Study Poetry Quiz
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Known all around the world for being arguably the world’s greatest playwright, it’s easy to forget that William Shakespeare was also a seasoned poet. What can you tell us about his work? Let’s find out!
- 1.In which of the following decades were Shakespeare’s sonnets written?
- A.
1580s
- B.
1590s
- C.
1570s
- D.
1610s
- 2.In what year were Shakespeare’s sonnets first published?
- A.
1600
- B.
1609
- C.
1619
- D.
1630
- 3.How many sonnets does Shakespeare’s collection contain?
- A.
154
- B.
160
- C.
164
- D.
170
- 4.Which is the last sonnet of part one of the collection?
- A.
120
- B.
122
- C.
124
- D.
126
- 5.
- A.
The Dutch signed a twelve year truce with Spain ushering in the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic
- B.
Galileo demonstrated his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers
- C.
Cosimo II de Medici became the Grand Duke of Tuscany
- D.
All of the above
- 6.Which of the following authors did Shakespeare’s sonnets influence?
- A.
John Dryden
- B.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- C.
John Keats
- D.
All of the above
- 7.Which of the following poets referred to the “dark lady” sonnet sequence as “abominably harsh, obscure & worthless”?
- A.
Miguel de Cervantes
- B.
Thomas Campion
- C.
Ben Jonson
- D.
William Wordsworth
- 8.Which Latin concept explored by Shakespeare in his sonnets refers to a state which lies between eternity and the temporal existence of material beings?
- A.
Aelus
- B.
Aegae
- C.
Aevum
- D.
Aedivum
- 9.It is thought that the publisher of the collection used an unauthorised manuscript. What was his name?
- A.
Henry Thorpe
- B.
Frederick Thorpe
- C.
Thomas Thorpe
- D.
James Thorpe
- 10.The sonnets include a dedication to a mystery man. What are the initials of his name?
- A.
Mr. W. H.
- B.
Mr. A. R.
- C.
Mr. P. S.
- D.
Mr. W. S.
- 11.What is the structure of the majority of the sonnets in the collection?
- A.
Three quatrains and a final couplet in trochaic pentameter
- B.
Five quatrains and a final couplet in iambic hexameter
- C.
Two quatrains and a final couplet in iambic tetrameter
- D.
Three quatrains and a final couplet in iambic pentameter
- 12.Every English foot contains one long syllable plus one or two short syllables. A long syllable is how much longer than a short one?
- A.
Double the length
- B.
Three times the length
- C.
Four times the length
- D.
Five times the length
- 13.The beginning of which quatrain normally marks the “volta” in Shakespeare’s sonnets?
- A.
The fourth
- B.
The second
- C.
The first
- D.
The third
- 14.St. Augustine and Shakespeare are considered forerunners of a group of philosophers which included Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. What is the name of this group?
- A.
Essentialists
- B.
Existentialists
- C.
Fatalists
- D.
Materialists
- 15.Which of the following adjectives best describes the nature of the present according to St. Augustine and Shakespeare?
- A.
Unvarying
- B.
Illusive
- C.
Ephemeral
- D.
Perplexing
- 16.Which words are missing in the following phrase from “The Confessions Of Saint Augustine”? “(…) if nothing passed away, time ……… were not; and if nothing were coming, a time to come were not; and if nothing were, time ……… were not.”
- A.
Past, future
- B.
Past, present
- C.
Present, past
- D.
Future, present
- 17.The first seventeen sonnets of the collection are traditionally called what?
- A.
The procreation sonnets
- B.
The procrastination sonnets
- C.
The propagation sonnets
- D.
The promulgation sonnets
- 18.Who is the addressee of part one?
- A.
A fair lady
- B.
A rival poet
- C.
A dark lady
- D.
A fair youth
- 19.Who is the addressee of part two?
- A.
A fair lady
- B.
A rival poet
- C.
A dark lady
- D.
A fair youth
- 20.Which of the two characters in the collection are having an affair?
- A.
The rival poet and author
- B.
The dark lady and fair youth
- C.
The author and fair youth
- D.
The dark lady and rival poet
- 21.Which of the characters of the collection is overtly sexually desired by the speaker?
- A.
The fair youth
- B.
The dark lady
- C.
The rival poet
- D.
None of the above
- 22.Which of the following is a theme dealt with in Shakespeare's sonnets?
- A.
Love
- B.
Mortality
- C.
The passage of time
- D.
All of the above
- 23.In his sonnets, Shakespeare refers to two ways to achieve a minor form of immortality. What are they?
- A.
Charity and penitence
- B.
Organ donation and embalming
- C.
Literature and fatherhood
- D.
Sculpture and music
- 24.Which word does Shakespeare always rhyme with youth in the sonnets, whenever either word occurs at the end of the line?
- A.
Forsooth
- B.
Proof
- C.
Truth
- D.
Uncouth
- 25.Sonnets 18, 60 and 73 all elaborate on the Ovidian concept “Tempus edax rerum”. What does this mean?
- A.
Time, that devours all things
- B.
Time, that always returns
- C.
Time, that keeps moving
- D.
Time, that stops all things
- 26.With sonnet 18 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day', the tone of the sonnets changes towards what?
- A.
Indifference
- B.
Joviality
- C.
Light-heartedness
- D.
Romantic intimacy
- 27.In the fourth verse of sonnet 18, we can find vocabulary belonging to which of the following semantic fields?
- A.
Travel
- B.
Military
- C.
Economics
- D.
Food
- 28.The “eye of heaven” in the fifth verse of sonnet 18 refers to what?
- A.
God
- B.
The sun
- C.
The moon
- D.
A raincloud
- 29.In the following verse from sonnet 18, what are possible interpretations of the word “untrimmed”? By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed
- A.
With a lack of decoration and frills
- B.
Like the sails on a ship which have not been adjusted to catch the wind properly
- C.
Unruly or disorganised
- D.
All of the above
- 30.The phrase “nature’s changing course” refers to the fact that the only thing which is constant in nature is change itself. What is the name of a figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms in this way?
- A.
Antanagoge
- B.
Simile
- C.
Parataxis
- D.
Oxymoron
- 31.What is the referent of the definite pronoun “this” in the last verse of sonnet 18? So long lives this and this gives life to thee
- A.
The sonnet
- B.
Their anger
- C.
The youth’s good looks
- D.
Nature
- 32.What is the meaning of “eternal summer” in the ninth verse of sonnet 18? But thy eternal summer shall not fade
- A.
Confidence
- B.
Love
- C.
Youth
- D.
Happiness
- 33.We can find alliteration of which letter in the final couplet of sonnet 18?
- A.
S
- B.
P
- C.
L
- D.
N
- 34.In sonnet 60, Shakespeare highlights the fact that time both gives life and kills (“And Time that gave doth now his gift confound”). This seemingly self-contradictory statement is an example of which rhetorical device?
- A.
Simile
- B.
Paradox
- C.
Hyperbole
- D.
Eponym
- 35.Which of the following ways of dying was seen as physical and moral annihilation by many classical authors, including Shakespeare?
- A.
Death by combat
- B.
Starving
- C.
Drowning
- D.
Getting old
- 36.The first verse of sonnet 60 (“Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore”) is an example of which rhetorical figure?
- A.
Simile
- B.
Metaphor
- C.
Paradox
- D.
Anadiplosis
- 37.In the second verse of sonnet 60, Shakespeare refers to “our minutes”. Some critics believe that this is a deliberate pun (60 minutes in an hour). What is the technical term for this?
- A.
Paronomasia
- B.
Paranomesia
- C.
Paranormasia
- D.
Paranormesia
- 38.In sonnet 60, what is the cyclic rhythm of waves compared to?
- A.
The rhythm of the words in the sonnet
- B.
The speaker’s heartbeat
- C.
The changing seasons of the year
- D.
The passing of time in our lives
- 39.Which dimensions of time are explored in sonnet 60?
- A.
Chronological
- B.
Physiological
- C.
Psychological
- D.
A) and c) are correct
- 40.In the sixth verse of sonnet 60, the verb “to crawl” refers to what? (“Nativity (…) crawls to maturity”)
- A.
Slowness
- B.
Resistance
- C.
A baby’s way of moving
- D.
All of the above
- 41.In the tenth verse of sonnet 60, what are the “parallels” in “beauty's brow”?
- A.
Similarities
- B.
Doubts
- C.
Wrinkles
- D.
Eyes
- 42.In the twelfth verse of sonnet 60, what does time’s scythe represent?
- A.
Harvest
- B.
Death
- C.
Life
- D.
Winter
- 43.The first verse of sonnet 73 (“That time of year thou mayst in me behold”) is an example of which rhetorical figure?
- A.
Hyperbole
- B.
Paradox
- C.
Metaphor
- D.
Simile
- 44.The use of the first person pronoun “me” gives an autobiographical tone to sonnet 73. How many times does it appear in total?
- A.
2
- B.
3
- C.
4
- D.
5
- 45.Which of the following verbs of perception does not appear in sonnet 73?
- A.
Regard
- B.
Perceive
- C.
See
- D.
Behold
- 46.In the fourth verse of sonnet 73, what do the “Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang” refer to?
- A.
The closure of Catholic convents and monasteries as a result of Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy
- B.
The closure of Protestant convents and monasteries as a result of Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy
- C.
The closure of Catholic convents and monasteries as a result of Henry VII’s Act of Supremacy
- D.
The closure of Catholic convents and monasteries as a result of Henry VII’s Act of Union
- 47.In the eighth verse of sonnet 73, what is “death's second self”?
- A.
Night
- B.
Life
- C.
Time
- D.
The Devil
- 48.Which of the following symbols does not appear in sonnet 73?
- A.
Green leaves
- B.
Fire
- C.
Ashes
- D.
Death bed
- 49.What do the last two sonnets of the collection imply that lust can lead to?
- A.
A venereal disease
- B.
Lies
- C.
A broken heart
- D.
Insanity
- 50.What is the title of the narrative poem written in rhyme royal which was published as an appendix to the original edition of Shakespeare's sonnets?
- A.
A Lover’s Concern
- B.
A Lover’s Conceit
- C.
A Lover's Complaint
- D.
A Lover’s Complacency
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