American Romanticism—1800 – 1860



American Romanticism—1800 – 1860

I. For each of the following, choose the best answer.

_____ 1. Which of the following is not a trait of the American Romantic Hero?

A. Youthful

B. Innocent

C. Lonely

D. Intuitive

E. All of the above

_____ 2. Which of the following is a main trait of the Romantic period?

A. Imaginative

B. Intuitive

C. People are basically good

D. Nature focused

E. All of the above

_____ 3. Which of the following is not a characteristic of the American Romantic style?

A. Flowery

B. Emotional

C. Exotic Locations

D. Negative

E. None of the above

_____ 4. What are the dates of the American Romanticism movement?

A. 1800 – 1840

B. 1800 – 1900

C. 1840 – 1860

D. 1800 – 1860

E. None of the above

_____ 5. During the American Renaissance period, writers were being compared to:

A. William Shakespeare

B. Edgar Allen Poe

C. Henry David Thoreau

D. Thomas Pain

E. None of the above

_____ 6. Which of the following DID NOT help to bring about the change of the American Renaissance?

A. Lyceum Organization

B. Utopia Projects

C. Political Awareness Groups

D. Transcendentalism

E. None of the above

_____ 7. Which of the following is NOT part of the transcendentalist’s worldly view?

A. People can use learned knowledge to reveal the spirituality of nature.

B. Everything in the world is a reflection of the Divine Soul.

C. Self-reliance and individualism outweigh external authority and conformity to custom and tradition.

D. Spontaneous feelings and intuition are superior to deliberate intellectualism and rationality.

E. The physical facts of the natural world are a doorway to the spiritual or ideal world.

_____ 8. American Romantic writers rejected rationalism because they believed that

A. Logical thought was not possible

B. Scientific thinking had not yet been well developed

C. Scientific reasoning discouraged intuition and spontaneity

D. The rationalist tradition had produced no worthwhile writers

E. None of the above

_____ 9. The journey in American Romantic literature can best be summarized as

A. Leaving civilization and entering the world of nature

B. Escaping duty in order to do what one pleases

C. Rejecting traditional poetry and inventing new forms

D. Abandoning all intellectual pursuits for a frontier life

E. All of the above

_____10. American Romantic writers believed that poetry was

A. A good form for describing momentous historical events

B. An art that had been ignored by European writers

C. An effective way to bring about social change

D. The greatest witness to the power of imagination

E. None of the above

_____11. The typical American Romantic hero was

A. Interested in the future and in the growth of industry

B. Deeply intuitive and ruled by superior principles

C. Determined to conquer and subdue the natural world

D. Sophisticated and knowledgeable about worldly matters

E. None of the above

_____ 12. A major similarity between Whitman and Dickinson is their

A. willingness to break away from literary conventions

B. need to support themselves by selling their work

C. obscurity during their lifetime

D. rejection by their intended audience

_____ 13. Dickinson’s poem flowed from her

A. rich internal life and close observation of nature

B. passionate embrace of democratic ideals

C. admiration and emulation of great narrative poetry

D. frustration over the constraints imposed on women

_____ 14. Dickinson did not achieve fame during her lifetime because

A. she hid her poetry from her family and friends

B. most of her friends discouraged her from becoming a poet

C. she believed poetry should never be published

D. most of her poetry was not published until after her death

_____ 15. Whitman’s style and technique are based on cadence, which is the

A. regular rhythm used in old ballads and epic poems

B. iambic pentameter used by William Shakespeare

C. use of exact rhymes and alliteration

D. rhythm and long sweeps of sound used by great speakers

_____ 16. Whitman developed a free-verse style, which is

A. the praise of democratic government and ideals

B. poetry without predictable end rhyme or meter

C. an attempt to state old ideas in a new way

D. verse that uses new techniques from Europe

_____ 17. Which of the following statements best describes the influence of Dickinson and Whitman on later poets?

A. Their development of vastly different but equally important styles has inspired generations of poets.

B. Their poetry has appealed more to European than to American poets.

C. They both wrote for themselves alone, without worrying about form or structure

D. Their poetry suggests that the primary purpose of writing is to move people to political action.

II. Matching works to quotes

A. “Rip Van Winkle” AB. “Old Ironsides”

B. “Thanatopsis” AC. “The Fall of the House of Usher”

C. “The Ropewalk” AD. “The Minister’s Black Veil”

D. “Snow Bound” AE. “Self-Reliance”

E. “The Chambered Nautilus” BC. “The Raven”

_____ 18. “And give her to the god of storms,/The lightning and the gale!”

_____ 19. “Two fair maidens in a swing,/Like white doves upon the wing,/First before my vision pass;/Laughing, as their gentle hands/Closely clasp the twisted strands,/At their shadow on the grass.”

_____ 20. “Trust thyself: Every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

_____ 21. “I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of …gloom hung over and pervaded all.”

_____ 22. “I am a poor quiet man, a native of the place, and a loyal subject of the king— God bless him.”

_____ 23. “Meanwhile we did our nightly chores,--/Brought in the wood from out of doors,/Littered the stalls….”

_____ 24. “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;/And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost….”

_____ 25. “…it seemed to consist of two fold of crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin…”

_____ 26. “And Ethelred uplifted his mace, and struck upon the head of the dragon… with a shriek so horrid and harsh…”

III. Multiple Choice—choose the BEST answer.

“Rip Van Winkle”

_____ 27. The most momentous historical event that takes place during Rip’s long sleep

A. is the death of his wife

B. is the secession of New York

C. Is Hendrick Hudson’s arrival

D. The American Revolution

_____ 28. Rip Van Winkle is characteristic of the American Romantic hero in that he

A. discovers great truths through intuition

B. finds solace and comfort in the wilderness

C. has profound insights into the limits of science

D. meets supernatural beings in the forest

_____ 29. Rip Van Winkle finds all of the following changed in his hometown EXCEPT

A. His wife

B. His gun

C. His dog

D. His humor

_____ 30. What distinguishes this piece from the Puritan/Colonial literature?

A. It’s love of nature

B. It’s love of religion

C. It’s love of politics

D. It’s hatred for change

“The Fall of the House of Usher”

_____ 31. The narrator’s first impression of the House of Usher is of a building that

A. promises the exciting adventure he longs for

B. somehow stands in spite of obvious decay

C. brings back bitter memories of his youth

D. reminds him of pleasant times at school

_____ 32. Roderick Usher seems to e suffering mainly from

A. a nervous disorder that affects his sensory reactions

B. an inability to handle his household responsibilities

C. poverty, resulting from poor business management

D. guilt over the bad feelings between him and Madeline

_____ 33. Madeline’s eventual fate is foreshadowed by

A. her dislike of intrusions by visitors

B. a disease which engenders deathlike trances

C. a letter she has sent to the narrator

D. a nightmare that reveals where she will eventually be buried

_____ 34. Which of the following statements best describes what eventually happens to the narrator?

A. He grows in his awareness of the problems of aristocratic families

B. He heroically resolves to rescue Roderick from his fate

C. He is finally able to distinguish between reality and fantasy

D. He becomes enmeshed in the gloom of his surroundings

_____ 35. On a fateful night, in his bedroom, the narrator is strangely affect by “…the bewildering influence of the gloomy furniture of the room—of the dark and tattered draperies, which, tortured into motion by the breath of a rising tempest, swayed fitfully to and fro upon the walls, and rustled uneasily about the decorations of the bed.” This passage is mainly intended to…

A. describe the effects of wind through an open window

B. show the narrator’s dislike of uncomfortable surroundings

C. convey and atmosphere of unusual and ominous activity

D. indicate that a malign intruder is in the room

“The Raven”

_____ 36. The speaker can best be described as a

A. lonely elderly man longing for visitors

B. magician conjuring up evil spirits

C. melancholy person trying to forget a tragedy

D. poet seeking inspiration for a new work

_____ 37. At first encounter, the raven seems to be

A. a frightening figment of the speaker’s imagination

B. a ghostly incarnation of a dead woman

C. a symbol of darkness and death

D. an entertaining and ungainly creature

_____ 38. What final hope is destroyed by the Raven’s word, “Nevermore!”

A. Lenore has decided to marry the narrator

B. He will see Lenore that night because he will die

C. A ship is coming to the harbor to bring Lenore home

D. The raven and Lenore’s memory will eventually leave

_____ 39. What effect does the raven’s repetition “Nevermore” have on the speaker?

A. It plunges him into a deep despair.

B. It helps him recall fond memories of Lenore.

C. It reminds him that he can find the courage to go on.

D. It does not distract him from his studies.

_____ 40. In which lines below are the underlined words an example of alliteration?

A. “Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!”

B. “Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning…”

C. “What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore—“

D. On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—“

“The Minister’s Black Veil”

_____ 41. Mr. Hooper’s sudden adoption of a black veil makes his congregation uneasy because

A. they think he means to do them harm

B. they can think of no real explanation for his action

C. it immediately reminds them of his sinfulness

D. they believe he has had a terrible accident

_____ 42. After permanently adopting the black veil, Hooper

A. ignores his responsibilities as a minister

B. frequently weeps and flies into rages

C. accuses his congregation of terrible sins

D. tends his congregation with his usual care

_____ 43. The only individuals who readily understand the significance of Hopper’s veil are

A. little children

B. the family of a young woman who dies

C. people who are facing imminent death

D. the family of Hooper’s fiancée, Elizabeth

_____ 44. Though the story makes clear that Hooper is wearing the veil because of human sin, it is never entirely clear

A. whose sins and what sins the veil stands for

B. why the congregation continues to respect Hooper

C. why Reverend Clark tries to remove the veil

D. whether or not Elizabeth marries Hooper

_____ 45. “The Minister’s Black Veil” is a parable mainly because

A. the characters and setting in the story are fictitious

B. it is based on a famous story from the Bible

C. it is up to the reader to learn a life lesson from the story

D. the lesson in the story is plainly stated at the end

“Self-Reliance”

_____ 46. Which of the following does NOT contain a figure of speech?

A. “To be great is to be misunderstood.”

B. “…that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide.”

C. “This sculpture in the memory is not without preestablished harmony.”

D. “Trust thyself: Every heart vibrates to that iron sting.”

_____ 47. Emerson states that the most sacred aspect of a person is the

A. work that person accomplishes

B. integrity of an individual’s mind

C. person’s courage to be a conformist

D. shadow that an individual casts on the world

IV. Short Answer: Answer each of the following in COMPLETE SENTENCES.

48. The Nautilus is a metaphor for something in human life. What is the metaphor?

49. Describe what happens during the poem “Snow-Bound.”

50. What does Oliver Windell Holmes hope to accomplish through his poem “Old Ironsides?”

51. Explain how the poem “Because I could not stop for death” demonstrates one trait of Dickinson’s style.

52. What creature of nature does Whitman identify with in his poem, “Song of Myself?”

53. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” with what does the reading of the story about Ethelred coincide?

54. In “The Raven,” the word “Nevermore” has multiple meanings. What is one of those meanings?

55. Choose one of Hawthorne’s main themes and show how it is used in “The Minister’s Black Veil.”

What gesture does Reverend Dimmesdale make throughout the book?

(a): He rubs his brow

(b): He pulls at his shirtsleeves

(c): He places his hand over his heart

(d): He raises his eyes to heaven

Chillingworth pretends to be of what profession?

(a): a lawyer

(b): a doctor

(c): a clergyman

(d): an infantryman

The prison door best represents which of the following:

(a): Puritanical severity of law and the authority of the regime

(b): a dirty, rusted old door separating Hester from her daughter

(c): an escape route for Hester

(d): the strength of Hester's determination to live with her crime

The rosebush outside the prison door is a symbol of all of the following except:

(a): Ann Hutchinson's tolerance of other religions

(b): Hester's passion

(c): the wilderness surrounding Boston

(d): Puritanical punishment for moral crimes

Hester has embroidered what symbol onto her dress?

(a): A bird for freedom

(b): A rose blossom

(c): A scarlet letter A

(d): A round pearl

What is the first thing that Pearl sees as a baby?

(a): the inside of a prison cell

(b): the scarlet letter on Hester's chest

(c): Hester

(d): the rosebush

How does Hester earn a living?

(a): by selling wood in Boston

(b): by growing crops

(c): by her needlework

(d): by healing other people

Mistress Hibbins, the sister of Governor Bellingham, is reputed to be:

(a): a witch

(b): a good mother

(c): a cruel lady

(d): a Puritan

To whom does Hawthorne apply the term "The Leech"?

(a): Dimmesdale

(b): Hester

(c): Pearl

(d): Chillingworth

How does Chillingworth figure out who Pearl's father really is?

(a): Dimmesdale tells him

(b): Chillingworth becomes Dimmesdale's doctor and guesses the secret

(c): Hester tells him one day in the woods

(d): He never finds out

What is Hester's response when she learns that the Puritan council might allow her to remove her scarlet letter?

(a): she is very happy

(b): she is furious

(c): she indicates that only God can remove her letter

(d): she immediately takes the letter off and goes into town without it

Hester tries to convince Dimmesdale to do what during their walks in the woods?

(a): to run away and live elsewhere

(b): to get rid of Chillingworth

(c): to marry her

(d): to adopt Pearl

What does Pearl do when she first sees her mother without the scarlet letter?

(a): She is excited for her mother

(b): She convulses and screams

(c): She runs away

(d): She runs to hug her mother

Who destroys Dimmesdale and Hester's plans to run away from Boston?

(a): Pearl

(b): Bellingham

(c): John Williams

(d): Chillingworth

In the final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale believes that ______ is visible on his chest, over his heart.

(a): a scarlet letter A

(b): a rose blossom

(c): a bright red heart

(d): nothing

What does Pearl do right before Dimmesdale dies?

(a): She takes his hand and gives it to Hester

(b): She kisses Dimmesdale

(c): She runs away from Hester

(d): She runs to Roger Chillingworth

31. weak A. Hester

32. vengeful B. Pearl

33. parallel to Nature C. Dimmesdale

34. losing rank in society D. Anne Hutchinson

35. shamed E. Governor Bellingham

36. meets with the Black Man AB. Mistress Hibbins

37. For whom the Rosebush grows AC. Chillingworth

38. the governor’s sister AD. Reverend Wilson

39. hides his soul AE. Puritans

40. adulteress

41. inner sin

42. has a crooked shoulder

43. questions Hester on the scaffold

44. life and torture

45. needs a ransom

46. hung for being a witch

47. judgmental

48. respected by his congregation

49. “Why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?”

50. passes Dimmesdale on the scaffold

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