Exercise TwoI. Multiple Choice: Old and Medieval English LiteratureSelect from the four choices of each item the one that best completes the statement. For each question, write your choice A, B, C or D in the exercise book.1.It is the cultural influences of the ______and ______ conquests that provided the sourcefor the rise and growth of English literature.A. Anglian, Saxon B Greek, Roman.C. Roman, NormanD. Norman, Anglo-Saxon2. Romance, which uses verse or prose to describe the adventures and life of the knights, isthe popular literary form in ______.A. RomanticismB. RenaissanceC. medieval periodD. Anglo-Saxon period3. During what century did Chaucer live？A. 13thB. 14thC. 15thD. 16th4. Historical evidence suggests that Chaucer may have diedA. after being knighted by Henry VB. in Westminster AbbeyC. poorD. an outcast5. _______ is regarded as the father of English poetry.A. Geoffrey ChaucerB. Edmund SpenserC. John MiltonD. W. Wordsworth6. It is _____ alone who, for the first time in English literature, presented to us acomprehensive realistic picture of the English society of his time and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life.A. Geoffrey ChaucerB. Martin LutherC. William ShakespeareD. John Gower7. One of Chaucer’s main contributions to English poetry is ______.A. he introduced the rhymed stanzas from France to English poetryB. he created striking brilliant panorama of his time and his countryC. he wrote in blank verseD. he was the first to write sonnet8. In The Legend of Good Women, Chaucer used for the first time in English the rhymedcouplet of iambic pentameter, which is to be called later____.A. The Spenserian stanzaB. The heroic coupletC. The blank verseD. The free verse9. ______was the first buried in the Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abby.A. William WordsworthB. Francis BaconC. Geoffrey ChaucerD. William Shakespeare10. The story of is the highest point of the Arthurian romances.A. Sir Gawain and the Green KnightB. The Song of BeowulfC. Piers, the PlowmanD. The Canterbury TalesII. Multiple Choice (Parts 1-2)Select from the four choices of each item the one that best answers the question or completes the statement. For each question, write your choice A, B, C or D in the exercise book.1. _____, a typical example of Old English poetry, is regarded today as the national epic ofthe Anglo-Saxons.A. The Wife’s ComplaintB. Beowul fC. The Dream of the RoodD. The Seafarer2. In Beowulf, ______ fought against the monster Grendel and a firebreathing dragon.A. BeowulfB. the Anglo-SaxonC. Confessio AmantisD. The Canterbury Tales3. Romance, which uses narrative verse or prose to tell stories of _____ adventures or otherheroic deeds, is a popular literary form in the medieval period.A. ChristianB. knightlyC. GreekD. primitive4. The work that presented, for the first time in English literature, a comprehensive realisticpicture of the medieval English society and created a whole gallery of vivid characters from all walks of life is most likely ______.A. William Langland ’s Piers PlowmanB. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury TalesC. John Gower’s Confessio AmantisD. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight5. Among the great Middle English poets, Geoffrey Chaucer is known for his production of______.A. Piers PlowmanB. Sir Gawain and the Green KnightC. Confessio AmantisD. The Canterbury Tales6. William Langland’s ______ is written in the form of a dream vision.A. Kubla KhanB. Piers the PlowmanC. The Dream of John BullD. The Faerie Queene7. Which of the following is NOT true about The Canterbury Tales？A. It is written for the great part in heroic couplets.B. It is written in the form of a dream vision.C. Chaucer chose a pilgrimage as the framework for the stories involved in it.D. “The General Prologue” introduces the pilgrims and the time and occasion of thepilgrimage.8. Geoffrey Chaucer develops his characterization to a higher artistic level by presentingcharacters with both typical qualities and ______ dispositions.A. individualB. collectiveC. socialD. natural9. The most famous cycle of English ballads centers on the stories about a legendary outlawcalled ________.A. Morte d’ ArthurB. Robin HoodC. The Canterbury TalesD. Piers the Plowman10. Although _______ was essentially a medieval writer, he bore marks of humanism andanticipated a new era of literature to come.A. William LanglandB. John GowerC. Geoffrey ChaucerD. Edmund Spenser11.Which of the following statements best illustrates the theme of Shakespeare's Sonnet18？A. The speaker eulogizes the power of Nature.B. The speaker satirizes human vanity.C. The speaker praises the power of artistic creation.D. The speaker meditates on man's salvation.12. Shakespeare's tragedies include all the following except ______.A. Hamlet and King LearB. Antony and Cleopatra and MacbethC. Julius Caesar and OthelloD. The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night's Dream13. With classical culture and the _______ humanistic ideas coming into England, theEnglish Renaissance began flourishing.A. FrenchB. GermanC. ItalianD. Greek14. The sentence “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” is the beginning line of one ofShakespeare’s _______.A. comediesB. tragediesC. sonnetsD. histories15. The essence of humanism is to ______.A. restore a medieval reverence for the churchB. avoid the circumstances of earthly lifeC. explore the next world in which men could live after deathD. emphasize human qualities16. _____ introduced the Petrarchan sonnet into England.A. William ShakespeareB. Thomas WyattC. Philip SidneyD. Thomas Campion17. ______ used wisdom in saving Antonio from being cut a pound of flesh by Shylock in TheMerchant of Venice.A. JudgeB. PortiaC. SassanioD. Duke18. The English Renaissance Period was an age of ______.A. prose and novelB. poetry and dramaC. romance and balladD. essay and drama19. It was ______ who made blank verse the principal vehicle of expression in drama in theRenaissance period.A. Christopher MarloweB. Thomas LodgeC. Henry FieldingD. Edmund Spenser20. The Renaissance is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events, suchas the rediscovery of ancient ______ and ______ culture, the new discoveries in geography and astrology, the religious reformation and the economic expansion.A. Chinese/IndianB. Hebrew/EgyptianC. Roman/GreekD. Britain/American21. In his essay “Of Studies”, Bacon said: “Some books are to be tasted, others to beswallowed, and some few to be chewed and______.”A. skimmedB. perfectedC. imitatedD. digested22. In the line “An every fair from fair sometimes declines”, what does the first and second“fair” mean？A. The beautiful person or thing/ beauty.B. Sound season/ justice.C. Loveliness/ beautiful women.D. Light complexion/ beauty.23. In his “To be or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet gives the reason why he wants to commitsuicide. Apart from his personal revenge, that he ________ is another reason.A. cannot bear the social injustice and grievancesB. is mentally tormented by his father’s ghostC. is unable to restore his earlier idealized image of his motherD. thinks the next world is far better than the harsh reality24. “The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: is an example of ________.A. simileB. ironyC. allegoryD. metaphor25. “For herein Fortune shows herself more kindThan is her custom. It is still her useTo let the wretched man outlive his wealth,To view with hollow eye and wrinkled browAn age of poverty; from which ling’ring penanceOf such misery doth she cut me off”A. Lady Fortune is not always kind towards the fallen man.B. Antonio thinks she is more kind towards him because she is taking away both hiswealth and lifeC. It is her usual habit to take away the fallen man’s wealth and let him live in poverty.D. She is kind to Antonio because she dose not take his life away though she destroyshis ships.26. “Not on thy sole but on thy soul, harsh Jew, / Thou mak’st thy knife keen.”In the above quotation taken from The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare employs a(n) _______.A. oxymoronB. punC. simileD. synecdoche27. “Bassanio: Antonio, I am married to a wifeWhich is as dear to me as life itself;But life itself, my wife, and all the world,Are not with me esteem’d above thy life;I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all,Here to the devil, to deliver you.Portia: Your wife would give you little thanks for that,If she were by to hear you make the offer.”The above is a quotation taken from Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice. The quoted part can be regarded as a good example to illustrate ________.A. dramatic ironyB. personificationC. allegoryD. symbolism28. The Renaissance is actually a movement stimulated by a series of historical events,which one of the following is not such an event？A. The rediscovery of ancient Rome and Creek culture.B. England’s domestic restC. New discovery in geography and astrology.D. The religious reformation and the economic expansion.III. Blank FillingA.Fill in the blanks with the given words. Write the corresponding letters as your answers in the exercise book.(Reading Comprehension: Read the quoted parts carefully and answer the questions in English.)A. activityB. BaconC. characterD. ConsiderationE. DeterminationF. maximG. permanenceH. poemI. ShakespeareJ. sonnets“And thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.”(Shakespeare, Hamlet)Questions:1) What does the “native hue of resolution” mean2) What does the “pale cast of thought” stand f or3) What idea do the two lines expressAnswers:1) 1. ________.2) 2. _________.3) Too much thinking makes 3. ________ impossible.“But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;Nor shall death brag thou wander’st i n his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”Questions:4) Identity the poem and the poet5) What does “eternal lines” mean6) What does the word “this” refer to7) What idea does the passage expressAnswers:4) It is taken from Sonnet 18 by 4. ________.5) “Eternal lines” means the lines of the 5. ________ and other sonnets.6) “This” refers to 6. ________.7) It shows Shakespeare’s faith in the 7. ________ of poetry.“Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”Questions:8) Identify the author and the work.9) What kind of language can be found in this quotation10) What idea does this quotation expressAnswers:8) It is taken from Francis 8. ________’s Of Studies.9) The language is of 9. ________.10) It means that different ways of studies may exert different influence over human 10. ________.(Essay Questions)A. appropriateB. comparedC. conductsD. defineE. descriptionsF. duplicityG. embodyingH. evokesI. exaggeratedJ. illustrateK. participates L. prevailing M. reputation N. reveals O. statusP. stereotypical Q. suited R. symbolizes S. vanity T. worthinessList at least two Symbols in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.Springtime: The Canterbury Tales opens in April, at the height of spring. The springtime 1.________ rebirth and fresh beginnings, and is thus 2.________ for the beginning of Chaucer’s text. Springtime also 3. ________ erotic, love, as evidenced by the moment when Palamon first sees Emelye gathering fresh flowers to make garlands in honor of May. The Squire, too, 4. ________ in this symbolism. He is 5. ________ to the freshness of the month of May, in his devotion to courtly love.Clothing: In General Prologue, the description of garments, in addition to the narrator’s own shaky recollections, helps to 6.________ each character. In a sense, the clothes symbolize what lies beneath the surface of each personality. The Physician’s love of wealth 7. ________ itself most clearly to us in the rich silk and fur of his gown. The Squire’s youthful 8.________ is symbolized by the excessive floral brocade on his tunic. The Merchant’s forked beard could symbolize his 9. ________ at which Chaucer only hints.Physiognomy: Physiognomy was a science that judged a person’s temperament and character based on his or her anatomy. Physiognomy plays a large role in Chaucer’s 10. ________ of the pilgrims in General Prologue. The most 11.________ facial features are those of the peasants. The Miller represents the 12.________ peasant physiognomy most clearly: round and ruddy, with a wart on his nose, the Miller appears rough and therefore 13. ________ to rough, simple work. The Pardoner’s glaring eyes and limp hair 14. ________ his fraudulence.Why is the Knight first in the General Prologue to tell a tale in The Canterbury Tales1) The Knight is described first, as he is a “worthy man” of high 15. ________. The Knight has fought in the Crusades in numerous countries, and always been honored for his 16.________ and courtesy. Everywhere he went, the narrator tells us, he had a “sovereyn prys” (which could mean either an “outstanding17. ________”, or a price on his head for the fighting he has done).2) Thus, in the narrator’s eyes, the Knight is the noblest of the pilgrims, 18.________ military prowess, loyalty, honor, generosity and good manners3) The knight 19. ________ himself in a polite and mild fashion, never saying an unkind word about anyone. To some ex tent, Chaucer’s style was also influenced by the Roman literature at that time, which was 20. ________ in feudal England. The central character of Romance always was the noble knight to seek adventures. Therefore, the knight is the first to tell a tale in The Canterbury Tales.B.(Questions and Answers)Supply the missing words in the blanks of the passage on the topic. Write in the exercise book the numbers indicating the 4 divisions of the passage and the words your give.What are the reasons for Chaucer’s being honored as “the father of English Poetry”1) It usually refers to Geoffrey Chaucer whose m________ The Canterbury Tales ranks as oneof the greatest poetic works in English literature.2) Chaucer made a great contribution to English poetry by introducing from France therhymed stanzas of various types to English poetry to replace the Old English a________ verse. It was he who used for the first time in English the rhymed couplet of iambic pentameter which was later called the “heroic c________”.3) Chaucer was the f________ to write in current English language. Though drawinginfluence from French, Italian and Latin models, he did much in making the d________ of London the foundation for modern English Language.4) In his works Chaucer developed his characterization to a higher artistic level by presentingc________ with both typical qualities and individual dispositions. That is why John Dryden called him the Father of English Poetry.C.Complete the passages by filling in the blanks with the given words. Write the corresponding letters as your answers(Questions and Answers)1. What are the essential features of romance in the Medieval English literatureA. adventuresB. churchC. formD. knightE. ladyF. lifeG. lordH. natureI. proseJ. resemblanceThe romance was the most prevailing 1.________ of literature in the Middle Ages. It was a long composition, sometimes in verse, sometimes in 2.________, describing the 3. ________ and adventures of a noble hero. Its essential features are:1) It lacks general 4. ______ to truth or reality.2) It exaggerates the vices of human 5. ________ and idealizes the virtues.3) It contains perilous 6. ________ more or less remote from ordinary life.4) It lays emphasis on supreme devotion to a fair 7. ________.5) The central character of the romance is the 8. ________, a man of noble birth skilled in the use of weapons. He is commonly described as riding forth to seek adventures, taking part in tournaments, or fighting for his 9.________ in battle. He is devoted to the 10. ________ and the king.2. What is a SonnetA. conclusionB. coupletC. imagesD. octaveE. poemF. problemG. propositionH. quatrainsI. sestetJ. variationThe sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric 1. ______ in predominantly iambic pentameter, with a formal rhyme scheme. Although there can be considerable 2. ______ in rhyme scheme, most English sonnets are written in either the Italian (Petrarchan) style or the English (Shakespearean) style.1) The Petrarchan sonnet consists of an 3. ______ (an eight-line stanza), rhyming abbaabba, and a 4. ______ (a six-line stanza), rhyming cdcdcd, or cdecde—or using some other variation of the cd or cde patterns, but without a final rhymed couplet.2) The octave usually presents an idea, raises an argument, makes a 5. ______, or posesa problem. A turning point (“volta”) occurs between the octave and the sestet, and thesestet develops out of the octave by illustrating the idea in the octave, varying it, responding to it, or solving the 6 ______ it poses.3) The Shakespearean sonnet consists of three 7. ______ (four-line stanzas), rhyming abab cdcd efef, and a 8. ______ (a two-line stanza), rhyming gg. Because each new stanza introduces a new set of rhyming sounds, the Shakespearean sonnet is well-suited to English.4) The three quatrains may be used to present three parallel 9. ______, with the couplet used to tie them together or to interpret their significance. Or the quatrains can offer three points in an argument, with the couplet serving to drive home the 10. ______. 3. The following passage is taken from The Merchant of Venice. Read it carefully and find the dramatic irony it contains. Use it as an example to illustrate what dramatic irony is. “Bassanio: Antonio, I am married to a wifeWhich is as dear to me as life itself;But life itself, my wife, and all the world,Are not with me esteem’d above thy life;I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all,Here to the devil, to deliver you.Portia: Your wife would give you little thanks for that,If she were by to hear you make the offer.”A. audienceB. BassanioC. disguisedD. effectE. ignorantF. PortiaG. ridiculousH. situation1) When the 1. ________ is aware of a discrepancy between a character’s perception of his or her own situation and the true nature of that 2. ________, that is dramatic irony.2) In the given example, 3. ________, Bassanio’s newly-married wife, 4. _______ herself as the lawyer to take charge of the case. Portia herself and the audience know all this, but Bassanio is 5. ________ of it. So when 6. ________ offers in front of his 7. ________ wife to sacrifice her in order to deliver Antonio, he makes himself behave in a 8. ________ way in the eyes of the 9. ________. Thus an 10. ________ of dramatic irony is achieved. (Topic Discussion)4. Discuss briefly Hamlet's hesitation in taking revenge.A. defeatB. incapableC. intolerableD. mediumE. obligedF. questioningG. sophisticatedH. surpassingI. survivedJ. suspended1). Hamlet has none of the single-minded blood lust of the earlier revengers. It is not because he is 1. ________ of action, but because the cast of his mind is so speculative, so 2. ________, and so contemplative that action, which if finally comes, seems almost like 3. ________, diminishing rather than adding to the stature of the hero.2). Trapped in a nightmare world of spying, testing and plotting, and apparently bearing the 4. ________ burden of the duty to revenge his father’s death, Hamlet is 5. ________ to inhabit a shadow world, to live 6. ________ between fact and fiction, language and action. His life is one of constant role-playing, examining the nature of action only to deny its possibility for he is too 7. ________ to degrade his nature to the conventional role of a stage revenger.3) For such a figure, soliloquy is a natural 8. ________, a necessary release of his anguish; and some of his questioning monologues possess 9. ________ power and insight, which have 10. ________ centuries of being torn from their context.。