GRE Subject Test: Literature in English : Cultural and Historical Contexts
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Literature in English
All GRE Subject Test: Literature in English Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #31 :Cultural And Historical Contexts
It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
"By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?
The bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
米ay'st hear the merry din."
This poem heralded the beginning of which new poetic era?
English Reformation
English Realism
English Romanticism
English Regency
英语Restoration
English Romanticism
Coleridge’sRime of the Ancient Marineris widely considered one of the first major works of British Romantic poetry. It was included in the first edition ofThe Lyrical Ballads(1798), which is considered the founding document of English Romanticism as a unified artistic movement.
Passage adapted from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’sThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner(1798).
Example Question #32 :Cultural And Historical Contexts
It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
"By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?
The bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
米ay'st hear the merry din."
Which of the following animals plays an infamous role in this poem?
Albatross
Albacore
Agouti
羊驼
Alligator
Albatross
InThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner, an albatross invested with supernatural powers is responsible for leading a ship’s crew out of an ice floe. When a sailor subsequently shoots the bird, their ship becomes becalmed and the crew resorts to cannibalism.
Passage adapted from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’sThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner(1798).
Example Question #21 :Contexts Of British Poetry 1660–1925
O, my luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O, my luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
’Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Who is the author of this poem?
Robert Burns
George MacDonald
Iain Banks
Alasdair Gray
Hamish Henderson
Robert Burns
This is “A Red, Red Rose,” one of the most famous and enduring poems of the poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). It is technically a song and was based on traditional Scottish music, but it is often reprinted as a poem.
George MacDonald wrotePhantastes: A Faerie Romance(1858), Hamish Henderson wroteElegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica(1948), Alasdair Gray wroteOld Negatives(1989), and Iain Banks wroteThe Wasp Factory(1984).
Passage adapted from "ARed, Red Rose" (1794) by Robert Burns.
Example Question #22 :Contexts Of British Poetry 1660–1925
O, my luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O, my luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
’Till a’ the seas gang dry.
This author is widely regarded as the national poet of which country?
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Isle of Mann
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Robert Burns, also known as Robbie or Rabbie Burns, is Scotland’s most famous poet and is widely referred to in that country as just “The Bard.” He is known for his use of the Scots language and Scottish English dialect in his poetry.
Passage adapted from "ARed, Red Rose" (1794) by Robert Burns.
Example Question #23 :Contexts Of British Poetry 1660–1925
O, my luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O, my luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
’Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Which of the following is not another work by the author of this poem?
“Tam o’ Shanter”
“To a Mountain Daisy”
“To a Mouse”
“Halloween”
“Clown in the Moon”
“Clown in the Moon”
“Clown in the Moon” is a poem by the Welsh author Dylan Thomas. The rest are works by Robbie Burns.
“To a Mouse,” “To a Mountain Daisy,” and “Halloween” were published inPoems Chiefly in a Scottish Dialect(1786)
“Tam o’ Shanter” was published in 1791.
Passage adapted from "ARed, Red Rose" (1794) by Robert Burns.
Example Question #31 :Cultural And Historical Contexts
O, my luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O, my luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
’Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Which of the following traditional works did the author of this poem successfully preserve?
“Auld Lang Syne”
“The Orange and the Green”
“The Lakes of Pontchartrain”
“Bluebells of Scotland”
“The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond”
“Auld Lang Syne”
In addition to writing his own poetry, Robert Burns worked to preserve traditional Scottish poetry and music. “Auld Lang Syne” is one such Scottish song that he was able to popularize and pass into popular culture.
Passage adapted from "ARed, Red Rose" (1794) by Robert Burns.
Example Question #25 :Contexts Of British Poetry 1660–1925
I sing the Sofa. I, who lately sang
Truth, Hope, and Charity, and touched with awe
The solemn chords, and with a trembling hand,
Escaped with pain from that advent’rous flight,
Now seek repose upon a humbler theme:
The theme though humble, yet august and proud
The occasion—for the Fair commands the song.
In addition to poetry, this author also wrote which of the following?
Folk songs
Hymns
Limericks
Plays
Novels
Hymns
For part of his life, William Cowper was an evangelical Christian. Some of his religious fervor took the form of English hymns, many of which are still sung today.
Passage adapted from William Cowper’sThe Task and Other Poems(1785).
Example Question #26 :Contexts Of British Poetry 1660–1925
I sing the Sofa. I, who lately sang
Truth, Hope, and Charity, and touched with awe
The solemn chords, and with a trembling hand,
Escaped with pain from that advent’rous flight,
Now seek repose upon a humbler theme:
The theme though humble, yet august and proud
The occasion—for the Fair commands the song.
When was this work published?
1780s
1800s
1760s
1840s
1820s
1780s
The Taskwas first published in 1785. William Cowper lived from 1731 to 1800, which may have helped you narrow down the answer choices.
Passage adapted from William Cowper’sThe Task and Other Poems(1785).
Example Question #31 :Contexts Of Poetry
I sing the Sofa. I, who lately sang
Truth, Hope, and Charity, and touched with awe
The solemn chords, and with a trembling hand,
Escaped with pain from that advent’rous flight,
Now seek repose upon a humbler theme:
The theme though humble, yet august and proud
The occasion—for the Fair commands the song.
Which political reform is this poet most closely associated with?
Women’s suffrage
Prison reform
Temperance
Abolishing slavery
Abolishing segregation
Abolishing slavery
除了作为一个重要的早期浪漫poet, William Cowper was an ardent abolitionist and spoke out openly against slavery in Britain.
Passage adapted from William Cowper’sThe Task and Other Poems(1785).
Example Question #28 :Contexts Of British Poetry 1660–1925
I sing the Sofa. I, who lately sang
Truth, Hope, and Charity, and touched with awe
The solemn chords, and with a trembling hand,
Escaped with pain from that advent’rous flight,
Now seek repose upon a humbler theme:
The theme though humble, yet august and proud
The occasion—for the Fair commands the song.
Who is the author of this poem?
William Wordsworth
George Gordon
John Newton
William Cowper
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Cowper
This is William Cowper’s epic six-book poemThe Task.It was allegedly inspired by a incident in which a lady wagered that he couldn’t compose a poem on any topic – say, for instance, a sofa. Although the poem begins with a parodic discussion of a sofa’s virtues, it quickly digresses into more important topics.
William Wordsworth (co-)wroteThe Lyrical Ballads(1798), Samuel Taylor Coleridge wroteBiographia Literaria(1817), John Newton wrote "Amazing Grace" (1779), and George Gordon (A.K.A Lord Byron) wroteChilde Harold's Pilgrimage(1812).
Passage adapted from William Cowper’sThe Task and Other Poems(1785).
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All GRE Subject Test: Literature in English Resources
