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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. Which technique is evident in line 6, "Tell that its sculptor well those passions read"?

2. What kind of landscape has the traveler been traveling through?

3. What is the antecedent of the word "them" in line 8, "The hand that mocked them"?

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

5. What is the likely purpose of capitalizing "Works" (line 11) and "Wreck" (line 13)?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

7. Describe the poem's form.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Read one of Shelley's more obviously political poems: either "The Masque of Anarchy" or "England in 1819" (both are available online). Then, write an essay comparing and contrasting his approach to political subject matter in the poem you chose and "Ozymandias." Use textual evidence from both works as support for your ideas; cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes "Ozymandias" as an artifact of English Romanticism. Explain the key characteristics of the style and subject matter of Romanticism, place Shelley within this tradition, and then show how "Ozymandias" reflects this tradition. Use both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem to support your claims, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you consider the three voices in "Ozymandias" as "stand-ins." Who might the speaker stand in for? Who might the traveler represent? What about Ozymandias himself? As you consider your answers to these questions, think about why each voice is necessary to the poem's overall meaning. Support your ideas with evidence from the poem; if you use outside sources, be sure to cite these in MLA format.

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