The lines below consist of stanzas 1, 3, and 4 of “The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth!.
5
10
15
20
Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary highland lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the vale1 profound2
Is overflowing with the sound !. !. !.
Will no one tell me what she sings!?
Perhaps the plaintive3 numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay4 ,
Familiar matter of today!?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again!?
Whate’er the theme, the maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o’er the sickle bending—
I listened motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more!.
1vale (vaˉl) n!.: Valley!.
2profound (proˉ found') adj!.: Deep; difficult to understand!.
3plaintive (plaˉn' tiv) adj!.: Sad; mournful!.
4lay (laˉ) n!.: Song!.
1!. Which sequence of letters below indicates the rhyme scheme of lines 1–8!? (1 point)
abcabcdd
abcbddee
aabbccdd
ababcdcd
2!. What is the mood of the song the solitary reaper is singing!? (1 point)
Loving
Lonely
Happy
Sad
3!. Who is the speaker in this poem!? (1 point)
A highland lass
A passer-by observed by the poet
A reaper
The poet
4!. What does the speaker regret about his experience!? (1 point)
He can’t remember the song he’s heard!.
He doesn’t meet and talk to the reaper!.
He can’t understand the words of the girl’s song!.
He doesn’t know whether the song is happy or sad!.
5!. Which of the following sentences BEST describes the first two lines of the poem!? (1 point)
The lines rhyme with each other!.
There are four beats or stresses to each line!.
They are examples of alliteration!.
The lines contain a metaphor!.
6!. What is the theme of the last two lines of this poem!? (1 point)
It is sometimes hard to forget things we don’t want to think about!.
Natural views are worth remembering!.
Memory enables us to repeat our sensory experiences!.
The experiences of our senses can’t be satisfactorily recalled!.
7!. What is the BEST paraphrase of the lines 17–18!? (1 point)
Whatever the idea of her song, it’s an important one!.
Whatever her message is, I wish she would stop this endless singing!.
Although I don’t know what she’s singing about, the girl’s song sounds as if it could go on forever!.
This young woman has a terrible problem, although I don’t understand what it is!.
8!. What are two possibilities that the poet suggests might be the theme of the maiden’s song!? (1 point)
Ancient battles or common modern troubles
A fairy tale or a natural phenomenon
A far-off land or the surrounding places
A disaster or a marriage
9!. In the first stanza, how does Wordsworth’s poetry emphasize the feelings communicated by the maiden!? (1 point)
By using words that describe her aloneness
By telling how hard she is working
By describing the natural surroundings
By the rhythm and rhyme he uses
10!. Which of the following BEST paraphrases this quotation from the first stanza!?
!. !. !. the vale profound/Is overflowing with the sound!.
(1 point)
The sound hides everything like a dark covering!.
The maiden’s song more than fills the deep valley!.
The speaker finds the singer in a valley!.
The song is too loud for people to listen to!.
PART II: Vocabulary and Grammar
Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the BEST answer!.
11!. Choose the item which shows how punctuation should be placed in the following sentence!.
Everybody in the school wrote a poem for the literary magazine it will be published in May!. (1 point)
magazine, it
magazine; it
published: in
magazine !. !. !. it
12!. Some readers might find Poe’s repetition of the word bells in “The Bells” to be boring, or ____!. (1 point)
monolithic
monopoly
monogamous
monotonous
The questions below are based on the following sentences!.
I!. Lack of proper automobile maintenance was the prime cause for the breakdown!.
II!. The attorney planned to prime her key witness before the trial began!.
13!. Which phrase BEST summarizes the meaning of prime in sentence I!? (1 point)
First in time
First in importance
Earlier than usual
Coach beforehand
14!. Which phrase BEST summarizes the meaning of prime in sentence II!? (1 point)
First in time
First in importance
Earlier than usual
Coach beforehand
Directions: The questions below consist of a related pair of words in CAPITAL LETTERS followed by four lettered pairs of words!. Choose the pair that BEST expresses a relationship similar to that of the pair in capital letters!.
15!. NEVER : NE’ER :: (1 point)
its : it’s
over : o’er
can’t : cannot
we have : we’ve
16!. DROWSY : DROWSINESS :: (1 point)
lately : lateness
tiredness : tired
hardly : hardness
clean : cleanlinessWww@QuestionHome@Com