SAT II Literature : Content
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II Literature
All SAT II Literature Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #81 : Ap English Literature And Composition
Adapted from “Solitary Death, make me thine own” in Underneath the Bough: A Book of Verses by Michael Field (pseudonym of Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper) (1893)
Solitary Death, make me thine own,
And let us wander the bare fields together;
Yea, thou and I alone
Roving in unembittered unison forever.
I will not harry thy treasure-graves,
I do not ask thy still hands a lover;
My heart within me craves
To travel till we twain Time’s wilderness discover.
To sojourn with thee my soul was bred,
And I, the courtly sights of life refusing,
To the wide shadows fled,
And mused upon thee often as I fell a-musing.
Escaped from chaos, thy mother Night,
In her maiden breast a burthen that awed her,
By cavern waters white
Drew thee her first-born, her unfathered off-spring toward her.
On dewey plats, near twilight dingle,
She oft, to still thee from men’s sobs and curses
In thine ears a-tingle,
Pours her cool charms, her weird, reviving chaunt rehearses.
Though mortals menace thee or elude,
And from thy confines break in swift transgression.
Thou for thyself art sued
Of me, I claim thy cloudy purlieus my possession.
To a long freshwater, where the sea
Stirs the silver flux of the reeds and willows,
Come thou, and beckon me
To lie in the lull of the sand-sequestered billows:
Then take the life I have called my own
And to the liquid universe deliver;
Loosening my spirit’s zone,
Wrap round me as thy limbs the wind, the light, the river.
The use of the underlined and bolded term “Solitary” at the opening of the poem serves which of the following purposes?
The use of “solitary” at the opening of the poem situates the narrator as a lonely person so in need of companionship that she is willing to court even death.
Characterizing Death as “solitary” at the opening of the poem suggests the fundamental, unbridgeable gap between abstract concepts and mortal beings.
Figuring personified “Death” as solitary at the opening of the poem adds emotional resonance to the speaker's address to Death advocating for them to be companions.
The use of “solitary” at the opening of the poem sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is concerned with the grief and loneliness that often follows a death.
Figuring personified “Death” as solitary at the opening of the poem situates death as a negative and limiting force.
Figuring personified “Death” as solitary at the opening of the poem adds emotional resonance to the speaker's address to Death advocating for them to be companions.
Opening the poem with personified “Death” as a solitary figure adds emotional resonance and purchase to the speaker’s subsequent plea to Death for them to be companions. This way, the closing image of Death embracing the speaker completes an emotional journey; Death started the poem alone and ends in an embrace. This change can be seem as mutually beneficial and supportive, rather than the speaker simply using Death or vice-versa.
Example Question #21 : Interpreting Excerpts
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
In line 9, "it is apparent that" most closely means __________.
it is possible that
it is manifest that
it is obvious that
it seems that
it is visible that
it seems that
In this context, the phrase "It is apparent that" most closely means "it seems that." The author is contrasting the seeming rebirth of nature during the spring with the reality of death.
While sometimes the phrase "it is apparent that" can mean "it is obvious that" or it is manifest that," it does not mean either of those things in this context. If it were truly obvious (or even possible) that there were no death, then the speaker would not go on to describe concrete images that confirm the existence of death in lines 11-12.
Example Question #11 : Excerpt Purpose In Context
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
The phrases "the spikes of the crocus" and "the redness of the leaves opening stickily" serve the purpose of __________.
All of these answers are accurate.
subverting the traditional association between springtime and new life by using words that have threatening or violent connotations
describing flowers and plants in the springtime
foreshadowing the gory imagery of death that occurs later in the poem
None of these
All of these answers are accurate.
The phrases "spikes of the crocus" and "the redness of the leaves opening stickily" serve all of the purposes listed. On the surface level, these phrases describe botanical imagery. However, the word "spike," while describing the shape of the crocus flower, also suggests a literal spike, something that is dangerous or could be used as a weapon. The words "redness" and "stickily" can have connotations of blood or wounds. These gruesome images foreshadow the macabre imagery that occurs in lines 11-12.
Example Question #24 : Other Content Analysis Questions: Poetry
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
The metaphors in lines 13-15 are used to express __________.
the conception of life as a passageway to the afterlife.
the hollowness and absurdity of existence
All of these
the inexpressible wonder of existence
none of these
the hollowness and absurdity of existence
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is said to be another thing that is unrelated to it in a literal sense, for the purpose of suggesting a resemblance between the two. The metaphors in these lines compare life to nothing, an empty cup, and a flight of uncarpeted stairs. These statements suggest that life is meaningless because it does not fill a purpose (as uncarpeted stairs and an empty cup fail to truly fulfill their purposes). Life is thereby absurd and hollow or empty.
While the comparison of life to a staircase might symbolize a "stairway to heaven" in some contexts, the absence of support in the rest of the poem for the notion of an afterlife would make this interpretation too much of a stretch.
Neither do these metaphors suggest that life is a thing of wonder, but rather that it is nothing at all (or at least, nothing of any importance).
Example Question #21 : Comparisons And Contrasts
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
This poem emphasizes the antithesis between __________.
faith and reason
the physical and the spiritual
growth and decay
strength and weakness
good and evil
growth and decay
This poem emphasizes the contrast, between growth and decay. The first eight lines feature imagery of plant growth, in contrast to the image of decay (in lines 11-12) is that is the focus of the latter part of the poem. Throughout the poem, growth is associated with springtime and new life, whereas decay is related to death.
There are no direct references morality (good and evil), religion (faith and reason), or physical strength (strength and weakness). There is also no suggestion in the text of any kind of spiritual existence, and so it cannot be said that there is antithesis between the physical and the spiritual.
Example Question #142 : Interpreting The Passage
Adapted from "Old Man Traveling" by William Wordsworth in Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1798 ed.)
The little hedge-row birds,
That peck along the road, regard him not.
He travels on, and in his face, his step,
His gait, is one expression; every limb,
His look and bending figure, all bespeak
A man who does not move with pain, but moves
With thought—He is insensibly subdued
To settled quiet: he is one by whom
All effort seems forgotten, one to whom
Long patience has such mild composure given,
That patience now doth seem a thing, of which
He hath no need. He is by nature led
To peace so perfect, that the young behold
With envy, what the old man hardly feels.
—I asked him whither he was bound, and what
The object of his journey; he replied
"Sir! I am going many miles to take
"A last leave of my son, a mariner,
"Who from a sea-fight has been brought to Falmouth,
And there is dying in an hospital."
Which of these best describes the birds' reaction to the man?
They show no love for the man but do not hate him
They avoid him
They are wary of him
They don't notice him
They watch him intently
They don't notice him
The author says, quite specifically that the hedgerow birds “regard him not.” In this case, the man does not impact their lives in any way as he goes unnoticed. We can also say that they “don't notice” him. We know they don't have any feelings towards him as there is no evidence in the poem to support this. We also know that they don't watch him as they “regard him not.” Furthermore, the birds are not making an effort to avoid the man and the man likewise is not avoiding the birds; they are peacefully coexistent.
Example Question #21 : Other Content Analysis Questions: Poetry
The images "Brave day sunk in hideous night," "the violet past prime," and "sable curls all silvered o'er with white" are all symbols of what?
The beauty of the natural world
Political turmoil
Death of old age
Unrequited love
Death of old age
Based on the context of the poem, the speaker is trying to identify a way to leave a legacy, thereby delivering himself from the consequences of death. Each image is a symbol of death and aging the speaker encounters on a day-to-day basis. Use of the adjectives like "hideous" demonstrate the speaker's fear of death and distaste for symbols of aging, like a withering flower.
Example Question #22 : Other Content Analysis Questions: 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)
Of the possessions lost, which of the following is NOT mentioned by the speaker?
Chair
Table
Candle
Heirloom
Chest
Heirloom
Chest, candle, and table are named explicitly, and chair is referred to implicitly in line 29. The speaker makes no mention of sentimental possessions.
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
Example Question #29 : Other Content Analysis Questions: 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)
In lines 43-36, the speaker refers to ____________________.
The family structure
The home she dreams of having
The natural world, which is more beautiful than the home she had
Her heavenly home
The home she will build to replace the one she has lost
Her heavenly home
The house "on high" suggests the house is in heaven, provide by God, "that might Architect."
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
Example Question #21 : Other Content Analysis Questions: Poetry
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
(1794)
Which lines in the poem suggest the world's fear of the Tyger?
"On what wings dare he aspire?/
What the hand dare seize the fire?"
"Tyger! Tyger! burning bright/
In the forests of the night"
"Did he smile his work to see?/
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"
"What the anvil? what dread grasp/
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?"
"When the stars threw down their spears/
And water'd heaven with their tears"
"When the stars threw down their spears/
And water'd heaven with their tears"
Of the multiple choice options, these lines are the only ones that suggest fear of a Tyger. The stars "throw down their spears" in a gesture of violence. The water "heaves with fear," which directly indicates fright.
Passage adapted from William Blake's "The Tyger" (1794)
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