美国文学史试题库.doc

英美文学史课程试题库Fill in the blanks.1. American achievements in the short story have demanded international respect and admiration for more than a century and a half. The first successful American short stories came from Washington Irving in the early 19th century.2. Edgar Allan Poe is generally thought of as the true beginner of the short stories because he was the first writer who formulated a poetics of the short stories.3. In the 20th century, there have been many who have won fame abroad as well as in the US for their short stories: Sherwood Anderson, Hemingway Faulkner, Anna Porter, and dozens of others.4. As you read from writer to writer, from Washington Irvings Rip Van Winkle to OConnners A Good Man is Hard to Find, you will see the coming of a short story age, growing from an entertaining tale into a story which probes deep into human souls.5. Modern literary fiction has been dominated by two forms: the short story and the novel.6. Washington Irving, the Father of American Literature, developed the short story as a genre in American literature.7. Allan Poe is usually acknowledged as the originator of detective stories. He is also credited with developing many of the standard features of detective fiction.II. Multiple choice1. Edgar Allan Poe wrote poems which are marvels of beauty and craftsmanship, such as _.A. I Hear America Singing B. The RavenC. To a waterfowl D. The fall of the House of Usher2. The common thread throughout American literature has been the emphasis on the_.A. revolutionism B. reasonC. individualism D. rationalism3. In American literature, the 18th century was the Age of the Enlightenment, _ was the dominant spirit.A. humanism B. rationalismC. revolution D. evolution4. Who was considered the “Poet of American Revolution”?A. Michael Wigglesworth B. Edward TaylorC. Anne Bradstreet D. Philip Freneau5. Thomas Jeffersons attitude, that is, a firm belief in progress, and the pursuit of happiness, is typical of the period we now call_.A. Age of Evolution B. Age of ReasonC. Age of Romanticism D. Age of Regionalism6. Mark Twain created, in _, a masterpiece of American realism that is also one of the great books of world literature.A. Huckleberry Finn B. Tom SawyerC. The Man That Corrupted Hadleybury D. The Gilded Age7. The pessimism and deterministic ideas of naturalism pervaded the works of such American writers as_.A. Mark Twain B. Scott FitzgeraldC. Walt Whitman D. Stephen Crane8. Although realism and naturalism were products of the 19th century, their final triumph came in the 20th century, with the popular and critical successes of such writers as Edwin Arlington, William Cather, Robert Frost, William Faulkner and_.A. Edgar Allan Poe B. Sherwood AndersonC. Washington Irving D. Ralph Ellison9. American literature produced only one female poet during the 19th century. She was_.A. Anne Bradstreet B. Jane AustenC. Emily Dickinson D. Harried Beecher10. With Howells, James and Mark Twain active on the scene, _ became the major trend in the seventies and eighties of the 19th century.A. sentimentalism B. romanticismC. realism D. naturalism11. Choose from the following writers a staunch advocate of the 19th century American realism.A. Mark Twain B. Washington IrvingC. Stephen Crane D. Jack London12. Which writer has naturalist tendency?A. Frank Norris B. William Dean HowellsC. Theodore Dreiser D. Both A and C13. Early in the 20th century, _ published works that would change the nature of American poetry.A. Ezra Pound B. T.S. EliotC. Robert Frost D. Both A and B14. The Imagist writers followed three principles. They respectively are direct treatment, economy of expression and _.A. local color B. ironyC. clear rhythm D. blank verse15. _, one of the essays in The Sacred Wood, is the earliest statement of T.S. Eliots aesthetics, which provided a useful instrument for modern criticism.A. Sweeny Agonistes B. Tradition and Individual TalentC. A Primer of Modern Heresy D. Gerention16. T.S Eliot used a form, that is, the orchestration of related themes in successive movements, in such works as _.A. The Waste Land B. A Rose for EmilyC. The Scarlet Letter D. The Egg17. T.S. Eliots first major poem (1917)_, has been called the first masterpieces of modernism in English.A. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock B. The Waste LandC. Four Quartets D. Prelude18. The three poets Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot and _ opened the way to modern poetry.A. O. Henry B. Henry David ThoreauC. E.E. Cummings D. Robert Frost19. In 1954, _ was awarded the Nobel prize for literature fro his “mastery of the art of modern narration”.A. T.S Eliot B. Earnest HemingwayC. John Steinbeck D. William Faulkner20. William Faulkner is one of the most important southern writers in the United States. _, As I Lay Dying, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom! are works that ambitious critics tend to admire.A. The Sound and the Fury B. The Invisible ManC. A Good Man is Hard to Find D. The Wrath of the GrapesIV. Questions and answers.1. How do you understand Mark twains use of local color in his writing?Mark Twains narratives are distinguished for his use of local color. This may be defined as the careful attention to details of the physical scene and to those mannerisms in speech, dress, or behavior peculiar to a geographical locality. He insisted that the job of the native novelists was to depict each of the countrys regions and people accurately. Only in this way could the peculiarity of American experience, the polyglot tongues of its people, and the vastness of the continent be captured. He mainly exploited the possibilities of the local color in the Mississippi region.2. Discuss the concept of wasteland in relation to the works of those writers in the 20th century American literature.The Waste Land is a poem written by T.S. Eliot on the theme of the sterility and chaos of th3 contemporary world. This most widely known expression of the despair in the postwar era has appeared over and over again in the works of those writers in the 2oth century American literature. Faulkner exemplified T.S. Eliots concept of modern society as a wasteland is a dramatic way, he condemned the mechanized, industrialized society that has dehumanized man by forcing him to cultivate false values and decrease those essential human values such as courage, fortitude, honesty and goodness. Fitzgerald sought to portray a spiritual wasteland of the jazz age. Beneath the masks of relaxation and joviality, there was only sterility, meaningless and futility amid the grandeur and extravagance, there was a hint of decadence and moral decay. Hemingway, the leading spokesman of the Lost Generation, though disillusioned in the postwar period, strove to bring about mans “grace under pressure”. He tried to bring out the idea than man can be physically destroyed but never defeated spiritually.3. Analyze Walt Whitmans O Captain! My Captain in terms of free verse.In the poem, Whitman celebrates the heroic struggle of the American people for democracy, freedom and justice and expresses his seething hatred of slavery.Free verse is a kind of poetry that lacks regular meter or pattern and may not rhyme. Depending on natural speech rhythms, its lines may be of different lengths and may switch abruptly from one rhythm to another. Whitman was the first American poet to use free verse extensively, because it is an appropriate form for his liberating view of life and for his poetry that would allow every aspect of life to speak without restraint. He tried to approximate the natural cadences of speech in his poetry, carefully varying the length of his lines according to his intended emphasis.Literature of Colonial AmericaI. Literary Terms 1.Separatists: In the colonial period, the Puritans who had gone to extreme were known as “separatists”. Unlike the majority of Puritans, they saw no hope of reforming the Church of England from within. They felt that the influences of politics and court had led to corruptions within the church. They wished to break free from the Church of England. Among them was the Plymouth plantation group. They wished to follow Calvins model, and to set up “particular” churches. 2.Pilgrims and Puritans: A small group of Europeans sailed from England on the Mayflower in 1620. The passengers were religious reformers- Puritans who were critical of the Church of England. Having given up hope of “purifying” the Church from within, they chose instead to withdraw from the Church. This action earned them the name Separatists. We know them as the pilgrims.II. Fill in the blanks1. The term “Puritan” was applied to those settlers who originally were devout members of the Church of England.2. Harvard College was established in 1636, with a printing press set up nearly in 1639.3. Hard work, thrift, piety and sobriety, these were the puritan values that dominated much of the early American writing.4. The American poets who emerged in the seventeenth century adapted the style of established European poets to the subject matter confronted in a strange, new environment. Anne Bradstreet was one of such poets.5. Bradstreet used a word “pilgrim” to describe the community of believers who sailed from Southampton England, on the Mayflower and settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.6. The writer who best expressed the Puritan faith in the colonial period was John Winthrop.7. The Puritan philosophy known as Puritanism was important in New England during colonial time, and had a profound influence on the early American mind for several generations.III. Multiple choice1. Early in the 17th century, the English settlements in _ began the main stream of what we recognize as the American national history.A. Virginia and Pennsylvania B. Massachusetts and New YorkC. Virginia and Massachusetts D. New York and Pennsylvania2. The first writings that we call American were the narratives and _ of the early settlements. A. journals B. poetry C. drama D. folklores3. Among the earliest settlers in North America were Frenchmen who settled in the Northern Colonies and along the _ River.A. St. Louis B. St. Lawrence C. Mississippi D. Hudson4. In 1620 a number of Puritans came to settle in _.A. Virginia B. Georgia C. Maryland D. Massachusetts5. Whose reports of exploration, published in the early 1600s, have been regarded as the first distinct American literature written in English?A. John Winthrops B. John SmithsC. William Bradfords D. Christopher Columbuss6. What style did the seventeenth century American poets adapt to the subject matter confronted in a strangely new environment?A. The style of their own.B. The style mixed with English and American elements.C. The style mixed with native-American and British tradition.D. The style of established European poets.7. _ was a civil covenant designed to allow the temporal state to serve the godly citizen.A. The early history of Plymouth Colony.B. The Magnalia Christi America.C. Mayflower Compact.D. Freedom of the Will8. Who among the following translated the Bible into the Indian tongue?A. Roger Williams B. John EliotC. Cotton Mather D. John Smith9. The best of Puritan poets was_, whose complete edition of poets appeared in 1960, more than two hundred years after his death.A. Anne Bradstreet B. Michael WigglesworthC. Thomas Hooker D. Edward Taylor10. English literature in America is only about more than _ years old.A. 500 B. 600 C. 200 D. 10011. The early history of _ Colony was the history of Bradfords leadership.A. Plymouth B. Jamestown C. New England D. Mayflower12. The common thread throughout American literature has been the emphasis on the _.A. revolutionism B. reason C. individualism D. rationalism13. Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan poet. Her poems made such a stir in England that she became known as the “_” who appeared in America.A. Ninth Muse B. Tenth MuseC. best Muse D. First Muse14. The ship “_” carried about one hundred Pilgrims and took 66 days to beat its way across the Atlantic. In December of 1620, it put the Pilgrims ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts.A. Sunflower B. Armada C. Mayflower D. Titanic15. Which writer best expressed the Puritan sense of the self?A. Jonathan Edwards B. Cotton MatherC. John Smith D. Thomas Hooker16. Before _ the American newspapers were cultural and literary nature, but after this time, they became more political.A. 1620 B. 1700 C. 1775 D. 1750IV. Question and answer.Who was Anne Bradstreet? What were her literary achievements?Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) is one of the most important figures in the history of American literature. She is considered by many to be the first American poet and her first collection of poems, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America, by a Gentlewoman of Those Parts, was the first book written by a woman to be published in the United States. Mrs. Bradstreets work also serves as document of the struggles of a Puritan wife against the hardships of new England colonial life.Literature of Reason and RevolutionI. Literary terms.1. Autobiography: An autobiography is a persons account of his or her life. Generally written in the first person, with the author speaking as “I”. Autobiographies present life events as the writer views them. In addition to providing inside details about the writers life, autobiographies offer insights into the beliefs and perceptions of the author. They also offer glimpse of what it was like to live in the authors time period. They often provide a view of historical events that you wont find in history books. Benjamin Franklins Autobiography set the standard for what was then a new genre.2. Persuasion: Persuasion is writing meant to convince readers to think or act in a certain way. A persuasive writer appeals to emotions or reason, offer opinions and urges action.3. Aphorism: An aphorism is a short, concise statement expressing a wise or clever observation or a general truth. A variety of devices make aphorisms easy to remember. Some contain rhymes or repeated words or sounds. Others use parallel structure to present contrasting ideas. The aphorism “no pains no gains” uses rhyme, repetition and parallel structure.II. Fill in the blanks.1. At the initial period the spread of ideas of the American Enlightenment was largely due to journalism.2. Franklin edited the first colonial magazine, which he called the Great Magazine.3. Franklins beat writing is found in his masterpiece Autobiography.4. Thomas Paine, with his natural gift for pamphleteering and rebellion, was appropriately born into an age of revolution.5. On January 10, 1776, Paines famous pamphlet Common Sense appeared.6. Paines second most important work The Rights of Man was an impassioned plea against hereditary monarchy.7. The most outstanding poet in America of the 18th century was Philip Freneau.8. Philip Freneaus famous poem “The British Prison Ship” was written about his imprisoned experience.9. Philip Freneau was a close friend and political associate of President Thomas Jefferson.10. Philip Freneau was considered as the “poet of the American Revolution”, because he wrote impassioned verse in support of the American revolution.11. Philip Freneau was noteworthy first because of the nature of his poems. They were truly American and very patriotic. In this respect, he reflected the spirit of his age. Therefore, he has been called the “father of American poetry”.12. In American literature, the eighteenth century was an Age of Reason and Revolution.III. Multiple choice1. In American literature, the eighteenth century was the age of the Enlightenment. _ was the dominant spirit.A. Humanism B. rationalismC. Revolution D. Evolution2. In American literature, the Enlighteners were not opposed to_.A. the colonial order B. religious obscurantismC. the Puritan tradition D. the secular literature3. The English colonies in North America rose in arms against their parent country and the Continental Congress adopted _ in 1776.A. the Declaration of Independence B. the Sugar ActC. the Stamp Act D. the Mayflower Compact4. Which statement about Franklin is not true?A. He instructed his countrymen as a printer.B. He was a master of diplomacy.C. He was a Puritan.D. He was a scientist.5. The secular ideals of the American Enlightenment were exemplified in the life and career of _.A. Thomas Hood B. Benjamin FranklinC. Thomas Jefferson D. George Washington6. Which of the following does not belong to this literary period?A. The American Crisis B. The FederalistC. Declaration of Independence D. The Waste Land7. Benjamin Franklin was the epitome of the _.A. American Enlightenment B. Sugar ActC. Chartist movement D. Romanticist8. From 1732 to 1758, Benjamin Franklin wrote and published his famous _, an annual collection of proverbs.A. The Autobiography B. Poor Richards AlmanacC. Common Sense D. The General Magazine9. The first pamphlet published in America to urge immediate independence from Britain is _.A. The Rights of Man B. Common SenseC. The American Crisis D. Declaration of Independence10. “These are the times that try mens souls”, these words were once read to Washingtons troops and did much to shore up the spirits of the revolutionary soldiers. Who is the author of these words?A. Benjamin Franklin B. Thomas JeffersonC. Thomas Paine D. George Washington11. Which statement about Philip Freneau?A. He was a satirist B. He was a pamphleteer.C. He was a singer. D. He was a bitter polemicist.12. Who was considered as the “poet of American Revolution”?A. Michael Wigglesworth B. Edward TaylorC. Anne Bradstreet D. Philip Freneau13. At the Reason and Revolution Period, Americans were influenced by the European movement called the_.A. Chartist Movement B. Romanticist MovementC. Enlightenment Movement D. Modernist Movement14. Thomas Jeffersons attitude, that is, a firm belief in progress, and the pursuit of happiness, is typical of the period we now call_.A. Age of Evolution B. Age of ReasonC. Age of Romanticism D. Age of RegionalismIV. Questions and Answers.1. What are the characteristics of Benjamin Franklins literary work?The main quality in all Benjamin Franklins writing is its genuine humanness. His literary work was typical of himself. Honest, plain, democratic, clear-headed, shrewd, worldly-wise, he was interested in the practical side of life. The absence of ideality is obvious in all his compositions. He never reached the high levels of imaginative art. But on this lower plane of material interest and every-day life he was, the works possess a universal charm2. Give a brief account of American literature of this period.Much work during the Revolutionary period was public writing. By the time of the War for Inde