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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 techniques are evidence in line 88's phrase "nor mourn nor murmur"?

2. What is the "remoter charm" that the speaker mentions in line 83?

3. What technique is employed when the speaker says he cannot "paint" the person he used to be?

4. What is the primary rhetorical function of the alliteration in line 65, "Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts"?

5. Which technique is used in the phrase "the fever of the world" in line 55?

Short Essay Questions

1. What evidence does the speaker provide that demonstrates how much he enjoyed the sensations of nature when he was younger?

2. In the third verse paragraph, what argument does the speaker have with himself?

3. In what ways does the speaker compare himself to an animal?

4. What does the speaker say he now sees in nature that he did not see when he was younger?

5. What comment does the speaker make about his motivations for being in nature when he was younger?

6. What does the speaker say he is gaining from looking at the scene, besides "present pleasure" (65)?

7. What is the "sad perplexity" the speaker feels in line 62?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one image of nature and one image of urban life from the poem. Write an essay that explicates these two passages, explaining how the techniques used in these passages create tone and meaning. Consider techniques such as diction, detail, sound devices, symbolism, and figurative language. Not all of these will be found in every chosen passage, but comment on those that do appear in the passages you choose and show how these contribute to each passage's overall effect. After you have finished your explications of these two passages, provide a paragraph of analysis that discusses how the two passages differ and what purpose this serves in the poem as a whole. Provide both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Read "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood," by William Wordsworth (widely available online). Write an essay that compares and contrasts the theme of this poem with the theme of "Tintern Abbey." How do these poems portray the recollection of youth? What relationship do these poems posit between humans and the natural world? What contribution do their differing techniques and forms make to the two poems' themes? Support your claims with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both poems, and be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that considers how the speaker's elevation above the valley both obscures and reveals important aspects of the scene. Think about what he chooses to describe and how he describes it as well as what he chooses to leave out of his description of the scene. Consider how his elevation changes his perspective, leaves certain things in doubt, and clarifies other things. Connect your observations to the thematic motifs of unity and the sublime. Support your claims with evidence from the poem. Be sure to cite any outside sources in MLA format.

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