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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. Which is the best definition of "perplexity" in the context of line 62?

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

3. Which sound device is used in line 56, "Have hung upon the beatings of my heart"?

4. What is the best definition of "impels" in the context of line 102?

5. What technique is used in lines 100-101: "And the round ocean and the living air,/ And the blue sky, and in the mind of man"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Go online and read about the industrialization of the Wye Valley in Wordsworth's time and the questions critics have asked about the accuracy of his depiction of the landscape. Then, think back to your ideas about the elision of the abbey in the poem. Write an essay that takes and defends a position about whether Wordsworth's elision of the abbey has the same purpose as his elision of the industrial buildings that had begun to appear in the valley during this time period. Support your assertions with evidence from both "Tintern Abbey" and online sources; cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the purpose of the prosody of "Tintern Abbey." Describe the poem's prosody and how it strikes a balance between traditional meter and natural speech. Consider the poem's occasion, tone, and subject matter as you explain the need to balance elevation and informality. Finally, connect the poem's prosody with one or more thematic ideas expressed in "Tintern Abbey." Support your observations with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the poem.

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