All SAT II Literature Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #14 : Summarizing, Describing, Or Paraphrasing Excerpts
Adapted from Life and Remains of John Clare "The Northamptonshire Peasant Poet" by John Clare (1872, ed. J. L. Cherry)
I am! Yet what I am who cares, or knows?
My friends forsake me, like a memory lost.
I am the self-consumer of my woes,
They rise and vanish, an oblivious host,
Shadows of life, whose very soul is lost.
And yet I am—I live—though I am toss'd
Into the nothingness of scorn and noise.
Into the living sea of waking dream,
Where there is neither sense of life, nor joys,
But the huge shipwreck of my own esteem
And all that's dear. Even those I loved the best
Are strange—nay, they are stranger than the rest.
I long for scenes where man has never trod—
For scenes where woman never smiled or wept—
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Full of high thoughts, unborn. So let me lie,
The grass below; above, the vaulted sky.
The author's tone in the first stanza can best be described as __________.
conclusive
mocking
melancholy
modest
impetuous
melancholy
The tone in the first stanza is largely sad or “melancholy,” as the narrator mentions his or her “woes.” We can see that the narrator feels abandoned by his or her companions and that he or she is overcome by the “shadows of life.” It is not a "mocking" tone, as there is no derision or humor in it. One cannot say it is "conclusive," as there does not seem to be any conclusion or theory drawn. Likewise, we might say it is "modest," yet the modesty comes from the sadness.
Example Question #11 : Tone, Style, And Mood
Adapted from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (1729)
The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couples who are able to maintain their own children, although I apprehend there cannot be so many, under the present distresses of the kingdom; but this being granted, there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remains one hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. The question therefore is, how this number shall be reared and provided for, which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. For we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; we neither build houses (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land: they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing, till they arrive at six years old, except where they are of towardly parts, although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier, during which time, they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers, as I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan, who protested to me that he never knew above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that art.
I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl before twelve years old is no salable commodity; and even when they come to this age they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half-a-crown at most on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriment and rags having been at least four times that value.
I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.
I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.
I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the hundred and twenty thousand children already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one-fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle or swine; and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore one male will be sufficient to serve four females. That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in the sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom; always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.
I have reckoned upon a medium that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, increaseth to 28 pounds.
I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.
Which of the following best describes the tone of the underlined sentence?
Humble
Earnest
Sarcastic
Sympathetic
Respectful
Sarcastic
The best description of the tone is sarcastic, or ironic. Swift demonstrates skillful sarcasm when he "humbly offers" that a hundred thousand children be offered for sale "plump and fat for a good table." His offer is not meant to be humble or practical, but rather outrageous and ironic.
Example Question #11 : Tone, Style, And Mood: Eighteenth And Nineteenth Century Poetry
1 Infer the wilds which next pertain.
2 Though travel here be still a walk,
3 Small heart was theirs for easy talk.
4 Oblivious of the bridle-rein
5 Rolfe fell to Lethe altogether,
6 Bewitched by that uncanny weather
7 Of sultry cloud. And home-sick grew
8 The banker. In his reverie blue
9 The cigarette, a summer friend,
10 Went out between his teeth—could lend
11 No solace, soothe him nor engage.
12 And now disrelished he each word
13 Of sprightly, harmless persiflage
14 Wherewith young Glaucon here would fain
15 Evince a jaunty disregard.
16 But hush betimes o’ertook the twain—
17 The more impressive, it may be,
18 For that the senior, somewhat spent,
19 Florid overmuch and corpulent,
20 Labored in lungs, and audibly.
(1876)
In lines 17-20 the tone is __________________.
allegorical
didactic
humorous
bombastic
elegiac
humorous
The last four lines of this passage take on a distinctly humorous or comic tone. The poet here describes how the elder of the two travelers is out of shape and therefore huffing and puffing as they go along. The way this is presented is humorous in part because the poet lists this as a reason why it is surprising the two could be silent. It also appears comic because of how much it contrasts with the more serious, even dreary, preceding lines.
Passage adapted from Herman Melville's epic poem Clarel (1876).
Example Question #12 : Tone, Style, And Mood: Poetry
How does the author create a tone of irony in this poem?
There is no example of irony in this poem
The statue of Ozymandias was designed to immortalize the king and give him credit for the kingdom after death, but all that remains of the kingdom is his crumbled statue
The "traveler" in the poem's first line is actually Ozymandias
Ozymandias believed he was greater than god
The statue of Ozymandias was designed to immortalize the king and give him credit for the kingdom after death, but all that remains of the kingdom is his crumbled statue
Shelley creates irony in "Ozymandias" by riffing on the king's arrogance. Ozymandias believes his kingdom will exist forever, so he builds a statue to ensure he earns credit for his work long after death. In the present, the kingdom is nowhere to be found and all that remains is the wreckage of his statue, essentially giving Ozymandias credit for a kingdom that did not stand the test of time; exactly the opposite of his intent.
Example Question #11 : Tone, Style, And Mood: Eighteenth And Nineteenth Century Poetry
Passage adapted from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813)
"Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced ; their behavior at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general ; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister, and with a judgement too unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them. They were in fact very fine ladies ; not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it ; but proud and conceited. They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank ; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in the north of England ; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother’s fortune and their own had been acquired by trade."
This passage is an example of what type of narration?
First Person
Free Indirect Discourse
Stream-of-consciousness
Third Person Limited
Third Person Omniscient
Free Indirect Discourse
The answer is free indirect discourse. Jane Austen was the first to formalize this type of narration and its conception remains a significant part of her legacy. FID is a special kind of third-person narration where the narrator moves back and forth between omniscient narration and a character's subjective point of view without making this clear in the text. An example from this passage is the phrase : "and [they] were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves." This is the perspective of a character within the story that the narrator is detailing, yet the reader is informed as if the narrator held this belief themselves.
Example Question #11 : Tone, Style, And Mood: Eighteenth And Nineteenth Century Poetry
On thy stupendous summit, rock sublime!
The mood of the final eight lines, following the break after line 28, can best be described as __________________.
Light-hearted and amused
Melancholy and regretful
Optimistic and ebullient
Tranquil and reflective
Lonely and distressed
Tranquil and reflective
The two words that best describe the mood of the final eight lines are tranquil and reflective. After a series of lines devoted to describing a noisy scene of birds and dogs, the speaker notes that "the high meridian of the day is past." The final eight lines contain words suggesting calmness: the ocean "reflects the calm Heaven" and "murmurs low"; a sailboat "catches the light and variable airs" and dimples the sea's "tranquil surface." These phrases suggest a tranquil and reflective mood, certainly not one that is melancholy and regretful or lonely and distressed. The speaker is alone but not lonely. The speaker is also not light-hearted and amused, nor ebullient and optimistic. The lines are entirely focused on reflecting quietly on the present moment.
Passage adapted from Charlotte Smith's "Beach Head" (1807)
Example Question #1 : Tone, Style, And Mood: Twentieth Century Poetry
A Late Walk
1 When I go up through the mowing field,
2 The headless aftermath,
3 Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
4 Half closes the garden path.
5 And when I come to the garden ground,
6 The whir of sober birds
7 Up from the tangle of withered weeds
8 Is sadder than any words
9 A tree beside the wall stands bare,
10 But a leaf that lingered brown,
11 Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
12 Comes softly rattling down.
13 I end not far from my going forth
14 By picking the faded blue
15 Of the last remaining aster flower
16 To carry again to you.
The tone of the poem can best be described as .
nostalgic
cavalier
irreverant
lighthearted
optimistic
nostalgic
The elegiac style of the poem, as it is literally about the passing of a growing season and the coming of winter, depicts nostalgia.
Example Question #1 : Tone, Style, And Mood: Twentieth Century Poetry
… It is morning. I stand by the mirror
And tie my tie once more.
While waves far off in a pale rose twilight
Crash on a white sand shore.
I stand by a mirror and comb my hair:(5)
How small and white my face!—
The green earth tilts through a sphere of air
And bathes in a flame of space.
There are houses hanging above the stars
And stars hung under a sea... (10)
And a sun far off in a shell of silence
Dapples my walls for me....
(1919)
How could the tone of this passage best be described?
Reverent
Jaded
Sycophantic
Sardonic
Sycophantic
Reverent
The passage shows a quiet, solemn respect for the narrator’s surroundings and lends itself to a reverent tone. The passage is neither jaded (cynical) nor sardonic (sarcastic). It is also not sycophantic (obsequious, flattering) or allusive (referential).
Passage adapted from Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song From ‘Senlin.’” Modern American Poetry, ed.Louis Untermeyer. (1919)
Example Question #42 : Summarizing Or Describing The Passage
1 Suddenly I saw the cold and rook-delighting Heaven
2 That seemed as though ice burned and was but the more ice,
3 And thereupon imagination and heart were driven
4 So wild that every casual thought of that and this
5 Vanished, and left but memories, that should be out of season
6 With the hot blood of youth, of love crossed long ago;
7 And I took all the blame out of all sense and reason,
8 Until I cried and trembled and rocked to and fro,
9 Riddled with light. Ah! when the ghost begins to quicken,
10 Confusion of the death-bed over, is it sent
11 Out naked on the roads, as the books say, and stricken
12 By the injustice of the skies for punishment?
(1916)
The speaker's tone could be described as one of ______________________.
awe and fear
bitterness and cowardice
admiration and joy
penitence and regret
disgust and amazement
awe and fear
Awe and fear are two adequate descriptors for this poem's tone. Awe is a state of amazement or wonder at something beautiful, vast, or in some way beyond one's own comprehension. Towards the end of the poem, especially when the speaker is wondering if the afterlife will be as harsh and cold as the sky looks, the poem also takes on a definitive tone of fear.
There is little in the poem that creates a tone of disgust, joy, bitterness and cowardice, or regret.
Passage adapted from William Butler Yeats' "The Cold Heaven" (1916)
Example Question #3 : Tone, Style, And Mood: Twentieth Century Poetry
Passage adapted from "Piano" by D.H. Lawrence (1918)
Which word best describes the overall tone of this poem?
Melancholy
Betrayal
Disillusionment
Nostalgia
Nostalgia
While several of these words describe feelings the speaker experiences throughout the poem, "Nostalgia" is the poem's most persistent mood. The speaker's feeling of sadness and grief for loss of the past is rooted in memories of his mother playing the piano, of which he is reminded when he hears the woman singing in the first line. Without reminiscing on the past, the speaker would feel no "melancholy," "disillusionment," or "betrayal," for its passing.