Thursday, February 14, 2013

Sonnet 50 Multiple Choice Explanations

Questions from the Poetry Passage: “Sonnet 50” by William Shakespeare

1.      The abundance of negative diction throughout Shakespeare’s sonnet—such as “heavy” and “weary” (lines 1-2) has the primary effect of:
a.       Explaining that the traveler has a heavy load is not the correct answer as these adjectives do not apply to objects that the speaker is actually carrying, but rather to the speaker’s feelings about his travels.
b.      Showing that the speaker does not like travel is not the correct answer because although the struggles of the speaker’s travels are made clear, these words refer more to the speaker’s emotional journey than his physical one.
c.       Creating an ironic effect when compared to the ease of the speaker’s task is not the correct answer as there is no evidence that the task is easy. All the diction implies hardship and burdens.
d.      Demonstrating the overwhelming exhaustion the speaker feels due to his isolation is the correct answer as each of these words creates a feeling of exhaustion and coincide with the statement that the speaker is miles away from their friend, his only companion being the beast he rides on.
e.       Clarifying the speaker’s opinion of the beast he is riding and explaining his discomfort due to the animal’s plodding is not the correct answer as the negative diction is applied toward aspects of the journey other than just the beast.

2.      The enjammed lines in Quatrains 2 and 3 create what effect?
a.       An ironic effect; as the increased speed the enjammed lines create contrasts with the inability of the speaker to make any real progress on his journey is the correct answer as enjammed lines generally increase the pace of the poem and the speaker is making minimal progress, as seen by the slow and burdensome diction.
b.      An ironic effect; as the pleasantness of the rhyming contrasts with the unhappy word choice and depressing subject matter is not the correct answer as the rhyme scheme is present throughout the poem and is not specific to enjammed lines only.
c.       A juxtaposition with the end-stopped lines which illustrates that he speaker has made progress on his journey is not the correct answer as no real progress is seen on the speaker’s journey, instead, nothing can provoke speed in the beast that is carrying the speaker
d.      A juxtaposition with the end-stopped lines to emphasize the speaker’s shift from a lack of emotion to an emotional outpouring is not the correct answer as no tone shift occurs on the part of the speaker and there is no change in the emotion shown by the speaker.
e.       The enjammed lines have no real effect; they are added merely because the thought could not be fit on a single line is not the correct answer as the enjammed lines do increase the pace in this poem.

3.      Line 11 contains which of the following literary devices?
a.       Imagery is not the correct answer as no description is present in this line.
b.      Personification is not the correct answer as no human characteristics are given to the beast in this line.
c.       Metaphor is not the correct answer as no comparison is made in this line.
d.      Alliteration is not the correct answer as several words starting with the same sound are not present in this line.
e.       Synesthesia is the correct answer because there is a mixing of sound and touch with the audible groan and the sense of heaviness.

4.      Which device in the rhyming couplet has the most profound effect on the meaning of the text?
a.       Personification of grief and joy is not the correct answer as neither emotion is personified in the couplet.
b.      Juxtaposition of grief and joy is the correct answer because the juxtaposition emphasizes their separation and their inability to be reconciled.
c.       Juxtaposition of onward and behind is not the correct answer as the most profound effect is the juxtaposition of the emotions rather than onward and behind.
d.      Personification of groan is not the correct answer as the groan is given no human characteristics in the couplet.
e.       There is not a device used to make the couplet more effective is not the correct answer as juxtaposition is used.

5.      What is the main subject of the poem?
a.       The grief that follows death is not the correct answer as death is not discussed in the poem even though grief is a primary concept.
b.      The incompetence of beasts is not the correct answer as although the ineffectiveness adds to the burdens of the speaker’s journey, the beast is not the most discussed topic in the poem.
c.       The misery of isolation is the correct answer as the negative diction portrays misery throughout the poem and the concept of isolation is made clear as the speaker is miles from his friend.
d.      The never-ending nature of journeys is not the correct answer as while the speaker’s journey is a prominent subject in the poem, the focus is more on the isolation of a journey than the continuous nature of one.
e.       The burden of responsibility is not the correct answer because while the concepts of burdens and hardships are present, there is no discussion of responsibility in the poem.

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