SAT II Literature : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II Literature

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Example Questions

Example Question #81 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1我要起身走了,去悦诗风吟,2And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: 3 Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee, 4 And live alone in the bee-loud glade. 5 And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, 6 Dropping from the veils of the mourning to where the cricket sings; 7 There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, 8 And evening full of the linnet's wings. 9 I will arise and go now, for always night and day 10 I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; 11 While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, 12 I hear it in the deep heart's core.

(1893)

Which of the following is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

Possible Answers:

ABAB

trochaic hexameter

iambic pentameter

ABAB

CDCD

EFEF

terza rima

正确答案:

ABAB

CDCD

EFEF

Explanation:

Rhyme schemes are described by labeling each new sound that appears at the end of a line with a new letter. The rhyme scheme of this poem is therefore as follows:

"...Innisfree" (A)

"...made" (B)

"...honeybee" (A)

"...glade" (B)

"...slow" (C)

"...sings" (D)

"...glow" (C)

etc.

Iambic pentameter and trochaic hexameter are meters, not rhyme schemes.

Passage adapted from William Butler Yeats' "Lake Isle of Innisfree" (1893)

Example Question #82 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

I saw thee once—once only—years ago:

I must not say how many—but not many.

It was a July midnight; and from out

A full-orbed moon, that, like thine own soul, soaring,

Sought a precipitate pathway up through heaven, (5)

There fell a silvery-silken veil of light,

With quietude, and sultriness and slumber,

Upon the upturn'd faces of a thousand

Roses that grew in an enchanted garden,

Where no wind dared to stir, unless on tiptoe— (10)

In line 6, what is “silvery-silken” an example of?

Possible Answers:

Periodic sentence

Telegraphic sentence

Pleonasm

Alliteration

Polysyndeton

正确答案:

Alliteration

Explanation:

This is alliteration, the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words. Polysyndeton is the excessive use of conjunctions (e.g. “I went and I picked up the paper and I read it over and finally I crumpled it up”). Pleonasm is the addition of unnecessary or redundant words (e.g. “the quiet soundless night”). Telegraphic and periodic sentences are, as it sounds, devices that apply to entire sentences and not just single phrases.

Passage adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s “To Helen” (1831)

Example Question #83 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

I saw thee once—once only—years ago:

I must not say how many—but not many.

It was a July midnight; and from out

A full-orbed moon, that, like thine own soul, soaring,

Sought a precipitate pathway up through heaven, (5)

There fell a silvery-silken veil of light,

With quietude, and sultriness and slumber,

Upon the upturn'd faces of a thousand

Roses that grew in an enchanted garden,

Where no wind dared to stir, unless on tiptoe— (10)

什么literary device can be seen in lines 8-9?

Possible Answers:

Ellipsis

Chiasmus

Enjambment

Paradox

Slant rhyme

正确答案:

Enjambment

Explanation:

We can see that lines 9 continues a thought begun in line 8 without any intermediary punctuation: “Upon the upturn'd faces of a thousand / Roses that grew in an enchanted garden.” The continuation of a thought or syntax across multiple lines of poetry is known as enjambment.

Passage adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s “To Helen” (1831)

Example Question #84 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

I saw thee once—once only—years ago:

I must not say how many—but not many.

It was a July midnight; and from out

A full-orbed moon, that, like thine own soul, soaring,

Sought a precipitate pathway up through heaven, (5)

There fell a silvery-silken veil of light,

With quietude, and sultriness and slumber,

Upon the upturn'd faces of a thousand

Roses that grew in an enchanted garden,

Where no wind dared to stir, unless on tiptoe— (10)

什么literary technique can be seen throughout the entire passage?

Possible Answers:

Metabole

Hyperbole

Pathetic fallacy

Allegory

Pun

正确答案:

Pathetic fallacy

Explanation:

Pathetic fallacy is a type of personification wherein nature or the environment take on attributes mirroring the human conflicts, emotions, or drama of the work. This is the technique seen here: The lovestruck speaker encounters the beautiful addressee in a beautiful enchanted garden. In other words, the characters’ emotions are matched by their setting.

Passage adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s “To Helen” (1831)

Example Question #85 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1 In silent night when rest I took,

2 For sorrow near I did not look,

3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise

4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.

5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”

6 Let no man know is my Desire.

7 I, starting up, the light did spy,

8 And to my God my heart did cry

9 To straighten me in my Distress

10 And not to leave me succourless.

11 Then, coming out, behold a space

12 The flame consume my dwelling place.

13 And when I could no longer look,

14 I blest His name that gave and took,

15 That laid my goods now in the dust.

16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.

17 It was his own, it was not mine,

18 Far be it that I should repine;

19 He might of all justly bereft

20 But yet sufficient for us left.

21 When by the ruins oft I past

22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast

23 And here and there the places spy

24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.

25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,

26 There lay that store I counted best.

27 My pleasant things in ashes lie

28 And them behold no more shall I.

29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,

30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.

31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told

32 Nor things recounted done of old.

33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,

34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.

35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,

36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.

37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,

38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?

39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?

40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?

41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky

42 That dunghill mists away may fly.

43 Thou hast a house on high erect

44 Framed by that mighty Architect,

45 With glory richly furnished,

46 Stands permanent though this be fled.

47 It’s purchased and paid for too

48 By Him who hath enough to do.

49 A price so vast as is unknown,

50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;

51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,

52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.

53 The world no longer let me love,

54 My hope and treasure lies above.

(1666)

By what metrical unit is the poem structured?

Possible Answers:

Trochee

Iamb

Pentameter

Anapest

Anaphora

正确答案:

Iamb

Explanation:

An iamb is made of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The lines of the poem are written in iambic tetrameter (4 iambs per line).

Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)

Example Question #86 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1 In silent night when rest I took,

2 For sorrow near I did not look,

3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise

4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.

5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”

6 Let no man know is my Desire.

7 I, starting up, the light did spy,

8 And to my God my heart did cry

9 To straighten me in my Distress

10 And not to leave me succourless.

11 Then, coming out, behold a space

12 The flame consume my dwelling place.

13 And when I could no longer look,

14 I blest His name that gave and took,

15 That laid my goods now in the dust.

16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.

17 It was his own, it was not mine,

18 Far be it that I should repine;

19 He might of all justly bereft

20 But yet sufficient for us left.

21 When by the ruins oft I past

22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast

23 And here and there the places spy

24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.

25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,

26 There lay that store I counted best.

27 My pleasant things in ashes lie

28 And them behold no more shall I.

29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,

30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.

31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told

32 Nor things recounted done of old.

33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,

34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.

35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,

36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.

37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,

38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?

39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?

40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?

41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky

42 That dunghill mists away may fly.

43 Thou hast a house on high erect

44 Framed by that mighty Architect,

45 With glory richly furnished,

46 Stands permanent though this be fled.

47 It’s purchased and paid for too

48 By Him who hath enough to do.

49 A price so vast as is unknown,

50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;

51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,

52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.

53 The world no longer let me love,

54 My hope and treasure lies above.

(1666)

"Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store" is an example of__________________.

Possible Answers:

Metaphor

Personification

Apostrophe

Assonance

Allusion

正确答案:

Apostrophe

Explanation:

"Apostrophe" isan address to an imaginary character, often non-human. In this line, the speaker addresses the things she has lost.

Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)

Example Question #81 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1 In silent night when rest I took,

2 For sorrow near I did not look,

3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise

4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.

5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”

6 Let no man know is my Desire.

7 I, starting up, the light did spy,

8 And to my God my heart did cry

9 To straighten me in my Distress

10 And not to leave me succourless.

11 Then, coming out, behold a space

12 The flame consume my dwelling place.

13 And when I could no longer look,

14 I blest His name that gave and took,

15 That laid my goods now in the dust.

16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.

17 It was his own, it was not mine,

18 Far be it that I should repine;

19 He might of all justly bereft

20 But yet sufficient for us left.

21 When by the ruins oft I past

22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast

23 And here and there the places spy

24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.

25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,

26 There lay that store I counted best.

27 My pleasant things in ashes lie

28 And them behold no more shall I.

29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,

30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.

31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told

32 Nor things recounted done of old.

33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,

34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.

35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,

36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.

37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,

38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?

39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?

40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?

41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky

42 That dunghill mists away may fly.

43 Thou hast a house on high erect

44 Framed by that mighty Architect,

45 With glory richly furnished,

46 Stands permanent though this be fled.

47 It’s purchased and paid for too

48 By Him who hath enough to do.

49 A price so vast as is unknown,

50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;

51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,

52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.

53 The world no longer let me love,

54 My hope and treasure lies above.

(1666)

Which of the following literary devices does the author employ in this poem?

Possible Answers:

Dramatic irony

Personification

Hyperbole

Rhyming couplets

Foreshadowing

正确答案:

Rhyming couplets

Explanation:

The poem is made up of pairs of lines that rhyme at the end. For example,

"In silent night when rest Itook,

For sorrow near I did notlook,"

Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)

Example Question #88 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1 MUCH have I travell’d in the realms of gold,

2 And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;

3 Round many western islands have I been

4 Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.

5 Oft of one wide expanse had I been told

6 That deep-brow’d Homer ruled as his demesne;

7 Yet did I never breathe its pure serene

8 Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:

9 Then felt I like some watcher of the skies

10 When a new planet swims into his ken;

11 Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes

12 He star’d at the Pacific—and all his men

13 Look’d at each other with a wild surmise—

14 Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

(1816)

Lines 9-14 make use of what literary device?

Possible Answers:

Metaphor

Hyperbole

Personification

Onomatopoeia

Simile

正确答案:

Simile

Explanation:

A simile is a comparison between two things that uses the comparing words "like" or "as." There are two similes in lines 9-14 of this poem. In lines 9-10, the speaker compares himself (with the word "like") to "some watcher of the skies" (line 9). After that, the speaker compares himself (again with the word "like") to Cortez discovering the New World (lines 11-14).

Passage adapted from "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" by John Keats (1816)

Example Question #81 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

To the Dead in the Grave-Yard Under My Window
by Adelaide Crapsey (1878 - 1915)

  1. How can you lie so still? All day I watch
  2. And never a blade of all the green sod moves
  3. To show where restlessly you toss and turn,
  4. And fling a desperate arm or draw up knees
  5. Stiffened and aching from their long disuse;
  6. I watch all night and not one ghost comes forth
  7. 午夜小时的自由。
  8. Oh, have you no rebellion in your bones?
  9. The very worms must scorn you where you lie,
  10. A pallid mouldering acquiescent folk,
  11. Meek habitants of unresented graves.
  12. Why are you there in your straight row on row
  13. Where I must ever see you from my bed
  14. That in your mere dumb presence iterate
  15. The text so weary in my ears: “Lie still
  16. And rest; be patient and lie still and rest.”
  17. I’ll not be patient! I will not lie still!

The poem’s imagery suggests a parallel between___________.

Possible Answers:

freedom and rebellion

day and night

physical pain and spiritual pain

death and sleep

beds and graves

正确答案:

beds and graves

Explanation:

We know that the speaker is bedridden. She says to the dead, "All day I watch
而且从不所有绿色的叶片sod / show where restlessly you toss and turn...." She is comparing her own tossing and turning in bed to the restlessness that she imagines the dead should feel in their graves. They lie in "unresented graves"; by contrast, the speaker resents her own bed very much.

其他答案的选择是不支持的text. Freedom and rebellion are discussed, but they are not presented as parallel states. The same for day and night, physical pain and spiritual pain. Death and sleep are clearly not parallel, because the dead are determinedly dead, while the speaker is unable to sleep at all.

Example Question #90 :Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,

In the forests of the night,
什么immortal hand oreye
Could frame thy fearfulsymmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
什么the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
什么dread hand? & what dread feet?

什么the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
什么the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
他是否微笑着欣赏他的作品?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
什么immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

(1794)

什么literary term best describes the bolded and underlined words in the first stanza?

Possible Answers:

Assonance

Enjambment

Slant rhyme

Consonance

Exact rhyme

正确答案:

Slant rhyme

Explanation:

"Bright" and "night" are exact, perfect rhymes. "Symmetry" (pronounced sim-me-tree) is an slant rhyme with "eye." They do not rhyme exactly, but sound can make a rhyme within an existent rhyme scheme.

Passage adapted from William Blake's "The Tyger" (1794)

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