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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 8 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the form of "Ozymandias"?

2. Whose "passions" are referred to in line 6, "Tell that its sculptor well those passions read"?

3. Who is the author of "Ozymandias"?

4. What part of the statue is still standing when the traveler sees it?

5. In line 4, "Half sunk a shattered visage lies," what does the word "visage" refer to?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the epithet that Ozymandias gives himself help the reader understand the intentions behind his quote?

2. How does the poem's setting support its main point?

3. What poetic techniques create impact in the line, "Half sunk a shattered visage lies" (line 4)?

4. What claims does the poem make about the statue's sculptor?

5. Briefly summarize the action of the poem.

6. Describe the poem's form.

7. Explain the irony of the poem's ending.

8. Identify the three voices heard in "Ozymandias."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you advance and defend an argument about why "Ozymandias" is more revered by critics than Smith's poem "On A Stupendous Leg of Granite, Discovered Standing by Itself in the Deserts of Egypt, with the Inscription Inserted Below." Show how Shelley uses poetic technique to create a superior poem on the same subject as Smith's poem. Support your ideas with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both poems.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you explicate the imagery of "Ozymandias." Describe the poems images and then show how they function to support the poem's overall meaning. Use both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you explicate the poem's rhyme scheme and discuss the effects created by this rhyme scheme. How does rhyme link or emphasize ideas and affect the poem's flow, pace, and tone? Use both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem to support your claims.

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