11 Bright Romanticism

How are the speakers of "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" similar?

Both are forthright and confident.

What imagery do "A Psalm of Life" and "Auspex" have in common?

Both poems make reference to the heart.

How are the speakers' attitudes toward God and Death similar in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?

Both speakers appear confident and accepting.

Which best summarizes the role of conversation expressed in Society and Solitude?

Conversation has the power to either affirm or destroy the connections between people.

What is the most likely reason the author chose a free verse structure for "Song of Myself"?

Free verse allowed for the expression of expansive ideas.

In paragraphs three and four of "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" in Walden, how does Thoreau contrast the way he lives with the way others live?

He believes his life to be extremely simple, and he believes others' lives to be needlessly complicated.

In the first paragraph of "Conclusion" in Walden, how does Thoreau explain his departure from the woods?

He explains his departure as the movement from one part of his life to another.

Based on the ideas in Walden, how would Thoreau most likely feel about recent advances in technology, such as cell phones and handheld computers?

He would believe they were destructive to a person's thinking ability.

Read the line from "Song of Myself." For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. What is the effect of the word "atom" in this line and later in the poem?

It emphasizes the narrator's belief that every parcel of the Earth belongs to everyone.

Read the lines from "Auspex." Woe's me, I shall be lonely When I can feel no longer The impatience of their wings! Which best describes the effect of the expression "Woe's me"?

It heightens the sense of loss in the poem.

How does the second stanza of "Auspex" tie the first and third stanzas together?

It offers a counterclaim to the first stanza, which is then rejected in the third stanza.

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." I know I have the best of time and space, and was never measured and never will be measured. How does this line support the theme of the poem?

It reflects Whitman's ideas about the capacity of the human spirit.

Read the quotation from "A Psalm of Life." Let the dead past bury its dead! What is the effect of the repetition of the word "dead" in this line?

It reinforces the idea that one should live in the present, not in the past.

How does the relationship between "man and vegetable" described in paragraph five of Chapter I of Nature support the piece's central idea?

It suggests that the relationship between humans and nature is mystical but also unquestionable.

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." I tramp a perpetual journey, (come listen all!) How does the word "tramp" affect the tone of this line?

It suggests the determination of the speaker.

Read the excerpt from Walden. Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry. Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitches today to save nine tomorrow. How does the excerpt relate to today's culture?

It supports the idea that people move too quickly and forget to experience the present moment.

Read the sentence. The final goal was kicked by Jake, and the Huskies won the game. Which is the best way to write this sentence in the active voice?

Jake kicked the final goal, and the Huskies won the game.

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. Which statement best describes how these lines reflect the general structure of the poem?

Just as the poem has a loose, open structure, these lines display personal freedom.

Read the lines from "A Psalm of Life." In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life, What does the poet suggest about human life with the images in these lines?

Life is an eternal struggle.

Which best states how the concept of trust is portrayed in Chapter I of Nature and in Society and Solitude?

Nature implies suspicion of others but does not state it, while Society and Solitude states directly that suspicion of others is natural.

Read the paragraph. Nikki's grandmother always made the most delicious baklava. It was perfectly sweet, perfectly flaky, and perfectly nutty. Nikki had always known that her grandmother would teach her how to make it one day. That day had finally come. As Nikki tied her apron strings, she couldn't help smiling. One day, she teaches her own children and grandchildren this precious recipe! Which is the best replacement for the underlined sentence?

One day, she would teach her own children and grandchildren this precious recipe!

Read the excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and what he touches. One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime. Seen in the streets of cities, how great they are! If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile. The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. In this excerpt, Emerson is making the claim that

People often take natural phenomena such as stars for granted.

Read the excerpt from "Song of Myself." Long enough have you dream'd contemptible dreams, Now I wash the gum from your eyes, You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life. Long have you timidly waded holding a plank by the shore, Now I will you to be a bold swimmer, To jump off in the midst of the sea, rise again, nod to me, shout, and laughingly dash with your hair. What theme is suggested by this excerpt?

People should be brave, take risks, and embrace all aspects of life.

Which sentence is an example of the imperative mood?

Please bring me my physics textbook, my lab manual, and my homework assignments.

Which statement best describes Emerson's opinion of communities, according to the first paragraph of Society and Solitude?

Regardless of how tightly bound communities may seem, each person is ultimately alone.

A clergyman is an official leader within an organized religion. Why does Dickinson call God "a noted Clergyman" in "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?

She is poking gentle fun by suggesting that God is the supreme clergy.

Read the sentence. The dance was attended by the entire senior class, as well as several chaperones. Which is the best way to write this sentence in the active voice?

The entire senior class and several chaperones attended the dance.

How are the moods of "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" different?

The former has a serious mood, while the latter has a lighter mood.

Read the lines from "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground - What image does the language in these lines create?

The language creates an image of starkness and isolation.

Read the quotation from "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church." And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church, Our little Sexton - sings. What is the most likely reason for the poet to oppose the phrases "tolling the Bell" and "sings" in these lines?

The poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option.

Which statement would be included in a summary of the first paragraph of Chapter I of Nature?

The stars at night are beautiful but sometimes unappreciated.

Read the lines from "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility - What is the purpose of the words "labor" and "leisure"?

They are aspects of life that the speaker is leaving.

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway sun, I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift it in lacy jags. How do the words "effuse" and "drift" affect the tone of the second line?

They give the actions described a feeling of importance.

How does the progress of the last paragraph of "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" communicate the main idea of Walden?

Thoreau moves from gazing at the water to burrowing into the earth, just as the excerpt shows a progress from observation to contemplation.

What is the main idea of the first stanza of "Auspex"?

Though I cannot slow myself down right now, one day my heart will stop beating so quickly, and I will slow down.

Which is the best summary of paragraph six of Chapter I of Nature?

To experience nature at its fullest requires mental effort.

Which statement best summarizes the fourth paragraph of Chapter I of Nature?

Truly experiencing and absorbing the beauty of nature can have a healing effect on the mind and body.

Read the excerpt from Walden. [A]s the sun arose, I saw it [the pond] throwing off its nightly clothing of mist, and here and there, by degrees, its soft ripples or its smooth reflecting surface was revealed, while the mists, like ghosts, were stealthily withdrawing in every direction into the woods, as at the breaking up of some nocturnal conventicle [secret meeting]. In the excerpt, Thoreau uses imagery to describe

fog slowly rising from the surface of the pond.

Read the paragraph. Novac barely heard his dad's car rumbling up the driveway. He barely heard the car door as it closed or his dad's key in the lock. He barely hears his dad put his tools in the front hall closet. He was so focused on his geometry proof, that when he first heard a soft, muffled bark coming from downstairs, he barely noticed. Then he heard it again. A true bark! And it was coming from downstairs. He dropped his notebook on the floor and smiled. He feels tears in the corners of his eyes. Finally--his family owned a dog. Choose the best two words to replace the underlined words, in order.

heard: felt

Read the sentence. Remind me to turn off the lights before we leave. What is the verb mood of this sentence?

imperative

Read the sentence. Mark can't come to the movies this afternoon because he helps his brother paint the kitchen. Which is the best replacement for the underlined word?

is helping

Read the sentence. Carolina usually plays third base, but she is going to played first base in the game tomorrow. Which is the best replacement for the underlined word?

play

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." It is not far, it is within reach, Perhaps you have been on it since you were born and did not know, Perhaps it is everywhere on water and on land. Shoulder your duds dear son, and I will mine, and let us hasten forth, Wonderful cities and free nations we shall fetch as we go. In this quotation, the first stanza has a different style from the second section. What does this suggest about Whitman's overall style in the poem?

that Whitman's style allows for various kinds of language

Which characteristic makes "Song of Myself" a free verse poem?

the absence of a consistent rhythmic structure

What does each stanza in "Auspex" show?

the different stages of a natural process

Read the excerpt from Walden. The repose is never complete. The wildest animals do not repose, but seek their prey now; the fox, and skunk, and rabbit, now roam the fields and woods without fear. They are Nature's watchmen—links which connect the days of animated life. What natural phenomenon is referred to in this excerpt?

the food chain

Read the excerpt from Walden. Standing on the snow-covered plain, as if in a pasture amid the hills, I cut my way first through a foot of snow, and then a foot of ice, and open a window under my feet, where, kneeling to drink, I look down into the quiet parlor of the fishes, pervaded by a softened light as through a window of ground glass, with its bright sanded floor the same as in summer; there a perennial waveless serenity reigns as in the amber twilight sky, corresponding to the cool and even temperament of the inhabitants. Heaven is under our feet is well as over our heads. Which best describes the purpose of the imagery in this excerpt?

to illustrate the author's calm, contemplative mood

Read the sentence. Every morning, I run three miles before I go to school, but I takes a break today. Which is the best replacement for the underlined word?

took