Question 1

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.What is the main idea of this sonnet?
A)Love is like a burning fire that cannot be extinguished.
B)The speaker believes his lover cares for him more because the speaker will soon die.
C)The speaker believes he and his lover are nearing the end of their relationship and it will soon die out.
D)The speaker believes his lover perceives that the relationship is ending when, in fact, it is not.

Accepted Answer

: The main idea of this sonnet is that the speaker believes his lover cares for him more because he, the speaker, is growing old and will soon die. The speaker compares himself to the twilight, or end of day, to the autumn, when the leaves turn yellow, and to the last glow of a dying fire. He says at the end, in the couplet, that the lover sees all of these comparisons, and loves stronger because he, the speaker, will soon depart into death.

Question 2

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.According to the sonnet, what follows the sunset fading in the west?
A)Night and darkness
B)The dawn of a new, young die.
C)The burning of a bright fire to ward off the night.
D)Sleep.

Accepted Answer

According to the sonnet, after the sunset fades into the west, the black night comes to seal everyone into death. The comparison here is between life and day. At the end of the metaphorical day is death.

Question 3

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.As a result of the metaphorical setting of the sun, turning of the leaves, and burning down of the fire, what must happen to the speaker and the person he is addressing?
A)They must both die.
B)The person the speaker is addressing must make an effort to stay alive.
C)The person the speaker is addressing must leave behind his love for the speaker.
D)The speaker must find a new lover.

Accepted Answer

: As a result of the metaphorical setting of the sun, turning of the leaves, and burning down of the fire, the person the speaker is addressing my leave behind his love for the speaker. The speaker is, in fact, approaching the end of his life. While their love will be briefly stronger, at the end of the couplet, the speaker notes that the subject must "ere long" or before long leave.

Question 4

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.According the metaphor of the fire in this sonnet, what does the fire of life eventually consume?
A)Everything that is near it.
B)Youth and all those who are young.
C)The deathbed it lies upon.
D)That which once kept it alive.

Accepted Answer

According to the metaphor of the fire in this sonnet, the fire of life eventually consumes all that once nourished it. Shakespeare writes, "Consum'd with that which was nourish'd by." This extends the metaphor of the fire by indicating that the wood that fueled the fire is eventually consumed and burned to ash.

Question 5

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.What reasons does the speaker give the lover to leave him?
A)The speaker has died.
B)The speaker is growing older and is in the last stage of his life.
C)The lover is growing older and is in the last stage of his life.
D)The lover has found a new love who is younger and the sun is setting on their relationship.

Accepted Answer

: The speaker tells the lover he must leave because the speaker is growing older, is in the last stage of his life, and will soon die. He compares his life to autumn, to twilight, and to a dying fire. All of these comparisons indicate an ending or transition. These comparisons lead to the final thought that the lover must leave before long.

Question 6

That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west; Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire, That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed, whereon it must expire, Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by. This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.What is a reasonable inference about this sonnet?
A)The young lover has claimed to love the speaker more than ever before.
B)The speaker wants to break up with the lover and is thinking of reasons.
C)The young lover wants to break up with the speaker and is trying not to hurt his feelings.
D)The speaker and the younger lover have just met.

Accepted Answer

A reasonable inference about this sonnet is that the young lover has claimed to love the speaker more than ever before. In the couplet at the end of the poem, after listing the different metaphors for old age, the speaker notes that the lover has perceived these changes and they make the lover care even more for the speaker.

Question 7

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.What observations does the speaker assume the lover has made?
A)The speaker assumes the lover has noticed the changing of the seasons.
B)The speaker assumes the lover has noticed it is growing colder.
C)The speaker assumes the lover has noticed he, the speaker, is growing old.
D)The speaker assumes the lover has noticed he, the speaker, is less active than he once was.

Accepted Answer

: The speaker assumes the lover has observed that he, the speaker, is growing old. The sentence stem "In me thou see'st…" and goes on to describe a figurative reference to declining health and old age. These references include twilight and the last glows of a fire.

Question 8

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.What does the speaker's tone tell us about his feelings for the lover he is addressing?
A)He is sad the lover will soon leave him.
B)He finds it inevitable that his lover must leave him.
C)He wants his lover to continue to love him forever.
D)He thinks his lover is exaggerating his feelings.

Accepted Answer

: The speaker's tone tells us he feels it is inevitable that his lover must leave him soon. He has listed several changes that are natural and cannot be controlled, like the changing of seasons, the change from day to night, and the dying of a fire. Since these are situations that simply change and cannot be stopped, he, the speaker, must and will die, and thus, his lover will have to leave him.

Question 9

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.Who is the intended audience for this sonnet?
A)The speaker's friends and family.
B)Students studying the works of Shakespeare.
C)Someone in love with someone much older than him/her.
D)The speaker's parents who have passed away.

Accepted Answer

: The intended audience of this poem is someone, the speaker's lover, who is in love with someone much older than him/her. It is obvious that the speaker, and not the lover, is experiencing the transition to old age and death, and that the speaker is trying to use metaphors from nature to explain that transition completely.

Question 10

That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west;Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.To what season of the year is old age compared?
A)Spring
B)Summer
C)Winter
D)Autumn

Accepted Answer

In this sonnet old age is compared to autumn. The speaker notes that a few yellow leaves hang on the trees, that the boughs are beginning to shake from the cold, and the birds have just left. The other comparisons also notes the step just before the end: twilight before dark and burning embers before ash.

Question 11

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?
A)"Give the rest of the pizza to
B)whomever asks for it;
C)I certainly don't want
D)any more slices."

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: whoever asks for it;
Whomever should be changed to whoever. Whoever is used in the subject position of a sentence, and whomever is an object. In the above sentence, whoever is the subject of the embedded clause, "whoever asks for it," even though the embedded clause is itself an indirect object.

Question 12

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.Belize is the less populated country in Central America with approximately 321,000 people.
A)less
B)least
C)smaller
D)smallest

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "least"
Using the appropriate adjective will properly convey the sentence's meaning. "Less," "smaller," and "smallest" do not fit within the context of the sentence. The superlative adjective "least," which means smallest in amount, does fit within the context of the sentence.

Question 13

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.Men and women use separate communal bowls; often, women may sit together.
A)communal bowls; often,
B)communal bowls, often,
C)communal bowls; and often,
D)communal bowls very often

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "communal bowls; often,"
Semicolons can separate two independent clauses - clauses that can stand alone as sentences - that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction. A comma is inappropriate to join the clauses. "Very" does not fit within the context of the sentence.

Question 14

Which course of action most improves the following sentence?He felt badly about canceling the appointment at the last minute, but there was no chance he would make it on time.
A)Change badly to bad.
B)Remove but.
C)Change canceling to cancelling.
D)Change at to in.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is most improved by changing badly to bad. To feel badly is to do a poor job of feeling because badly is an adverb. To feel bad is to have negative emotions, which is the meaning intended here.

Question 15

Which course of action most improves the following sentence?Even though he seemed generous, his actions were, in the end, self-serving.
A)Remove the hyphen from self-serving.
B)Remove the first comma.
C)Change even though to despite.
D)Fix the misplaced modifier.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is most improved by removing the hyphen. A compound adjective should be hyphenated when it comes before the noun or phrase it is modifying, but not when it comes after.

Question 16

Preclude : facilitate ::
A)affront : disrespect
B)besmirch : defile
C)capitulate : withstand
D)ameliorate : improve

Accepted Answer

In the first half of the analogy, preclude and facilitate are antonyms. To preclude means to prevent or prohibit, and to facilitate means to ease or assist. Therefore, look for the answer pair that contains antonyms. In choice (A), to affront means to insult or disrespect, so eliminate that choice. In choice (B), the words are synonyms; to besmirch means to defile or to make dirty. In choice (D), to ameliorate means to improve or upgrade, so eliminate that choice. The only answer choice that contains antonyms is choice (C). To capitulate means to surrender, resist, or withstand. Therefore, choice (C) is correct.

Question 17

Propagate: proliferate ::
A)atrophy : gestate
B)expurgate : purify
C)censure : commend
D)hew : combine

Accepted Answer

In the first half of the analogy, propagate and proliferate are synonyms; they both mean to reproduce or multiply. So, look for the answer pair that contains the synonyms. In choice (A), to atrophy means to waste away, and to gestate means to evolve, as in the prenatal stage. These are not synonyms, so eliminate this choice. In choice (C), to censure means to blame, not to commend, so eliminate that choice. In choice (D), to hew means to chop - typically with an ax - not to combine, so eliminate choice (D). The only choice that contains synonyms is choice (B). To expurgate means to purge or to purify, so that choice is correct.

Question 18

Bombast : pompous
A)junket : itinerary
B)largess : discreet
C)encomium : praising
D)maelstrom : Machiavellian

Accepted Answer

A bombast is a pompous speech, so in this word set, the second word is descriptive of the first one. You can eliminate choice (A), because a junket or trip might require an itinerary, but an itinerary is not an adjective that describes junket. In choice (B), a largess is a generous gift, and may or may not be given in a discreet or cautious way, so eliminate that choice. In choice (D), a maelstrom is a violent whirlpool, and does not have anything to do with being Machiavellian or crafty, so eliminate that choice. In choice (C), an encomium is a formal, praising eulogy, so that is the correct answer.

Question 19

Reticent : glib ::
A)flippant : serious
B)hirsute : hairy
C)immutable : unchangeable
D)maudlin : sentimental

Accepted Answer

In the first half of the analogy, the words reticent and glib are antonyms. Reticent means reserved and quiet, and glib means conversational and fluent. So, look for the answer choice that contains antonyms. In choice (B), something that is hirsute is hairy, so eliminate that choice. In choice (C), something that is immutable is absolute or unchangeable. In choice (D), someone who is maudlin is overly sentimental or sappy, so eliminate that choice. The only answer choice that contains antonyms is choice (A). Flippant refers to something that is frivolous or offhand, not serious, so that is the correct choice.

Question 20

Stentorian : inaudible ::
A)nonchalant : indifferent
B)petulant : peevish
C)polyglot : multilingual
D)scrupulous : negligent

Accepted Answer

In the first half of the analogy, something that is stentorian is very powerfully loud, not inaudible, which means difficult to hear. So, look for the choice that contains antonyms. In choice (A), someone who is nonchalant is casual and indifferent, so eliminate that choice. In choice (B), someone who is petulant is peevish - both mean irritable and ill-tempered. In choice (C), a polyglot is someone who speakers several languages. Multilingual is descriptive of a polyglot. Choice (D) is correct. Scrupulous means conscientious and principled, not negligent.

Quiz 3: English

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.Belize is the less populated country in Central America with approximately 321,000 people.

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.Men and women use separate communal bowls; often, women may sit together.

Which course of action most improves the following sentence?He felt badly about canceling the appointment at the last minute, but there was no chance he would make it on time.

Which course of action most improves the following sentence?Even though he seemed generous, his actions were, in the end, self-serving.

Preclude : facilitate ::

Propagate: proliferate ::

Bombast : pompous

Reticent : glib ::

Stentorian : inaudible ::