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

2. What is the best definition of "cataract" in the context of line 78?

3. What technique is employed when the speaker calls the view "food" for future years (line 66)?

4. How did the speaker primarily relate to nature when he was younger?

5. Which technique is employed in line 64, "While here I stand, not only with the sense"?

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 is the "sad perplexity" the speaker feels in line 62?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you analyze the symbolic value of the River Wye in "Tintern Abbey." Draw on mentions of the river throughout the poem, including in the poem's title, as you build a case about what idea or ideas the presence of the river communicates. Provide both quoted and paraphrased evidence of diction, imagery, and detail that support your interpretation.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about Wordsworth's use of musical devices in "Tintern Abbey." Take a position about the purpose of these devices and use both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the poem to support your assertions. Consider how at least three of these devices impact the poem's tone and meaning.

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