Contexts of American Poetry

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AP English Literature and Composition › Contexts of American Poetry

Questions 1 - 10
1

Who is the author of “The Man-Moth”?

Elizabeth Bishop

Elizabeth Gaskell

Sylvia Plath

Amy Lowell

Frank O’Hara

Explanation

Inspired by a newspaper misprint, “The Man-Moth” (1946) is a poem by the U.S. Poet Laureate Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979).

Elizabeth Gaskell wrote Sylvia's Lovers (1863), Sylvia Plath wrote The Bell Jar (1963), Amy Lowell wrote Ballads for Sale (1927), and Frank O’Hara wrote Oranges: 12 pastorals (1953).

2

Who is the author of “The Man-Moth”?

Elizabeth Bishop

Elizabeth Gaskell

Sylvia Plath

Amy Lowell

Frank O’Hara

Explanation

Inspired by a newspaper misprint, “The Man-Moth” (1946) is a poem by the U.S. Poet Laureate Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979).

Elizabeth Gaskell wrote Sylvia's Lovers (1863), Sylvia Plath wrote The Bell Jar (1963), Amy Lowell wrote Ballads for Sale (1927), and Frank O’Hara wrote Oranges: 12 pastorals (1953).

3

Thou hast a house on high erect

Framed by that mighty Architect,

With glory richly furnished,

Stands permanent though this be fled.

It‘s purchased and paid for too

By Him who hath enough to do.

A price so vast as is unknown,

Yet by His gift is made thine own;

There‘s wealth enough, I need no more,

Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.

The world no longer let me love,

My hope and treasure lies above.

Which of the following Fireside Poets is a descendant of this poet?

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

William Cullen Bryant

John Greenleaf Whittier

James Russell Lowell

Explanation

Oliver Wendell Holmes, a member of the New England group of writers known as the Fireside Poets and the author of “Old Ironsides” (1830), is a direct descendant of Anne Bradstreet.

Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet’s “Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666” (1666)

4

Thou hast a house on high erect

Framed by that mighty Architect,

With glory richly furnished,

Stands permanent though this be fled.

It‘s purchased and paid for too

By Him who hath enough to do.

A price so vast as is unknown,

Yet by His gift is made thine own;

There‘s wealth enough, I need no more,

Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.

The world no longer let me love,

My hope and treasure lies above.

Which of the following Fireside Poets is a descendant of this poet?

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

William Cullen Bryant

John Greenleaf Whittier

James Russell Lowell

Explanation

Oliver Wendell Holmes, a member of the New England group of writers known as the Fireside Poets and the author of “Old Ironsides” (1830), is a direct descendant of Anne Bradstreet.

Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet’s “Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666” (1666)

5

During what decade was Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth published_?_

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

Explanation

Given that this is Adrienne Rich’s penultimate poetry collection, it makes sense that it would have been published near the end of Rich’s life (1929-2012). Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth was published in 2007.

6

During what decade was Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth published_?_

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

Explanation

Given that this is Adrienne Rich’s penultimate poetry collection, it makes sense that it would have been published near the end of Rich’s life (1929-2012). Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth was published in 2007.

7

This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.

What type of poem is this?

Epic

Southern Gothic

Melodrama

Sonnet

Sestina

Explanation

Longfellow’s Evangeline is an epic poem, spanning dozens of long stanzas and concerning a young woman’s search for her lover, Gabriel Lajeunesse. It is set during the Great Deportation of the Acadians in Canada, a period of time during the French and Indian War.

Passage adapted from Evangeline, A Tale of Arcadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1847)

8

This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.

What type of poem is this?

Epic

Southern Gothic

Melodrama

Sonnet

Sestina

Explanation

Longfellow’s Evangeline is an epic poem, spanning dozens of long stanzas and concerning a young woman’s search for her lover, Gabriel Lajeunesse. It is set during the Great Deportation of the Acadians in Canada, a period of time during the French and Indian War.

Passage adapted from Evangeline, A Tale of Arcadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1847)

9

The author of Meditations in an Emergency was considered an important founder of which literary group?

The New York School

The Algonquin Round Table

The Bloomsbury Group

The Inklings

The Factory

Explanation

Along with Kenneth Koch and John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara was an important member of the New York School and contributed greatly to its surrealist, abstract expressionist, and avant-garde aesthetic.

Meditations in an Emergency was published in 1957.

10

The author of Meditations in an Emergency was considered an important founder of which literary group?

The New York School

The Algonquin Round Table

The Bloomsbury Group

The Inklings

The Factory

Explanation

Along with Kenneth Koch and John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara was an important member of the New York School and contributed greatly to its surrealist, abstract expressionist, and avant-garde aesthetic.

Meditations in an Emergency was published in 1957.

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