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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 7 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of tree does the speaker mention being under?

2. What is the name of the river the speaker is near?

3. What does the speaker mean when he says he was "'mid the din/ Of towns and cities" (lines 26-27)?

4. Which is the best definition of "sportive" in the context of line 16?

5. Which is the best interpretation of lines 30-31, "And passing even into my purer mind/ With tranquil restoration"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the landscape that the speaker sees.

2. What does the speaker say about the hedge-rows, and what does this reveal about his perspective on the scene?

3. Where has the speaker been for the past five years, and how has the memory of this landscape impacted him?

4. What literal and philosophical impact do the cliffs have on the landscape the speaker is viewing?

5. What two elements does the first stanza mention that contribute to the sense that the scene is unbroken and whole?

6. What does the speaker mean in line 47 when he talks about becoming "a living soul"?

7. What are two possibilities that the speaker imagines as the origin of the smoke he sees?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the final section of "Tintern Abbey," the speaker talks about a spiritual presence that moves through everything that observes and is observed. Write an essay that analyzes how Wordsworth uses polysyndeton, imagery, and diction to create a sense that everything is connected; explain how this sense of connectedness supports the poem's thematic concern with the spiritual unity of the world. Provide both quoted and paraphrased evidence to support your observations.

Essay Topic 2

Go online and read about the industrialization of the Wye Valley in Wordsworth's time and the questions critics have asked about the accuracy of his depiction of the landscape. Then, think back to your ideas about the elision of the abbey in the poem. Write an essay that takes and defends a position about whether Wordsworth's elision of the abbey has the same purpose as his elision of the industrial buildings that had begun to appear in the valley during this time period. Support your assertions with evidence from both "Tintern Abbey" and online sources; cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that examines "Tintern Abbey" as a loco-descriptive poem. Define the genre and then explain the elements of this specific poem that make it an example of the genre. Finally, offer insight into how Wordsworth uses this genre to express ideas characteristic of British Romanticism. Support your claims with evidence from the poem. Be sure to cite any outside sources in MLA format.

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