CLEP Humanities : Answering Other Questions About Poetry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About Poetry

The Japanese writer Bashō is most famous for working in what form?

Possible Answers:

No Drama

Epic Poetry

Haiku Poetry

Bunraku Drama

Kabuki Drama

Correct answer:

Haiku Poetry

Explanation:

Bashō is widely considered the master of the haiku form, a Japanese style of poetry that limits poems to just seventeen syllables. Bashō's work is especially famous for his use of the twist that is standard in the middle of a haiku. Bashō is considered to have set the standard for haiku with his work in the seventeenth century.

Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About Medieval And Renaissance Poetry

The epic Beowulf is one of the earliest examples of literature from which country?

Possible Answers:

Russia

England

France

Italy

Germany

Correct answer:

England

Explanation:

Beowulf, an epic story of a hero who shares his name with the poem, was originally written in Anglo-Saxon, the ancient forebear of modern English. The poem, written by an unknown author, is one of the earliest extant examples of English literature that survives today.

Example Question #2 : Answering Other Questions About Poetry

What are the three parts of Dante's Divine Comedy?

Possible Answers:

HeavenHell, and Earth

Joy, Mirth, and Elation

Inferno, Terminus, and Heavenus

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

InfernoPurgatorio, and Paradiso

Correct answer:

InfernoPurgatorio, and Paradiso

Explanation:

The Divine Comedy (1320) is about the travels of the author through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. The text is used also as a vehicle for explaining the soul's own ascent to God, culminating in the Beatific Vision. It is a "comedy" because of its style and overall plot structure, not because of any kind of humor in the contemporary sense of "comedy." Dante's work stands as testimony to the unified worldview of the Middle Ages, one that unabashedly draws upon ancient and medieval sources and likewise is quite ready to express judgments about various figures throughout history. Because it is a journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, its three titles are InfernoPurgatorio, and Paradiso.

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