GRE Subject Test: Literature in English : Contexts of Poetry
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Literature in English
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Example Questions
Example Question #531 : Cultural And Historical Contexts
In a somer seson,
Whan softe was the sonne,
I shoop me into shroudes
As I a sheep weere,
In habite as an heremite
Unholy of werkes,
Wente wide in this world
Wondres to here;
Ac on a May morwenynge
On Malverne hilles
Me bifel a ferly,
Of fairye me thoghte.
Who is the author of this poem?
the Pearl Poet
Geoffrey Chaucer
William Langland
John Donne
Piers Plowman
William Langland
These are the first lines of William Langland’s Middle English classic Piers Plowman.
Passage adapted from William Langland's Piers Plowman (1370-90?)
Example Question #191 : Contexts Of Poetry
In a somer seson,
Whan softe was the sonne,
I shoop me into shroudes
As I a sheep weere,
In habite as an heremite
Unholy of werkes,
Wente wide in this world
Wondres to here;
Ac on a May morwenynge
On Malverne hilles
Me bifel a ferly,
Of fairye me thoghte.
Which of the following is not a feature of this poem?
passus
allegory
alliteration
Middle English
rhymed verse
rhymed verse
Piers Plowman is written in unrhymed alliterative verse, and the whole work functions as an elaborate allegory about medieval Christianity and virtuous living. Much like other poems are separated into stanzas, the verse of Piers Plowman is separated into sections called "passus."
Passage adapted from William Langland's Piers Plowman (1370-90?)
Example Question #192 : Contexts Of Poetry
In a somer seson,
Whan softe was the sonne,
I shoop me into shroudes
As I a sheep weere,
In habite as an heremite
Unholy of werkes,
Wente wide in this world
Wondres to here;
Ac on a May morwenynge
On Malverne hilles
Me bifel a ferly,
Of fairye me thoghte.
When was this poem written?
late 1200s
early 1300s
early 1400s
late 1300s
late 1400s
late 1300s
This poem is believed to have been written between 1370 and 1390, and William Langland is believed to have lived from around the early 1330s to the late 1380s. Obviously, the 1300s were a very long time ago, and it is hard to say exactly when works were published and circulated.
Passage adapted from William Langland's Piers Plowman (1370-90?)
Example Question #193 : Contexts Of Poetry
In a somer seson,
Whan softe was the sonne,
I shoop me into shroudes
As I a sheep weere,
In habite as an heremite
Unholy of werkes,
Wente wide in this world
Wondres to here;
Ac on a May morwenynge
On Malverne hilles
Me bifel a ferly,
Of fairye me thoghte.
Which of the following is not a character in this poem?
Gawain
Will the Dreamer
Dowel
Dobet
Dobest
Gawain
Gawain is a character in another famous Middle English work: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. All the rest are figures in Langland’s Piers Plowman.
Passage adapted from William Langland's Piers Plowman (1370-90?)
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