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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the second stanza, to whom is the nightingale depicted singing?

2. How does line 3, "Reaping and singing by herself," interrupt the poem's dominant metrical pattern?

3. What is the stanzaic form of "The Solitary Reaper"?

4. What technique is used in phrases like "the Vale profound" (line 7) and "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?

5. In the lines "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things," what does "plaintive numbers" refer to (lines 18-19)?

Short Essay Questions

1. To which two birds does the speaker compare the reaper, and what area of the world does the speaker associate with each?

2. What are the names of the two forms of poetry that are combined in this poem, and how are they combined?

3. What question does the speaker ask in the third stanza, and what two contrasting answers does he speculate about?

4. Explain how the mention of "spring-time" in line 14's description of the cuckoo enhances the contrast between this image and the image of the nightingale.

5. Describe the meter of "The Solitary Reaper."

6. Summarize the action of "The Solitary Reaper."

7. Describe the tense shift in "The Solitary Reaper" and explain what it reveals about the poem's narrative present.

8. How does the speaker's line 26 description of the reaper singing "As if her song could have no ending" reinforce the meaning of the poem's ending?

9. In what way do the places associated with the two birds create a dramatic contrast with one another?

10. Describe the rhyme scheme of "The Solitary Reaper."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about the significance of comparing the reaper to birds in the poem's second stanza. Defend your ideas with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you respond analytically to the following question: why is the reaper's song so sad? Be sure to support your claims with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you evaluate how characteristic the language of "The Solitary Reaper" is as an example of Wordsworth's style. Research the elements of style considered typical of Wordsworth's writing and use evidence from this research as well as quoted evidence from the poem itself to support your ideas. Cite all sources in MLA format.

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