View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What literary genre emphasizes the intimate, and sometimes unflattering, information about details of the poet's personal life, such as in poems about mental illness, sexuality, and despondence?
(a) Sinful poetry.
(b) Confessional poetry.
(c) Realistic poetry.
(d) Truthful poetry.

2. The long and confused letter Janet Malcolm received from Olwyn in response in Part One: Chapter IV only reiterated her disdain for ____________.
(a) Ted Hughes.
(b) The postal service.
(c) The Sylvia Plath myth.
(d) The Hughes family.

3. How old was Ted Hughes when Sylvia Plath died?
(a) 41.
(b) 39.
(c) 32.
(d) 29.

4. What is the term used for a novel describing real life, behind a façade of fiction?
(a) Roman a clef.
(b) Nonfiction fiction.
(c) Biography.
(d) Autobiography.

5. In the first publication of The Journals of Sylvia Plath, Hughes commented how in the last several years of her life, Sylvia had found ______________.
(a) Her true voice as a poet.
(b) Happiness.
(c) Her lost journals.
(d) The perfect editor.

6. When was the book The Colossus and Other Poems first published?
(a) 1955.
(b) 1960.
(c) 1965.
(d) 1950.

7. Dealing with Olwyn for three years, Malcolm saw none of the expected ________ in her character?
(a) Kindness.
(b) Narcissism.
(c) Arrogance.
(d) Generosity.

8. From 1956 to 1966, A. Alvarez was the poetry editor and critic for what publication?
(a) The Observer.
(b) The Reporter.
(c) The Analyst.
(d) The Insider.

9. Linda Wagner-Martin wrote a biography of Sylvia Plath. Upon what did her relationship with the Hughes family deteriorate in Part One: Chapter IV?
(a) Reviews of the book being published.
(b) Completion of the manuscript.
(c) Choosing a cover for the book.
(d) The publishing of the book.

10. What "friend" of Plath finally felt the freedom to express her true feelings for the poet by relating that she was a horrible wife and a martyr?
(a) Olwyn Hughes .
(b) Frances McCullough.
(c) Dido Milroy.
(d) Anne Stevenson.

11. Who wrote The Colossus and Other Poems?
(a) Sylvia Plath.
(b) Linda Wagner-Martin.
(c) Anne Stevenson.
(d) A. Alvarez.

12. When was Ronald Hayman born?
(a) 1929.
(b) 1932.
(c) 1934.
(d) 1935.

13. Under what pseudonym was The Bell Jar originally published?
(a) Johanna Mills.
(b) Victoria Lucas.
(c) Cassandra Owens.
(d) Melissa Bouvier.

14. Toward the end of her life, according to Alvarez, Sylvia Plath developed a problem with ___________.
(a) Fear.
(b) Animals.
(c) Hygiene.
(d) Schizophrenia.

15. A. Alvarez noted that toward the end of her life, Sylvia's once reserved persona was replaced with an aggressive one, most apparent when she was doing what activity?
(a) Addressing critics.
(b) Arguing.
(c) Delivering readings of her poetry.
(d) Reciting the Bible.

Short Answer Questions

1. In 1952, William Stanley Merwin's first book of poetry was published under what title?

2. After she and Ted separated, Sylvia chose to stay in England because __________ was more accepted there.

3. Who was named the literary agent for the writings of Sylvia Plath after her death?

4. What poems did Plath write for the most part in the two months after Ted had left Devon?

5. When did the Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church begin?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 501 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample