- •Contents
- •Before the Anglo-Saxons
- •Anglo-Saxon England
- •Early Anglo-Saxon Life
- •Cultural Influences key idea Early Anglo-Saxon literature reflected a fatalistic worldview, while later works were influenced by rapidly spreading Christianity. The Spread of Christianity
- •The Development of English: Old English (450-1150)
- •Unit 2. The medieval period
- •Historical Context key idea With the Norman Conquest, England entered the medieval period, a time of innovation in the midst of war.
- •The Monarchy
- •Conflict and Plague
- •The Development of English: Middle English (1150-1500)
- •Indulgences
- •Royalty and the People
- •Ideas of the Age key ideas This period became known as the Age of Reason, because people used reason, not faith, to make sense of the world. The Age of Reason
- •A Changing Language: Restoration English
- •War with France
- •A Changing Language: Late Modern English
- •Monarchy in the Modern Style
- •Progress, Problems, and Reform
- •Cultural Influences key ideas Writers clashed over Britain’s expanding imperialism. British Imperialism
- •A Changing Language: The Birth of Standard English
- •Old English Poetry
- •Early Authors: Histories and Sermons
- •Literature Focus II. The Epic and the Epic Hero
- •French Romance
- •Reading Check
- •The Age of Chaucer
- •The Beginnings of Drama
- •Literature Focus II. The Ballad Tradition
- •Literature Focus III. Miracle and Morality Plays
- •Renaissance Drama
- •The Rise of Humanism
- •Spiritual and Devotional Writings
- •Metaphysical and Cavalier Poetry
- •Literature Focus II. The Sonnet
- •Literature Focus III. Shakespearean Drama Shakespeare’s Influence
- •Shakespeare’s Theater
- •Shakespearean Tragedy
- •Literature Focus IV. The Metaphysical Poets
- •Literature Focus V. The Cavalier Poets
- •I could not force an artificial dew [tears]
- •If it prove fair weather.”
- •The Age of Johnson
- •Literature Focus II. Nonfiction of the 18th Century
- •Other Forms of Nonfiction
- •Literature Focus III. Satire a History of Mockery
- •Characteristics of Satire
- •I sing— . . .
- •Romanticism Evolves
- •The Late Romantics
- •Literature Focus II. Romantic Poetry
- •Romantic Poetry’s Defining Features
- •Literature Focus III. Form and Meaning in Poetry
- •Literature Focus IV. The Byronic Hero
- •Characteristics of the Byronic Hero
- •The Legacy of the Byronic Hero
- •Realism in Fiction
- •Victorian Viewpoints
- •Victorian Viewpoints
- •Literature Focus II. The Growth and the Development of Fiction
- •The Novel Comes of Age
- •New Forms Emerge
- •Reading comprehension Reading Assessment I. Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Poetry
- •Comprehension
- •Written response
- •Comprehension
- •Written response
- •Reading Assessment II. Anglo-Saxon Prose
- •Comprehension
- •Reading Assessment III. Renaissance poetry
- •Sonnet 97 by William Shakespeare
- •Comprehension
- •Written response
- •Reading Assessment IV. Renaissance prose
- •From “Of Cunning” by Sir Francis Bacon
- •Comprehension
- •Reading Assessment V. Restoration prose
- •From “The Battle of the Books” by Jonathan Swift
- •Comprehension
- •From “The Poor and Their Betters” by Henry Fielding
- •Comprehension
- •Written response
- •Reading Assessment VI. Romantic literature
- •From “a Vindication of the Rights of Woman” by Mary Wollstonecraft
- •Comprehension
- •From “The Prelude, Book VI” by William Wordsworth
- •From “Hymn to Intellectual1 Beauty” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- •Comprehension
- •Written response
- •Reading Assessment VII. Victorian literature
- •From “The New Railway” from “Dombey and Son” by Charles Dickens
- •Comprehension
- •Neutral Tones by Thomas Hardy
- •From “Adam Bede” by George Eliot
- •Comprehension
- •Written response
Comprehension
Directions Answer these questions about the extract
1. From the context, what do you conclude that the word rent, in line 1, means?
A hired
B torn
C paid
D chartered
E withheld
2. Which of the following literary elements is Dickens using in the phrase Babel towers of chimneys, in lines 6–7?
A allusion
B alliteration
C simile
D understatement
E personification
3. Which of the following literary elements is Dickens using in There were a hundred thousand shapes and substances of incompleteness, in line 10?
A allusion
B metaphor
C simile
D hyperbole
E personification
4. Which of the following literary elements is Dickens using in the phrase unintelligible as any dream, in line 13?
A allusion
B metaphor
C simile
D hyperbole
E personification
5. According to the second paragraph, to what does the word earthquake, in line 1, refer?
A the effects of the unfinished railroad
B the effects of long-term neglect
C the poverty in this particular urban area
D the destruction of a prosperous urban area
E the destruction of a civilization
6. To what does the pronoun its in line 15 refer?
A civilization
B the railway
C disorder
D the neighborhood
E Staggs’s Gardens
7. In lines 26–30, how does Dickens reveal the master chimney-sweeper’s personality?
A by direct characterization
B by indirect characterization
C in metaphors
D as a symbol
E by personification
8. What can you infer from the master chimneysweeper’s actions in lines 26–30?
A He believes that the railroad will help improve commerce in Staggs’s Gardens.
B He is unaware of the railroad’s existence.
C He is in favor of the destruction of Staggs’s Gardens.
D He has never seen a railroad before.
E He assumes that the railroad will fail.
9. Which of the following literary elements is Dickens using in the phrase palaces now reared their heads, in line 32?
A allusion
B metaphor
C simile
D hyperbole
E personification
10. From the context, what do you conclude that the word penitent, in line 36, means?
A angry
B perfect
C unsure
D repentant
E vengeful
11. Which of the following literary elements is Dickens using in the phrase as if the sun itself had given in, in line 40?
A allusion
B metaphor
C simile
D hyperbole
E personification
12. What is the tone of the last sentence in this passage?
A unsure
B melancholic
C ironic
D bitter
E sympathetic
13. From what point of view is this passage written?
A first person
B second person
C third-person omniscient
D third-person limited
E ironic
14. On the basis of this passage, which of the following ideas do you think Dickens would most likely agree with?
A It was a terrible crime for Staggs’s Gardens to have been destroyed.
B The risks associated with progress far outweigh any potential benefits.
C Technological progress can bring many social and economic benefits.
D There is no such thing as progress.
E The railroads are a destructive force and have little merit.
15. What is the overall tone of this passage?
A unsure
B melancholic
C ironic
D bitter
E confrontational
DIRECTIONS Carefully read the following passages. Use context clues to help define any words with which you are unfamiliar. Pay close attention to the use of figurative language, argument, and tone. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, answer the questions that follow.