American Lit CLEP exam!

Sects of Christian reformers who struggled to "purify" the Church of England of any resemblance to Roman Catholicism and decided to immigrate to the new world in 1620 were known as A. Pilgrims B. Dissenters C. Expatriates D. Puritans E. Quakers

(A) Dissenters, known as Pilgrims, decided to immigrate to the New World in 1620. Other puritan groups (D) left in 1630. Quakers were also extant in the seventeenth century, as well as separate from Roman Catholicism. They did not, however, immigrate to the New World at this time in history.

I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. The preoccupation of the self (and seeking divinity within) is predominantly inspired by which American movement? A. Transcendentalism B. Unitarianism C. Quakerism D. Puritanism E. Mormonism

(A) Emersonian transcendentalism focuses on the divinity of the individual. This idea eventually caused Emerson to denounce the divinity of Christ, which at the time (1830s) was still a part of Unitarian (B) theology. Both the Puritans (D) and the Quakers (C) believed that humans were not divine.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, what district of Long Island is most commonly associated with "new money"? A. West Egg B. East Egg C. North Egg D. South Egg E. The Valley of the Ashes

(A) Gatsby and the narrator, Nick, lived in West Egg (A), which was commonly associated with "new money." East Egg (B) symbolized the traditional aristocracy of New York or "old money." The Valley of the Ashes (E) was the industrial and impoverished strip between West Egg and East Egg and came to symbolize the moral degradation of America.

If ever two or one, then surely we, If ever man were loved by wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a man, compare with me, ye women, if you can. The above stanza uses which type of meter? A. Iambic pentameter B. Iambic tetrameter C. Trochaic pentameter D. Trochaic tetrameter E. Free verse

(A) Iambic pentameter is the most common meter in traditional poetry. Each line contains fi ve feet, and each foot contains an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (i.e., buh-bump, buh-bump, etc.). Remember, a trochee (C) and (D) is a foot that contains a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.

Which essay was NOT written by Ralph Waldo Emerson? A. "The Great Lawsuit: Man versus Men, Woman versus Women" B. "Experience" C. "Self-Reliance" D. The Divinity School Address E. Man the Reformer

(A) Margaret Fuller was also a transcendentalist. She is most noted for editing the transcendental journal called The Dial. What makes her unique in the movement was her ability to write about transcendental ideas from a feminist angle. "The Great Lawsuit" was later expanded into her book called Woman in the Nineteenth Century.

Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand: Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand! In light of the allusion, the tone of this poem is A. sarcastic B. mournful C. tragic D. nostalgic E. sardonic

(A) Millay writes several poems where she plays lightly with biblical truths and other societal morals. In this poem, she seems to argue that although building a house on the rock would be more practical and responsible, the house built on the sand will be much more beautiful and artistic.

Ernest Hemingway penned all of the following novels EXCEPT A. All the King's Men B. A Farewell to Arms C. For Whom the Bell Tolls D. The Sun Also Rises E. In Our Time

(A) Robert Penn Warren wrote All the King's Men.

The latter part of Edna St. Vincent Millay's life, like many of her contemporaries, turned political. She is most famous for participating in a protest against the execution of which two Italian anarchists? A. Sacco and Vanzetti B. Sacco and Da Vinci C. Capulet and Montague D. Medici and Bialetti E. Vanzetti and Bialetti

(A) Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who were convicted and executed for murder in Massachusetts. Their political leanings became as controversial as their crime. Millay organized a group of writers to protest the executions. She tried to persuade the governor of Massachusetts to pardon the men.

A Man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." This Stephen Crane poem is a literary example of A. naturalism B. realism C. satire D. allegory E. modernism

(A) The key theme of this poem is that the natural world shows no compassion, care, or concern for human beings. This is a key concept in naturalism: humans are controlled by an impersonal, uncaring universe. Realism (B) is closely related to naturalism, but it does not maintain philosophical/scientific underpinnings like naturalism. Modernism (E) might even question the veracity of a phrase like "Sir, I exist."

W.E.B. Du Bois, in his seminal book The Souls of Black Folks, coined an important term for race studies that refers to the act of only being aware of one's self through the eyes of others. The term is A. double consciousness B. double entendre C. mirrored consciousness D. racism E. cognizant trauma

(A) There is nothing sexual (B) about Du Bois' vision of racism (D). Nor does the term have to do with mental illness (E). His words are best to define double consciousness: "The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife,—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self."

I died for Beauty — but was scarce Adjusted in the Tomb When One who died for Truth, was lain In an adjoining room — He questioned softly "Why I failed"? "For Beauty", I replied — "And I — for Truth — Themself are One — We Brethren, are", He said — And so, as Kinsmen, met a Night — We talked between the Rooms — Until the Moss had reached our lips — And covered up — our names — What implication does the poem NOT make about beauty and truth? A. They are eternal. B. They kill those who seek them. C. They unify people. D. They are as ephemeral as human life. E. They are essentially the same thing.

(A) This famous Emily Dickinson poem is a response (and reaction) to John Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" where he argues in the last two lines that "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,--that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." This poem supposes that beauty and truth are eternal, identical, and life giving. Dickinson, however, makes the point that beauty and truth kill those who seek them (B), unify seekers in death (C), and are ephemeral (D). What the poem does not argue is that these entities are eternal: "Until the Moss had reached our lips—/ And covered up—our names."

Which list below correctly associates authors beside the work of literature he/she is associated with. A. Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar, Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye B. Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar, Zora Neale Hurston: The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison: Their Eyes Were Watching God C. Sylvia Plath: The Bluest Eye, Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Toni Morrison, The Bell Jar D. Sylvia Plath: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston: The Bell Jar, Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye E. Sylvia Plath, The Bluest Eye, Zora Neale Hurston: The Bell Jar, Toni Morrison: Their Eyes Were Watching God

(A) Toni Morrison wrote The Bluest Eye; Sylvia Plath authored The Bell Jar; and Zora Neale Hurston penned Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Which of the following poets is NOT considered a confessional poet? A. Sylvia Plath B. Maxine Kumin C. Robert Lowell D. Anne Sexton E. John Berryman

(B) Although Maxine Kumin was a good friend to Anne Sexton until Sexton's death, Kumin's poetry was never labeled strictly confessional. She did write about personal experiences, but her poems always contained a universal flavor.

We is gathahed hyeah, my brothahs, In dis howlin' wildaness, Fu' to speak some words of comfo't To each othah in distress. / An' we chooses fu' ouah subjic' Dis—we'll splain it by an'by; "An de Lawd said, 'Moses, Moses,' An de man said, 'Hyeah am I.'" The poem was written by A. Langston Hughes B. Paul Laurence Dunbar C. Countee Cullen D. Gwendolyn Brooks E. Sterling Brown

(B) Dunbar was quite comfortable using dialect in his poetry to explore the lives of blacks in America. So were Langston Hughes (A) and Gwendolyn Brooks (D). What is unique about Dunbar's use of dialect is that he forms some words that look very little like standard English, whereas, both Hughes' and Brooks' use of dialect was very easy for standard speakers to read. Both Countee Cullen (C) and Sterling Brown (E) wrote predominantly in traditional form and elevated poetic language.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it And spills the upper boulders in the sun, and makes gaps even two can pass abreast. This poem, "Mending Wall," explores the relationship between neighbors. However, the speaker of the poem is not clear whether walls/barriers are good or bad for relationships. This type of tension found inside a literary work is usually referred to as A. ambivalence B. ambiguity C. sarcasm D. allegory E. conflict

(B) If a phrase or passage is ambiguous, then it is capable of being understood or interpreted in multiple ways. These passages are intentionally vague or broad in order to allow readers to fill in the blank. If the phrase or passage is ambivalent (A), then that supposes that the author or writer could not (or would not) make up his or her mind.

Choose the correct association between literary periods and their respective dates as listed below: A. The Modernist Period, 1910-1945 The Romantic Period, 1870-1910 The Period of Realism and Naturalism, 1830-1870 B. The Modernist Period, 1910-1945 The Romantic Period, 1830-1870 The Period of Realism and Naturalism, 1870-1910 C. The Modernist Period, 1910-1945 The Romantic Period, 1870-1910 The Period of Realism and Naturalism, 1870-1910 D. The Modernist Period, 1870-1910 The Romantic Period, 1830-1870 The Period of Realism and Naturalism, 1910-1945 E. The Modernist Period, 1830-1870 The Romantic Period, 1910-1945 The Period of Realism and Naturalism, 1870-1910

(B) The Romantic Period was from 1830 to 1870; the Period of Realism and Naturalism occurred between 1870 and 1910; and the Modernist Period lasted from 1910 to 1945.

We is gathahed hyeah, my brothahs, In dis howlin' wildaness, Fu' to speak some words of comfo't To each othah in distress. / An' we chooses fu' ouah subjic' Dis—we'll splain it by an'by; "An de Lawd said, 'Moses, Moses,' An de man said, 'Hyeah am I.'" This poem, titled "An Ante-bellum Sermon," is an example of A. ventriloquism B. poetic persona C. heroic line D. allegory E. narrative

(B) The poetic voice is not necessarily that of the author but that of a "second self " that the poet uses to tell a particular story or to depict a particular event or person. Ventriloquism (A) is not a literary device. Narrative (E) is the story itself; the fiction equivalent of "persona" would be the narrator.

The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster. Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn't hard to master. Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster. I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three loved houses went. The art of losing isn't hard to master. I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster. —Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident the art of losing's not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster. The poem is an example of what traditional poetic form? A. Sestina B. Villanelle C. Sonnet D. Rondelet E. Ballad

(B) Traditionally, the villanelle contains 19 lines with a strict repetitive pattern. The villanelle repeats the fi rst and third lines throughout the poem. The sestina (A) is a 39-line poem that uses the same six words to end the lines of each sestet. The sonnet (C) only contains fourteen lines, and no repetition is used.

This book tells the story of a young Massachusetts college student named Esther Greenwood who moves to New York to work as a magazine editor. She befriends and lives with many girls and finds herself torn between rebellion and conformity. The book is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Sylvia Plath and, because of its personal nature, was originally published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. The title of this book is A. Ariel B. The Colossus C. The Bell Jar D. Dream Songs E. Life Studies

(C) Although the other works on the list are products of the confessional era of literature, The Bell Jar is the only novel. Robert Lowell's Life Studies (E) does, however, contain small pieces of prose. The other three works are all poetry collections: John Berryman's Dream Songs (D) and Plath's The Colossus (B) and Ariel (A).

Not only does Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" verge on fantasy or horror, it is a biting satire against nineteenth-century medical practice and A. interior design B. New England hotels C. marriage conventions D. urban fashion E. Christianity

(C) Although the story takes place in a New England hotel (B), and the title of the story deals with interior design (A), one of the major sub-plots of the story explores how the husband patronizes and belittles his wife in the name of "helping" her. One can argue that the woman's lack of agency and power in her own marriage drives her to insanity.

From 1944 - 1946, three poetry collections, "The Walls Do Not Fall," "Tribute to the Angels," and "The Flowering of the Road" were written by H.D. These initials refer to A. Henry David B. Harriet Douglas C. Hilda Doolittle D. Hilda Dwight E. Harriet Dwight

(C) Historians tells us that Ezra Pound sent Doolittle's poems to Harriet Monroe, publisher of Poetry, using the simple moniker H.D. These three collections, together, became known as Trilogy.

Instead of chapters, Mary Rowlandson's A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson (also called The Sovereignty and Goodness of God), uses which of the following to distinguish movements and plot? A. Sections B. Dates C. Removes D. People's names E. Places

(C) In 1676, several Indian tribes attacked Lancaster, Massachusetts, killing and capturing colonists at will. Mary Rowlandson and some of her children survived the attack only to be "removed" from one location to the next until she was finally ransomed and returned to her home and family. Her narrative is made up of twenty removes. This way of separating sections of the narrative is very unique to Rowlandson's narrative.

Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is set before and after which period in United States history? A. The Civil War B. The War of 1812 C. The Revolutionary War D. World War I E. World War II

(C) Many scholars note that "Rip Van Winkle" is an allegorical tale about a man who goes to sleep while a British colonist in America and wakes up an American citizen. The story explores the tensions and difficulties of attaining and defining an American identity during the Revolutionary War. It is also noted that this tale was the first distinctly American story.

The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (1624) contains six books of collected and original writings by A. William Bradford B. Miles Standish C. John Smith D. Edward Taylor E. Christopher Columbus

(C) The date 1624 is the key to answering this question correctly. Christopher Columbus (E) was dead. Edward Taylor (D) wasn't born yet. Miles Standish (B) and William Bradford (A) were Puritans who immigrated to America in 1620. John Smith, historians note, helped colonize Virginia as early as 1607.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it And spills the upper boulders in the sun, and makes gaps even two can pass abreast. Literally, ground swells cause walls to crumble. Notice, however, that the poet in a traditional iambic line, stresses the syllables "ground-swell" to accentuate the feeling of moving ground. In poetics, we refer to this as a spondaic interruption. The spondee is a poetic foot defined as A. a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable B. an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable C. two stressed syllables D. two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable E. a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

(C) The spondee is the strongest poetic foot. It contains two stressed syllables that force the reader to emphasize that word over the others in the line. A trochee contains a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (A); an iamb contains an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (B); an anapest contains two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable (D); and, a dactyl contains a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (E).

The houses are haunted By white night-gowns. None are green, Or purple with green rings, Or green with yellow rings, Or yellow with blue rings. None of them are strange, With socks of lace And beaded ceintures. People are not going To dream of baboons and periwinkles. Only, here and there, an old sailor, Drunk and asleep in his boots, Catches tigers In red weather. "The houses" that the speaker of the poem describes (and ridicules) are most likely located in A. the country B. the city C. the suburbs D. Europe E. the future

(C) This poem was written during a time that held traditional, suburban American ideals with much skepticism. According to the poem, dreams and imagination cannot exist in the tranquilized and domestic spaces of the suburbs. Students should note the affluence of the details in the poem like "socks of lace/ And beaded ceintures."

Choose the list that correctly places the following poets beside the title of their well-known poem. A. Carl Sandburg: "Thanatopsis", Robert Frost: "The Fog", William Cullen Bryant: "Fire and Ice" B. Carl Sandburg: "The Fog", Robert Frost: "Thanatopsis", William Cullen Bryant: "Fire and Ice" C. Carl Sandburg: "The Fog", Robert Frost: "Fire and Ice", William Cullen Bryant: "Thanatopsis" D. Carl Sandburg: "Fire and Ice", Robert Frost: "Thanatopsis", William Cullen Bryant: "The Fog" E. Carl Sandburg: "Thanatopsis", Robert Frost: "Fire and Ice, William Cullen Bryant: "The Fog"

(C) William Cullen Bryant wrote "Thanatopsis;" Carl Sandburg penned "The Fog;" and Robert Frost wrote "Fire and Ice."

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, The above passage utilizes what poetic form? A. Imagism B. Objectivism C. Sestina D. Open verse E. Clerihew

(D) Allen Ginsberg, like his spiritual/poetic mentor Walt Whitman, was known for breaking traditional poetic forms. His use of open (or free) verse allowed him to play with the length of poetic lines to mimic human breath and speech patterns. Imagism (A) and objectivism (B) were poetic forms applied by modernist poets like Pound and Williams, respectively. Sestinas (C) and clerihews (E) are two other types of poetic forms.

Carl Sandburg is most noted for his poetry about Chicago. However, he is also famous for writing a biography of what American president? A. George Washington B. Ulysses S. Grant C. Andrew Jackson D. Abraham Lincoln E. William Taft

(D) Although there are volumes and volumes written about Lincoln's presidency, poet Carl Sandburg's works about Lincoln are still the most read and best-selling. The key word in the question is "Chicago." Sandburg spent his career writing about Illinois—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Which author is unique in his ability to tell stories of the Civil War because he actually served as a soldier in several of the War's most important and violent campaigns, including the Battle of Chickamauga and the Battle of Shiloh? A. Stephen Ambrose B. Bret Harte C. Hart Crane D. Ambrose Bierce E. Stephen Crane

(D) Ambrose Bierce is the only listed author that served in the war and wrote about it. His tales "Chickamauga" and "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," were influenced by his time as a soldier and are still widely read and anthologized. Stephen Crane (E) was born after the war ended. Bret Harte (B) lived during the Civil War, but his fiction explores the American West, especially California. Hart Crane (C) wrote poetry at the turn of the century.

My view of Christianity is such, that I think no man can consistently profess it without giving the whole weight of his being against this monstrous system of injustice that lies at the foundation of all our society; and, if need be, sacrificing himself in the battle. Who is the speaker of this quote? A. Harriet Beecher Stowe B. Eva C. Frederick Douglass D. Augustine St. Clare E. William Lloyd Garrison

(D) Augustine St. Clare is the antagonistic, agnostic slave owner who questions the institution of slavery throughout the novel. His young daughter, Eva (B), an innocent abolitionist in her own right, has just died. Her influence on his life is profoundly evident in this passage. Stowe (A), Douglass (C), and Garrison (E) were all ardent abolitionists during this time.

In Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, who sexually assaults Blanche DuBois? A. Stella's brother, Stanley B. Stella's neighbor, Stanley C. Stella's fi ancée, Stanley D. Stella's husband, Stanley E. Stella's uncle, Stanley

(D) Blanche lives with her sister Stella and Stella's husband Stanley.

Which of the following authors does NOT explore issues revolving around the lives of American Indians? A. Sherman Alexie B. Louise Erdich C. N. Scott Momaday D. Sandra Cisneros E. Leslie Marie Silko

(D) Cisneros is most widely known for her collection of vignettes titled The House on Mango Street. This work explores the lives of a Mexican-American family moving around the neighborhoods of Chicago. The other writers on the list predominantly write about the lives of twentieth-century American Indians.

Which author is NOT commonly considered a regional writer? A. Mark Twain B. Willa Cather C. Jack London D. Stephen Crane E. Kate Chopin

(D) Crane is better known for writing realism and naturalism than he is for writing about a particular region. The majority of Twain's work (A) explores the Midwest and Willa Cather (B) is known for her fiction set in Nebraska and the American Southwest. Jack London (C) set most of his fi ction in the American Northwest, Alaska, and Canada. Kate Chopin (E) used Louisiana for much of her fiction.

What modernist poet is most commonly known for breaking all of the following traditional poetic rules: capitalization, line spacing, spaces between words, and punctuation? A. T.S. Eliot B. Ezra Pound C. H.D. D. E.E. Cummings E. William Carlos Williams

(D) Each poet on the list is considered a modernist poet and each poet did play with traditional poetic conventions. However, Cummings is most noted for his ability to combine words and ignore rules regarding capitalization and line spacing. A few of his famous poems were "In just-," "Buffalo Bill's," and "i thank You God for most this amazing."

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, The excerpt comes from what famous poem by Allen Ginsberg? A. "A Supermarket in California" B. "Sunflower Sutra" C. "On the Road" D. "Howl" E. "Song of Myself "

(D) The excerpt is the opening stanza of "Howl"—the poem that made Ginsberg famous and infamous at the same time. Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road (C), and Walt Whitman wrote "Song of Myself " (E).

Novels such as The Portrait of a Lady and Daisy Miller explore the adjustments Americans, especially women, face in European countries as they interact within different social structures and mores. These novels were written by A. William Dean Howells B. Theodore Dreiser C. Frank Norris D. Henry James E. William James

(D) The key phrase in the question is "face in European countries." Exploring differences between American and European cultures is unique to Henry James among the others listed. Howells (A) and Dreiser (B) explored tensions between classes and genders in America. William James (E) was a famous psychologist and Henry's brother.

Writers like Gwendolyn Brooks, Amiri Baraka, and James Baldwin were the literary arm of the Black Power Movement that swept urban centers in the 60s and 70s and were part of the A. Harlem Renaissance B. Black Panthers C. Chicago Renaissance D. Black Arts Movement E. Digital Underground

(D) The key phrase in this question is "literary arm of the Black Power Movement." This movement was highly politically and sometimes militantly charged. The Harlem Renaissance (A) is known more for its exploration of black life in America, while the Black Arts Movement (D) was known more for its political engagement. The Black Panthers (B) were a militant group in the 1960s that promoted political/social agitation for black rights.

The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster. Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn't hard to master. Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster. I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three loved houses went. The art of losing isn't hard to master. I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster. —Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident the art of losing's not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster. "One Art" was written by A. Marianne Moore B. H.D. C. Sylvia Plath D. Elizabeth Bishop E. Adrienne Rich

(D) The key to answering this question is knowing that Bishop did, more so than the others listed, play with traditional poetic forms throughout her career. Rich (E) gave up formal poetry for free verse early in her career.

According to Richard Wright's Native Son, who is predominantly responsible for Bigger Thomas' violent acts? A. Bigger's mother B. The Chicago school system C. Bigger D. White, racist America E. Bigger's employer

(D) The novel is quite clear that although Bigger did commit the crimes (C), his mother was not an exemplary parental figure (A), and his employer (E) was a hypocritical philanthropist who gave money to black organizations, but made sure that those people never left the "projects." The real evil of the novel belongs to the racist American institutions already set in place before Bigger's birth.

Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie, like many of his novels, is set in what major American city? A. New York B. Los Angeles C. St. Louis D. Chicago E. Cleveland

(D) This is an important question because Dreiser is commonly associated with a group of writers who, at the beginning of the twentieth century, put Chicago on the literary map. Writers who wrote during the Chicago Renaissance include Edgar Lee Masters, Sherwood Anderson, Theodore Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, and Carl Sandburg.

This book by Cotton Mather is very nostalgic in its attempt to recall a time of ecclesiastical order and church authority, so contemporaries will not forget the people and ideologies that fi rst settled America. The book is entitled A. The American Jeremiad B. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God C. The Wonders of the Invisible World D. Magnalia Christi Americana E. Personal Narrative

(D) Unlike the other answers, Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana (usually translated as The Ecclesiastical History of New England) is a religious history. The key words in the question are "ecclesiastical" and "nostalgia." Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (B) and Personal Narrative (E) were written by Jonathan Edwards; Mather's The Wonders of the Invisible World (C) explores, among other things, witchcraft and evil in America.

William Faulkner is famous for setting most of his fiction in what fictitious southern county? A. Ozaukee B. Tishomingo C. Licking D. Yoknapatawpha E. Benton

(D) Yoknapatawpha is the fictional setting of most of Faulkner's fiction. Most scholars agree that this county and its seat, Jefferson, are loosely based on Faulkner's home county in Mississippi, Lafayette, and the county seat, Oxford.

What is the name of the literary journal that was founded by Harriet Monroe in 1912 and aided in the careers of many poets like Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and William Carlos Williams? A. The Atlantic Monthly B. Harper's Magazine C. The New Yorker D. Poetry: A Magazine of Verse E. The Dial

(D) You will come across the literary journal Poetry: A Magazine of Verse if you read any biography of a modern poet. This magazine (still in print today) fueled and encouraged many famous poetic careers. The Atlantic Monthly (A) and Harper's (B) were also famous during this time. However, these magazines predominantly published short stories and serialized novels. The Dial (E), on the other hand, was the strong arm of the Transcendental movement.

I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. What author penned Invisible Man? A. James Baldwin B. H.G. Wells C. Richard Wright D. Langston Hughes E. Ralph Ellison

(E) Invisible Man was Ralph Ellison's only published novel while he lived. James Baldwin (A) is known for books like Going to Meet the Man. Richard Wright (C) wrote Black Boy and Native Son. H.G. Wells (B) wrote The Invisible Man. Langston Hughes (D) was a poet during the Harlem Renaissance.

What title is NOT an example of a slave narrative? A. The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass B. Solomon Northrup's Twelve Years a Slave C. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano D. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl E. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

(E) James Weldon Johnson wrote The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man anonymously in 1912, and then published it under his name in 1927. Scholars note that this text bridged the gap between slave narratives of the previous century and the modern black novel of the latter twentieth century. Harriet Jacobs wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (D).

What poetic device or convention is NOT commonly found in Emily Dickinson's poetry? A. Dashes B. An abundance of capitalization C. Metaphor D. Hymn measure E. Heroic couplet

(E) Like Whitman, Dickinson's poetry changed the way Americans wrote and understood poetry. Although she commonly used traditional poetic conventions like rhyme and meter, she is most famous for her abundant use of the dash (A), capitalization (B), metaphor (C), and hymn measure (D).

The houses are haunted By white night-gowns. None are green, Or purple with green rings, Or green with yellow rings, Or yellow with blue rings. None of them are strange, With socks of lace And beaded ceintures. People are not going To dream of baboons and periwinkles. Only, here and there, an old sailor, Drunk and asleep in his boots, Catches tigers In red weather. The poem is called "Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock" and was written by A. William Carlos Williams B. Ezra Pound C. Marianne Moore D. H.D. E. Wallace Stevens

(E) Like many modernist poets, Stevens was known for his gentle critiques of modern American life. The more traditional line structures and linear plot movement should cancel Williams (A), Ezra Pound (B), and even H.D. (D).

If ever two or one, then surely we, If ever man were loved by wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a man, compare with me, ye women, if you can. 60. The previous stanza comes from the poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband" by A. Phillis Wheatley B. Mary Rowlandson C. Christina Rossetti D. Edna St. Vincent Millay E. Anne Bradstreet

(E) Of the listed writers, Bradstreet, a Puritan wife and mother, is the only one to be known for her positive marital poetry. Millay (D) certainly talked about romantic relationships, but she never mentions husbands. Rowlandson (B) did not write poetry. And, Phillis Wheatley's (A) most famous poetry was written and published before she married.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it And spills the upper boulders in the sun, and makes gaps even two can pass abreast. Who wrote "Mending Wall"? A. Robert Service B. T.S. Eliot C. Henry David Thoreau D. Jack London E. Robert Frost

(E) Robert Frost wrote many poems about nature and human relationships. He is most noted for his creative use of traditional forms, meter, and poetic structure. Robert Service (A) predominantly wrote ballads about the American west. T.S. Eliot (B) was a contemporary of Frost's, but he is better known for breaking traditional poetic conventions

What term is often associated with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady to describe a group of writers and artists who lived in New York and wrote socially and politically subversive literature that rejected American mainstream values? A. Hippies B. Yuppies C. Surrealists D. Post-modernists E. The Beats

(E) Scholars tell us that the term "beat" was a shortened form of "beatnik," "beatified," and "beatific." Its roots are found in the world of jazz to refer to the down and out or the poor and exhausted. The Beats topics included drug experimentation, homosexuality and promiscuity, socialism and radical politics, and Eastern religions. The "hippies" (A) can claim to be descendents of the Beats.

William Carlos Williams was not only a poet, but also a(n) A. insurance agent B. lawyer C. teacher D. Patent officer E. physician

(E) There is a legend that states that Williams wrote his famous poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" while tending to a sick patient in an old farm house. Wallace Stevens worked as an insurance agent (A), and as a lawyer (B) for most of his literary career.

Willa Cather's novels and stories are predominantly set in what American state? A. Kansas B. Oklahoma C. Missouri D. Arkansas E. Nebraska

(E) Willa Cather is predominantly known as a Midwestern writer. Her books, O! Pioneers and My Antonia, were set in Nebraska. Although Cather was born in Virginia, as a young girl, she moved with her family to Nebraska. Red Cloud, Nebraska, still makes the claim of being Cather's hometown.

Writers and poets, such as Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and T.S. Eliot, who moved to Europe to write, live, and meet other writers are commonly referred to as A. immigrants B. emigrants C. expatriates D. traitors E. enemies of the state

C) It was very popular and even trendy for American authors in the twentieth century to move to Europe, usually London or Paris, to continue to write, research, and soak up the culture. Although "immigrants" (A) and "emigrants" (B) are the literal terms for someone who moves from one country to another, "expatriate" was the commonly used term to describe these writers. These writers chose to move to Europe, and for the most part, did not obtain a different citizenship. They simply moved to Europe for an extended amount of time.

You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and told the truth mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. The last line infers what literary device? A. Simile B. Metaphor C. Hyperbole D. Synecdoche E. Metonym

C. Hyperbole

The City Upon a Hill passage refers to who as the audience?

the Puritans