CLEP Humanities : Literature

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities

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Example Questions

Example Question #4 : Answering Other Questions About Medieval And Renaissance Nonfiction And Philosophy

Who of the following compiled the work known as the Sentences, which was influential through the Middle Ages and into early Modernity?

Possible Answers:

Martin Luther

Peter Lombard

Siger of Brabant

Boethius

Thomas Aquinas

Correct answer:

Peter Lombard

Explanation:

The Sentences of Peter Lombard (1096-1160) was the single most influential textbook for many, many centuries. It was a compilation of sources, systematized for the study of theology. In the universities, it became the custom that the "dissertation"—it really was not that, strictly speaking—required the writing of a commentary on all four books of Lombard's Sentences. These works were often massive and involve a great deal of philosophical and theological speculation. Often these commentaries involved thousands upon thousands of pages. This was a requirement of university students for centuries—even Martin Luther wrote a commentary on this work, as did other students of his time!

Example Question #241 : Literature

What is the Roman epic poem that is both a successor to the Homeric epics and a founding myth regarding Rome?

Possible Answers:

The Odes

The Eclogues

The Iliad

The Divine Comedy

The Aeneid

Correct answer:

The Aeneid

Explanation:

The Aeneid, written by the poet Vergil between 29 and 19 BCE, tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and the mythical founder of Rome. As such, the story is both a continuation of Homer's Iliad, and serves as a founding myth for the Roman people. Vergil's poem traces how Aeneas fled Troy, led a Trojan fleet, and eventually settled in Italy.

Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Form Of Classical Poetry

Roman poetry featured a focus __________.

Possible Answers:

strictly on epic stories

strictly on small, confessional themes

on rhyme schemes

on a disdain for humor

on rhythm and meter

Correct answer:

on rhythm and meter

Explanation:

Roman poetry, largely an adaptation and revision of Greek poetry, featured many different styles, from the epics of Vergil to the short, confessional poems of Catullus. Satires, religious themes, and heroic subjects were all possibilities, with romantic topics also having prominence in the Republican era. The only true uniting force in Roman poetry was a constant stress on the meter and rhythm of the poem, with strict rules governing the usage of different syllables.

Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Classical Poetry

A poem that is a lamentation for the dead is called __________.

Possible Answers:

an elegy

a limerick

a haiku

an epic

an allegory

Correct answer:

an elegy

Explanation:

One of the oldest and most consistently written kinds of poem is an elegy, a work that is dedicated to the memory of a recently deceased person. An elegy can take on almost any poetic form, such as a sonnet, a cinquain, or any other specific kind of poem. Elegies were written by the ancient Greeks and Romans and continue to be written by modern poets.

Example Question #242 : Literature

The poetic technique known as alliteration refers to __________.

Possible Answers:

an poetic structure in which the number of syllables in each line of a poem gradually increase

an internal rhyme inside of a sentence

the sequential use of each letter of the alphabet as the first letter of a word

the use of homonyms to create wordplay

the repetitive use of words with the same initial sound or syllable

Correct answer:

the repetitive use of words with the same initial sound or syllable

Explanation:

Alliteration is a poetic strategy that intentionally repeats the same initial sound or syllable in multiple words in a line or lines of poetry. Alliteration can help create a unique rhythm or special structure. While developed in poetry, alliteration is also widely used in prose writing.

Example Question #1 : Identifying Titles, Authors, Or Schools Of Classical Poetry

Who is the accepted author of The Illiad and The Odyssey?

Possible Answers:

Homer

Demosthenes

Aristotle

Sappho

Cicero

Correct answer:

Homer

Explanation:

The authorship of The Illiad and The Odyssey is traditionally attributed to Homer.

Example Question #1 : Identifying Titles, Authors, Or Schools Of Classical Poetry

The epic poem about an ancient Mesopotamian king that was written circa 1300-1000 BCE is __________.

Possible Answers:

The Rigveda

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The I Ching

The Lament for Ur

The Egyptian Book of the Dead

Correct answer:

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Explanation:

Gilgamesh was likely a real king of Uruk, in modern day Iraq, probably sometime around 2500 BCE. He is most well known, however, as the main character of the lengthy poem The Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written between 1300 and 1000 BCE. The poem tells the story of his rivalry and then friendship with the wild man Enkidu and his subsequent survival of the great deluge.

Example Question #22 : Identifying Titles, Authors, Or Schools Of Poetry

What is the ancient Sanskrit epic that details a war between the related Kauravas and Pandavas?

Possible Answers:

The Ramayana

The Rig Veda

The Mahabharata

Dharma Sutras

Pali Tipitaka

Correct answer:

The Mahabharata

Explanation:

The Mahabharata is one of the epic Sanskrit texts of India, which details an epic struggle between two related families, the Kauravas and Pandavas. Included in the Mahabharata are smaller pieces which have been foundational in the development of Hinduism, such as the Bhagavad Gita.

Example Question #23 : Identifying Titles, Authors, Or Schools Of Poetry

Who is the Roman poet known for his short poems that lampoon Julius Caesar?

Possible Answers:

Vergil

Catullus

Cicero

Ovid

Suetonius

Correct answer:

Catullus

Explanation:

Catullus was a Roman poet most well known for his very short poems, typically on the love for a mysterious woman he refers to as "Lesbia." There is another element to Catullus' poetry, however, which includes biting comments about various politicians and notable Romans. Included among these figures is Julius Caesar, before he became the first Dictator of Rome.

Example Question #2 : Identifying Titles, Authors, Or Schools Of Classical Poetry

The Homeric epics are primarily about what ancient conflict?

Possible Answers:

The Battle of Marathon

The Peloponnesian War

The Punic Wars

The Battle of Thermopylae

The Trojan War

Correct answer:

The Trojan War

Explanation:

The Homeric epics, a collective name for the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, are long verse retellings of the Trojan War. The epics were written around the eighth or ninth Centuries BCE, but the Trojan War, if it took place, happened some four hundred or five hundred years before the poems were first composed. Both epics tell of great heroes and the intervention of divine presences.

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