DC English Module Quizzes
Susan Glaspell wrote a short story version of our play Trifles. The title of that short story is
"A Jury of Her Peers"
Which poem argues that "A poem should not mean / But be."?
"Ars Poetica"
All of the following are statements from the article, but which of the following would work best as a central thesis for Susan Farrell's "From Tim O'Brien and Gender..."?
"Because O'Brien works so diligently to connect war experiences to human experiences in general, I do not read his work as excluding or silencing women."
Which of the stories included in this module's reading can best be said to have the theme, "Example is the best precept"?
"The Two Crabs"
Which of the following is the central question addressed by the Shmoop video, "The Story of an Hour"?
"Why did Louise kick the bucket?"
Before Ted Lavender died, how many men were in the platoon? That is, including Ted Lavender, how many men were in the platoon?
17
Identify the literary point of view of William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily."
1st Person point of view
How many soliloquies does Hamlet have in Act I?
2
How many total bonus points on the final exam are available through the "Stay on Pace Bonus Challenge"?
24
What is the literary point of view of Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"?
3rd Persons Limited/Selective Omniscient
How many topic choices are there for the Essay 2 assignment?
7
What do Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover in Mrs. Wright's sewing box?
A dead canary
The narrator and the blind man "watch" a television show together. What kind of television show did they "watch"?
A documentary about cathedrals
According to the clown, "who builds stronger than a mason, a shipwright, or a carpenter?"
A grave maker
Tim O'Brien, in the History Channel video "My Lai Massacre," discusses how difficult it was to actual find and fight the enemy in Vietnam. Finish his sentence: "It was hit and miss. It was like hunting... ."
A hummingbird
Which of the following is NOT one of the elements of a Revenge Tragedy?
A love triangle
According to the Instructor, an academic journal is comparable, or very much like:
A magazine
Which of the following would NOT work as a central theme for Raymond Carver's "Cathedral"?
A man is very nervous about having a blind man visit his home but it turns out that he gets along pretty well with him.
What does Miss Emily purchase for Homer Barron in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" that makes the townspeople assume that they are to be married?
A silver men's engraved toilet set and a nightshirt
Which of the following is NOT one of the "three basic ways of writing about literature" describe by Mays in our reading?
Abstraction
Full fathom five thy father lies; of his bones are coral made; Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Alliteration
Assume the following quotes are taken from an article from a journal in print form. Which of the following is correct MLA In-text Citation (parenthetical reference)?
Anderson argues that "Flannery O'Connor's short fiction is often so intense that many readers completely miss the Christian message she is sending" (37).
What does Miss Emily purchase from the druggist in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"?
Arsenic
In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," what have the blind man and the narrator's wife been sending to each other all of these years?
Audio tapes
"My Papa's Waltz" The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Ballad
What does the term "in medias res" mean in relation to stories/fiction?
Beginning a story in the middle of things
In the notes, the Instructor recommends that, when reading sources for a research paper, you should ask "where is this person coming from?" & "Is there an agenda?" In essence, it is recommended that you be aware of possible:
Bias
According to the instructor, the majority of Shakespeare's Hamlet is written in:
Blank Verse
Tim O'Brien, in the History Channel video "My Lai Massacre," emphasizes that more than anything, the war was....what? (He says it was this, "punctuated by moments of sheer terror."
Boredom/monotony
There are three central characters in Raymond Carver's "Cathedral." Only Robert, the blind man, is named. What is the "name" that the blind man uses for our narrator?
Bub
What is the key issue/point when it comes to understanding whether a character is round/dynamic or flat/static?
Change or growth
Identify the speaker: "O Gertrude, Gertrude! / When sorrows come, they come not single spies, / But in battalions."
Claudius
How did Old Hamlet (the ghost) die?
Claudius snuck up on him and poured poison in his ear while he was napping in his orchard.
Which of the following is NOT true?
Claudius, with approval from Gertrude, grants Hamlet permission to return to school in Wittenberg.
Which of the following terms is not one of the "5 Traditional Elements of Plot"?
Commentary
The speaker in John Keats' "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" compares himself to which famous explorer?
Cortez
Finish the following "equation" that Smith asserts is central to Tim O'Brien's work: "Imagination=women=distraction=danger= _____."
Death
The majority of Shakespeare's Hamlet is set in:
Denmark
According to the Instructor, a soliloquy, by its very nature, creates:
Dramatic Irony
The final line of Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is: "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of joy that kills." The characters may think this is true, but we the audience know it is not. This is a good example of:
Dramatic Irony
When the audience understands or knows something that the characters (or some of the characters) in the play do not, this is:
Dramatic Irony
What do the narrator and the blind man do, together, that marks the climax of the story?
Draw a cathedral
Identify the protagonist of William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily."
Emily Grierson
"(For two students, killed by lightning):" Here lie two poor lovers, who had the mishap, Though very chaste people, to die of a clap. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Epigram
According to the Instructor, which two elements of plot (from "The 5 Elements of Plot Structure") are missing or absent from Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"?
Exposition and Resolution/Denouement
Which best summarizes Steven Kaplan's view of the structure of the book The Things They Carried?
Facts about an event are given; they then are quickly qualified or called into question; from this uncertainty emerges a new set of facts about the same subject that are again called into question.
Which of the following is the proper way to cite a page number in an academic essay using MLA format?
Faulkner says, "I feel sorry for Emily's tragedy" (523).
In the story "The Things They Carried," what is it that the narrator says is the soldier's greatest fear? It is this that "brought them to the war in the first place."
Fear of blushing—fear of being embarrassed
What is "metafiction"?
Fiction that draws attention to its status as fiction in order to explore the nature of fictin and the role of authors and readers.
The opening line of Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death" can be considered:
Foreshadowing
In his final soliloquy (Act IV), Hamlet says, "Witness this army of such mass and charge, / Led by a delicate and tender prince." To whom does he refer to here?
Fortinbras
In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," what one word does Louise repeat alone up in her room?
Free
Which novel does Kaplan use to compare or help establish a pattern of how a work can "become paradoxically more real than the events upon which it is based"?
Going After Cacciato
Which of the following is NOT listed as one of the Instructor's "favorites" or recommended Electronic Databases/Periodical Indexes?
. Identify the speaker of the following lines from Hamlet, Act I: "But I have that within which passes show-- / These but the trappings and the suits of woe."
Hamlet
Identify the speaker of the following lines from Hamlet, Act I: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Hamlet
Identify the speaker: Was't Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet. If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away, And when he's not himself does wrong Laertes, Then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it. Who does it then? His madness. If't be so, Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged; His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy.
Hamlet
Which of the following is the correct way to write the title of our play in MLA format?
Hamlet (Italicized)
Which of the following is true?
Hamlet and Laertes exchange forgiveness for each others' deaths.
Which of the following is NOT true?
Hamlet is son of Old Hamlet (the deceased king), son of Gertrude, and cousin to Ophelia.
Which of the following quotes from the play is done in proper MLA format? (Note: these are all 2 lines from Act I.)
Hamlet tells Horatio, "`A was a man, take him for all in all, / I shall not look upon his like again" (I.2.187-8).
The primary topic for the Essay 3 assignment is:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, `A is often used as a substitute for:
He
According to the letter he sent to Horatio, how did Hamlet escape his fate in being sent to England?
He boarded a pirate ship that had attacked the ship he was on and compelled the pirates to return him to Denmark.
What does Lt. Jimmy Cross ultimately do with Martha's letters and two photographs?
He burns them
The narrator of Carver's "Cathedral" clearly has (or had) many preconceived notions or stereotypes about the blind. Robert, the blind man who visits, does not seem to fit many of those stereotypes. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways in which Robert goes against the narrator's expectations for the blind?
He drives a car
Why doesn't Horatio want Hamlet to go off alone to speak to the ghost?
He fears that the ghost might Hamlet do something crazy like jump off the castle walls into the sea.
What has the new King Claudius done about the Fortinbras problem?
He has written a letter to Fortinbras' uncle to get him to intervene.
Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons Claudius gives Laertes when asked why he has not just killed Hamlet already?
He is being watched so carefully by Hamlet already
How does Laertes plan to make sure that he will be able to complete his revenge on Hamlet during the fencing match?
He is going to put poison on one of his swords.
Why does The Misfit call himself The Misfit?
He says he can't make all he's done wrong fit the punishment he's gone through
When asked by Claudius what he would undertake to show himself "indeed your father's son," how does Laertes respond?
He says he would "cut his throat i' the church" in reference to Hamlet.
When the grandmother suggests to The Misfit that perhaps he got sent to mistake, he says, "Nome, it weren't no mistake." What reason does he give?
He says they had the papers on him
In Susan Glaspell's Trifles, how did John Wright die?
He was strangled with a rope in his own bed
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Heroic Couplet
When it is all over—when there are royal bodies littering the stage—the court stands stunned. They don't know the what or why of all they have just seen. Who is it that will "speak to th' yet unknowing world" and explain all that has happened?
Horatio
Which of the following is NOT true?
Horatio commits suicide by drinking wine from the poisoned cup.
What does The Misfit say would have changed him so that "I wouldn't be like I am now"?
If he had been there to see Jesus
It is said that Kate Chopin's story begins "In Medias Res." What does "In Medias Res" mean?
In the middle of things
What does the grandmother tell the kids about the house she wants to visit (in order to get them to pester their father to take them to see it)?
It has a secret panel
Which of the following is NOT one of the things that a topic sentence should do for a body paragraph?
It provides a number count ("First," "Second," "Third," "Finally," etc.) for organization
What is the significance of the "long strand of iron-gray hair" on the pillow in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"?
It suggests that Emily had been sleeping next to Homer's body all these years
In the story "The Things They Carried," who was the witness to Ted Lavender's death—the person who "saw it happen"?
Kiowa
The main characters in Susan Glaspell's Trifles find many things left undone or unfinished in the Wright household. Which of the following is NOT one of those things noted as being left undone?
Kitchen floor left unswept
Which of the following characters makes the best "foil" character to Hamlet?
Laertes
When Hamlet apologizes to Laertes, saying "Give me your pardon, sir. I have done you wrong," what best characterizes Laertes' response?
Laertes accepts Hamlet's offered love but says by the rules of honor he cannot forgive him.
In the story "The Things They Carried," which of the soldiers draws the unlucky number and has to go into the tunnel?
Lee Strunk
Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of irony discussed in the Shmoop Video, "Flannery O'Connor-Isn't it Ironic" and the module notes?
Literary Irony
Which of our authors makes the claim that "Ultimately, reading war, like experiencing, remembering, and writing it, is constructed as a masculine rite"?
Lorrie N. Smith ("From 'The Things Men Do'...")
Which character does Kaplan use in his article to show "that the certainties are merely there to conceal uncertainties"?
Lt. Jimmy Cross
"Wish for a Young Wife" My lizard, my lively writer May your limbs never wither, May the eyes in your face Survive the green ice Of envy's mean gaze, May you live out your life Without hate, without grief, And you hair ever blaze, In the sun, in the sun, When I am undone, When I am no one. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Metaphor
In the story "The Things They Carried," which of the soldiers most often talks about the "moral" of what was happening, the "moral" of what they saw and were experiencing?
Mitchell Sanders
In the story "The Things They Carried," what did Kiowa always take along or wear for ambush or night missions?
Moccasins for silence
Which of the following is NOT one of the "3 Goals for Quoting"?
Modern Language Association
Susan Glaspell's Trifles uses the concepts of a legal process--gathering evidence, finding motive, etc.--as something of a plot formula. In literature, the use of a common or recurrent device, formula, or situation is known as a:
Motif
Which character in Susan Glaspell's Trifles clearly makes the best detective?
Mrs. Hale
In his article, Steven Kaplan overviews some of the fiction and non-fiction written about the Vietnam War and comes to the conclusion that "the only certain thing during the Vietnam War was that... ." Complete the statement.
Nothing was certain.
All of the following are statements from the article, but which of the following statements from Kaplan's article works best as his central thesis in "From The Undying Uncertainty of the Narrator..."?
O'Brien "completely destroys the fine line dividing fact from fiction and tries to show...that fiction (or the imagined world) can often be truer, especially in the case of Vietnam, than fact."
"The Descent of Winter" To freight cars in the air all the slow clank, clank clank, clank moving about the treetops the wha, wha of the hoarse whistle pah, pah, pah, pah, pah, pah, pah, pah, pah, pah, pah piece and piece piece and piece moving still trippingly through the morningmist long after the engine had fought by and disappeared in silence to the left. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Onomatopoeia
Which of the following is NOT one of the issues of comparison used by the Instructor in the sample comparison of William Blake's "The Tyger" and "The Lamb"?
Onomatopoeia
The grave being dug by the clowns (gravediggers) is for:
Ophelia
"(as Adam bit into the fatal apple):" Sky lowered, and muttering thunder, some sad drops Wept at completing of the mortal sin. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Personification
In terms of the thesis and writing an essay, "P.O.D." stands for:
Plan of Development
Flannery O'Connor argues that "the old lady's gesture, like the mustard-seed, will grow to be a great crow-filled tree in The Misfit's heart, and will be enough of a pain to him there to turn him into the _____ he was meant to become." Fill in the blank.
Prophet
Which of the following is NOT true about writing a literary analysis?
Provide a 1 or 2 paragraph summary of the work you are discussing
In regards to our Module 10 Response Assignment, what does the acronym "QEP" stand for?
Quality Enhancement Plan
Which of the following is NOT one of the "3 Goals for Quoting" ?
Quotes should come from at least two different Sources
In the story "The Things They Carried," which of the men carried comic books and M&Ms?
Rat Kiley
Which of the following is NOT one of the "Three Goals for Quoting" discussed by the Instructor in the module notes? (You can expect to see this question on up to 3 quizzes this semester and then on the final exam.)
Response
"The art of oral or written persuasion." This is the definition of:
Rhetoric
According to most critics, and to the Instructor, what does the Tyger in William Blake's "The Tyger" represent or symbolize?
Satan or the Devil
In regards to writing your Essay 2, the articles in this module are considered:
Secondary Sources
It can be said that Miss Emily in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" cannot acknowledge death. Which of the following is an example from the story that supports that claim?
She both referred to Colonel Sartoris and she would not give up the body of her father.
When Gertrude tells Hamlet in Act I, "Do not for ever with thy vailed lids / Seek for thy noble father in the dust," what does she mean?
She is telling Hamlet to stop moping around, looking down all the time like he was looking for his dead father in the ground.
The grandmother tries at least six different approaches to appeal to The MIsfit, presumably to try to prevent him from hurting her. Which of the following is NOT one of those appeals?
She tells him that she will go with him and join his gang
Love set you going like a fat watch. The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry Took its place among the elements. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Simile
Assume the following quotes are from one of the articles in the "The Things They Carried" chapter. Which of the following quotes is in correct MLA format?
Smith claims "By the end of the book, storytelling even carries the power of salvation and transubstantiation" (583).
What is it that the the narrator and the blind man do together that Robert has never done before and that seems to possibly "loosen up" the narrator? (The wife comes downstairs and joins them in this "activity".)
Smoke marijuana
"Snide remarks that are cutting and malicious." This, according to the Shmoop video in this module, is the definition of:
Snark
A monologue, or speech, given by a character who is alone on stage, usually under the guise of talking to himself or herself, with the purpose of revealing thoughts and feelings. This is the definition of:
Soliloquy
The unfinished quilt that Mrs. Wright had been working on is clearly important in Susan Glaspell's play Trifles. What is the key detail about this quilt that the women (Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale) notice?
Some pieces were smoothly quilted, others knotted
Which of the following might best serve as a central theme for Susan Glaspell's Trifles?:
Sometimes, it takes a woman to understand the realities of another woman's situation.
Which of the following is NOT a central theme of our play, Hamlet?
Sometimes, seeing means using more than just your eyes
In relation to our Module 10 Assignment, what does the acronym "SACS" stand for?
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Which of the following is the correct information and correct order of information for the heading for an essay written in MLA format? (Assume for each that the heading is at the top left-hand corner of page 1 only, and is double-spaced.)
Student name, Instructor name, Class, Date
In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," Miss Emily Grierson has a long-running dispute with the city leaders of Jefferson. What does that dispute concern?
Taxes
What are the two broad issues selected for our Module 10 QEP Assignment?
Teamwork and Social Responsibility
"Acquainted with the Night" I have been one acquainted with the night. I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. I have outwalked the furthest city light. I have looked down the saddest city lane. I have passed by the watchman on his beat And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain. I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet When far away an interrupted cry Came over houses from another street, But not to call me back or say good-by; And further still at an unearthly height One luminary clock against the sky Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right. I have been one acquainted with the night. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Terza Rima
Who are two central characters in all 4 passages on the Point of View Exercise?
The Grasshopper and The Ant
Which of the following is NOT one of the types or methods of introduction reviewed by the Instructor?
The Listing of Points Approach
Tim O'Brien's short story "The Things They Carried" is actually a chapter out of his novel. What is the title of Tim O'Brien's novel from which this story comes?
The Things They Carried
All of the following are statements from the article, but which of the following would work best as a central thesis for Lorrie N. Smith's "From 'The Things Men Do': The Gendered Subtext in Tim O'Brien's Esquire Stories"?
The Things They Carried "offers no challenge to a discourse of war in which apparently innocent American men are tragically wounded and women are objectified, excluded, and silenced."
In the sample student essay, "A Narrator's Blindness in Raymond Carver's 'Cathedral'," Qualls argues that the story is not plot-focused, that "the truth is nothing much happens." She says, "Instead of plot, then, the story really asks us to focus on..." what?
The characters
In the YouTube video "The Things They Carried: A Vietnam Veteran's Experience," what did the veteran being interviewed by the student emphasize as being the toughest part about being in Vietnam? (His words, of course, actually come from Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried.)
The constant stress
Which of the following is NOT one of the "Four Principles of an Effective Essay"?
The essay should include an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion
Which of the following is NOT one of the elements of a Revenge Tragedy?
The intrusion of pirates
What moment in the story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" marks the complication (an element of plot structure)?
The misfit and his gang arrive
Assume the following quotes are taken from an article from a journal in print form. Which of the following is correct MLA In-text Citation (parenthetical reference)?
The only way to understand O'Connor is by "reading her with a bible in one hand and a dictionary in the other" (Carpenter 15).
Which of the following statements is true?
The people—the "rabble,"—want Laertes to be king.
Which of the following is NOT true about a thesis statement?
The thesis should announce the intentions of the writer
Which of the following does the Instructor use as a point of comparison in the sample comparison of William Blake's "The Tyger" and "The Lamb"?
The use of questions and answers
"The central idea or meaning of a literary work." This is the definition of:
Theme
According to the Instructor, which of the following is TRUE about "theme" in regards to short fiction?
Theme is always arguable
A big emphasis so far has been on individual interpretation--the idea that there is no single "right answer" to any of the literature we read. Which poem in our reading for this module does the Instructor specifically mention as having very strong, contrasting opinions about what is occurring? Some see a scene of domestic violence, others see a scene of love and fond remembrance?
Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz"
What is the proper number of paragraphs (including the introduction and conclusion) for a standard essay?
There is no set number or "correct" number of paragraphs
Assume the following quotes are from one of the articles in the "The Things They Carried" chapter. Which of the following quotes is in correct MLA format?
This is especially true if we understand that "when we conceptualize life, we attempt to step outside ourselves and look at who we are" (Kaplan 580).
In Glaspell's Trifles, for what purpose did Mr. Hale say he had stopped by the Wright house on the day he found John Wright's body?
To ask John Wright about going in on a party telephone
Finish the following statement from "The Things They Carried": "They were too frightened..."
To be cowards
What does the clown/gravedigger say is the reason Hamlet was sent to England?
To recover his wits
In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," the narrator's wife worked for the blind man about 10 years prior to the current time in the story (though she wasn't yet married to the narrator). What did Robert, the blind man, ask her if he could do on her last day working for him? (She would later write a poem about this experience.)
Touch her face
Which of the following is NOT true or correct about using proper MLA format for an essay?
Use between 2 and 5 extra spaces between the heading and title to emphasize the title
How should a repeat author (that is, an author that is on the list of Works Cited more than once) be indicated on a list of Works Cited?
Use three hyphens and a period in place of the author name for the second and subsequent entries
"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Which of the following terms is most appropriate for the above poem?
Villanelle
Which of the following is correct for your options for secondary sources for the Essay 2 assignment?
You are to use at least one of the three articles in the "Critical Contexts: Tim O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried'" chapter
What does the grandmother say to The Misfit--what does she say about him, or call him--just before she reaches out and touches him?
You're one of my babies, you're one of my own children
Why is the guard on high alert at the start of our play? What is the chief cause of the tension?
Young Fortinbras of Norway has gathered up an army and threatens to attack/invade the country.