SAT II Literature : Tone, Style, and Mood: Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Poetry
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Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Tone, Style, And Mood: 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 __________________.
humorous
allegorical
didactic
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?
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
The "traveler" in the poem's first line is actually Ozymandias
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
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 #13 : Tone, Style, And Mood: 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?
Stream-of-consciousness
Free Indirect Discourse
Third Person Limited
Third Person Omniscient
First Person
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: 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 __________________.
Lonely and distressed
Optimistic and ebullient
Melancholy and regretful
Tranquil and reflective
Light-hearted and amused
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)
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