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SAT II Literature : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

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SAT II Literature Help » Literary Terminology and Devices » Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

Example Question #101 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.

She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate stone
On the forefinger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies                                                     5
Over men's noses as they lie asleep;
Her wagon spokes made of long spinners' legs,
The cover, of the wings of grasshoppers;
Her traces, of the smallest spider web;
Her collars, of the moonshine's wat'ry beams;                                     10
Her whip, of cricket's bone; the lash, of film;
Her wagoner, a small grey-coated gnat,
Not half so big as a round little worm
Pricked from the lazy finger of a maid;
Her chariot is an empty hazelnut,                                                        15
Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub,
Time out o' mind the fairies' coachmakers.
And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lovers' brains, and then they dream of love;
O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on curtsies straight;                           20
O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees;
O'er ladies' lips, who straight on kisses dream,
Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues,
Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are.

 (1597)

Which literary device is most heavily relied upon in this excerpt?

Possible Answers:

Allegory 

Metaphor

Imagery 

Apostrophe 

Alliteration

Correct answer:

Imagery 

Explanation:

This excerpt is made up almost entirely of a string of images. There is no indication that the reader is supposed to find some deeper meaning in these images or to not interpret them literally, which rules out allegory as an answer. The images do not serve as comparisons, and so are not metaphors. The first line of the poem could be an example of apostrophe but it is not a device relied on throughout the excerpt. Alliteration is used sparingly and is not a dominant feature of this excerpt. 

Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1597).

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Example Question #101 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day.
What hours, O what black hours we have spent 
This night! what sights you, heart, saw; ways you went! 
And more must, in yet longer light's delay. 
With witness I speak this. But where I say 
Hours I mean years, mean life. And my lament 
Is cries countless, cries like dead letters sent 
To dearest him that lives alas! away. 

I am gall, I am heartburn. God's most deep decree 
Bitter would have me taste: my taste was me; 
Bones built in me, flesh filled, blood brimmed the curse. 
Selfyeast of spirit a dull dough sours. I see 
The lost are like this, and their scourge to be 
As I am mine, their sweating selves; but worse.

(1918) 

Line three makes use of __________. 

Possible Answers:

Apostrophe 

Directionality 

All of these 

Metonymy 

Indirect Address

Correct answer:

Apostrophe 

Explanation:

An apostrophe is the address of someone or something not directly present in the scene. In this case, the speaker addresses the line in the second person ("you") to his heart. 

In a different context, this line might have offered an example of metonymy had "heart" been used as a stand-in for "love." Since that's not the case, there's no metonymy here.

Passage adapted from "[I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day]" (1918) by Gerald Manley Hopkins.

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Example Question #101 : Sat Subject Test In Literature

1 The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, 
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; 
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. 
 
5   Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, 
That host with their banners at sunset were seen: 
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, 
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. 
 
9   For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, 
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; 
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, 
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! 
 
13   And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, 
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; 
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, 
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. 
 
17   And there lay the rider distorted and pale, 
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: 
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, 
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. 
 
21   And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, 
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; 
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, 
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!
 
(1815)

Lines 1, 3, 5, and 7 each contain _______________.

Possible Answers:

a metaphor

a simile

onomatopoeia

a symbol

a hyperbolic statement

Correct answer:

a simile

Explanation:

A simile is a comparison between two things that uses the comparative words "like" or "as." It is differentiated from the metaphor in that a metaphor does not use "like" or "as." There is a simile in each of lines 1, 3, 5, and 7. In line 1, for instance, the Assyrian is compared to a wolf in this simile: "like the wolf on the fold." The simile is line 3 is "like stars on the sea"--and so on.

Passage adapted from Lord Byron's "The Destruction of Sennacherib" (1815)

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Example Question #104 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1 The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, 
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; 
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. 
 
5   Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, 
That host with their banners at sunset were seen: 
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, 
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. 
 
9   For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, 
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; 
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, 
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! 
 
13   And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, 
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; 
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, 
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. 
 
17   And there lay the rider distorted and pale, 
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: 
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, 
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. 
 
21   And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, 
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; 
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, 
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!
 
(1815)

The beginnings of lines 5 and 7 form an example of ______________.

Possible Answers:

anaphora

anastrophe

synecdoche

metonymy

apostrophe

Correct answer:

anaphora

Explanation:

Lines 5 and 7 both begin with "Like the leaves of the forest..." This is an example of anaphora. Anaphora is a term used to describe a specific type of repetition in poetry. It refers to the repetition, twice or more times, of the same word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of sentences.

Passage adapted from Lord Byron's "The Destruction of Sennacherib" (1815)

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Example Question #101 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1 The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, 
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; 
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. 
 
5   Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, 
That host with their banners at sunset were seen: 
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, 
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. 
 
9   For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, 
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; 
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, 
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! 
 
13   And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, 
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; 
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, 
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. 
 
17   And there lay the rider distorted and pale, 
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: 
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, 
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. 
 
21   And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, 
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; 
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, 
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!
 
(1815)

What metrical foot is primarily used in this poem?

Possible Answers:

Dactyl

Iamb

Trochee

Spondee

Anapest

Correct answer:

Anapest

Explanation:

This poem is written in anapestic tetrameter, and so is almost completely composed of anapests.

An anapest is a metrical foot composed of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. Examples of words that are, themselves, examples of anapests include "engineer" and "entertain."

Here is line 21 of the poem divided into its four anapests, with stressed syllables in bold: "And the wi / dows of A / shur are loud / in their wail." Each combination of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable is an anapest.

Passage adapted from Lord Byron's "The Destruction of Sennacherib" (1815)

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Example Question #106 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

On thy stupendous summit, rock sublime! 

That o’er the channel reared, half way at sea 
The mariner at early morning hails, 
I would recline; while Fancy should go forth, 
And represent the strange and awful hour                                        5
Of vast concussion; when the Omnipotent 
Stretched forth his arm, and rent the solid hills, 
Bidding the impetuous main flood rush between 
The rifted shores, and from the continent 
Eternally divided this green isle.                                                     10
Imperial lord of the high southern coast! 
From thy projecting head-land I would mark 
Far in the east the shades of night disperse, 
Melting and thinned, as from the dark blue wave 
Emerging, brilliant rays of arrowy light                                            15
Dart from the horizon; when the glorious sun 
Just lifts above it his resplendent orb. 
Advances now, with feathery silver touched, 
The rippling tide of flood; glisten the sands, 
While, inmates of the chalky clefts that scar                                    20
Thy sides precipitous, with shrill harsh cry, 
Their white wings glancing in the level beam, 
The terns, and gulls, and tarrocks, seek their food, 
And thy rough hollows echo to the voice 
Of the gray choughs, and ever restless daws,                                  25
With clamor, not unlike the chiding hounds, 
While the lone shepherd, and his baying dog, 
Drive to thy turfy crest his bleating flock. 
 
The high meridian of the day is past,                                              
And Ocean now, reflecting the calm Heaven,                                  30
Is of cerulean hue; and murmurs low 
The tide of ebb, upon the level sands. 
The sloop, her angular canvas shifting still, 
Catches the light and variable airs                                                 
That but a little crisp the summer sea,                                           35
Dimpling its tranquil surface. 

The first line of this poem is an example of which of the following literary devices?

Possible Answers:

Apostrophe

Allusion

Personification

Simile 

Metaphor

Correct answer:

Apostrophe

Explanation:

The first line of this poem is an example of apostrophe. It is an exclamatory statement addressing an inanimate object (although apostrophe can also be a change in address towards another individual or an abstract concept). The speaker in this instance is addressing a rock, praising its stupendous summit. This is not an example of personification because no human qualities are attributed to the rock. It is not metaphor or simile because no comparisons are made, and it is not allusion because no reference is made to anything outside of the poem. 

Passage adapted from Charlotte Smith's "Beach Head" (1807)

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Example Question #107 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

  1. One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
  2. But came the waves and washed it away:
  3. Again I wrote it with a second hand,
  4. But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
  5. Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
  6. A mortal thing so to immortalize,
  7. For I myself shall like to this decay,
  8. And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
  9. Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
  10. To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
  11. My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
  12. And in the heavens write your glorious name.
  13. Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
  14. Our love shall live, and later life renew.

The poem contains all of these elements EXCEPT ________________.

Possible Answers:

Quoted speech

Analogy

Reported speech

Symbolism

Alliteration

Correct answer:

Reported speech

Explanation:

Analogy, alliteration, symbolism, and quoted speech all occur in the poem. Reported speech does not.

Though the poet doesn’t use quotation marks, the dialogue in the poem is all quoted speech. Reported speech would show altered syntax and pronouns: “For I myself shall like to this decay” would appear as, “She said that she herself would like to that decay.”

Passage adapted from Edmund Spenser's "Sonnet 75" (1594)

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Example Question #101 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

  1. One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
  2. But came the waves and washed it away:
  3. Again I wrote it with a second hand,
  4. But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
  5. Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
  6. A mortal thing so to immortalize,
  7. For I myself shall like to this decay,
  8. And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
  9. Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
  10. To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
  11. My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
  12. And in the heavens write your glorious name.
  13. Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
  14. Our love shall live, and later life renew.

Line 4 is an example of which rhetorical strategy?

Possible Answers:

Personification

Allegory

Irony

Hyperbole

Simile

Correct answer:

Personification

Explanation:

Line 4 (“But came the tide, and made my pains his prey”) is an example of personification: describing inanimate objects or abstract concepts as if they were living beings.

Personification can sometimes seem close to simile: here, it’s another way of saying, “The tide was like a predator.” But though the two devices may create similar effects, they have very different forms.

Passage adapted from Edmund Spenser's "Sonnet 75" (1594)

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Example Question #109 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

  1. One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
  2. But came the waves and washed it away:
  3. Again I wrote it with a second hand,
  4. But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
  5. Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
  6. A mortal thing so to immortalize,
  7. For I myself shall like to this decay,
  8. And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
  9. Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
  10. To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
  11. My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
  12. And in the heavens write your glorious name.
  13. Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
  14. Our love shall live, and later life renew.

The poem as a whole can be seen as an example of ________________.

Possible Answers:

Anecdote

Satire

Epigram

Elegy

Pastiche

Correct answer:

Anecdote

Explanation:

The whole sonnet is an anecdote: a brief recounting of an event. We’re shown the setting, the two characters, and the actions and dialogue that occur between them.

An epigram is a short, witty statement about the nature of life. (For example, William Wordsworth’s observation, “The child is the father of the man.”) An elegy is a formal poem lamenting a death. Satire aims to point out hypocrisy in people’s behavior (e.g., Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal.) It does not usually explore or express genuine emotion (except maybe outrage.) Pastiche is a form that imitates the styles or mannerisms of a previous era.

Passage adapted from Edmund Spenser's "Sonnet 75" (1594)

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Example Question #101 : Literary Terminology Describing Poetry

1. Better to see your cheek grown hollow,
2. Better to see your temple worn,
3. Than to forget to follow, follow,
4. After the sound of a silver horn.

5. Better to bind your brow with willow
6. And follow, follow until you die,
7. Than to sleep with your head on a golden pillow,
8. Nor lift it up when the hunt goes by.

9. Better to see your cheek grow sallow
10. And your hair grown gray, so soon, so soon,
11. Than to forget to hallo, hallo,
12. After the milk-white hounds of the moon.

Which of the following is NOT used in the poem?

Possible Answers:

Antithesis

Assonance

Metaphor

Onomatopoesis

Personification

Correct answer:

Personification

Explanation:

Personification is not used in the poem: the poet does not ascribe human qualities to a non-human object or animal.

Passage adapted from Eleanor Wylie's "A Madman's Song" (1921)

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