英美文学选读练习题

English LiteratureQuestions on The Canterbury Tales1.Lines 1-18 are the introduction to the weather. Why did the author write so manywords to describe itTo answer why so many pilgrim go to the Canterbury at the same time.2.Summarize the main idea of lines 19-34.A group of pilgrims came across at the Canterbury and go together.3.How many people are there in the group of pilgrimsThirty4.Based on Prioress’s portrait, can you give a possible reason why she isundertaking this pilgrimageShe wants to look for the worldly love.5.What details does the narrator use in describing the Prioress, and in what order 1,Facial expression2,voice 3,etiquette 4，sympathy and charity 5，appearance 6，dress 7，personal accessories..6.Why does the Wife of Bath go on pilgrimageFor husband.7.What is the “framing device” that Chaucer uses for his collection of stories Framework:a narrative which was composed for the purpose of introducing and connecting a series of tales8.The General Prologue was written in heroic couplet, analyze some of the lines.9.Please name and define five specific methods of characterization Chaucer uses inthe “General Prologue”.Appearance description：her nose was elegant, her eyes glass-gray; her mouth was very small，but soft and red. Facial description：her way of smiling was simple and coy . behavior description：Color description 夸张Questions on Sonnet 181.What are the themes of the sonnet 182.What images does Shakespeare use in order to strengthen the theme And whatkinds of figures of speech are used in the sonnet3.Analyze the meter and rhyme of the poem.Questions on Paradise Lost1.The poem opens with a long sentence. Analyze the first sentence and identify thewriter’s conception about the poem.2.Who first seduced the mother of mankind to the revolt3.How long does Satan and his peers suffer the penal fire4.How does Satan feel about being in Hell according to the poem5.Describe the condition of the Hell in your own words according to the poem.6.Write an essay about the image of Satan.Questions on The Pilgrim’s Progress1.Why is the market called “Vanity Fair”2.What is the original of the fair3.What did people in the fair do to Christian and his friend4.What does this episode symbolizeQuestions on William Wordsworth’s poems1.Identify the meter of the first poem.2.What mood does the opening simile suggest, and what change in mood occurslater on3.At what time of day is London being described in the second poem4.Which descriptive elements are presented objectively and which subjectively5.What are the themes of the third poem6.There are two images in the third poem. Identify them and analyze them. Questions on Great Expectations1.In what details does Pip describe Miss Havisham and her room2.What is Pip’s impression about Estella3.How does Estella treat Pip And why4.Analyze the characters of Miss Havisham and Estella.5.Does Pip fall in love with Estella after the first meeting And why6.There is an image in Chapter 8. Identify it and analyze it.Questions on Tess of the d’Urb ervilles1.What effect does Tess’s confession have on Angel2.Why is Angel unable to forgive Tess when she just bestowed the gift offorgiveness on him3.Why does Tess submit to Angel’s anger and take no action to win him back4.What moral differences between men and women in the Victorian period, doesthis chapter reflect5.In Hardy’s works the strong element of naturalism are combined with a tendencytowards symbolism. Identify and analyze the symbols in this chapter. Questions on The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock1.What social class does Prufrock belong to How could you tell2.When Prufrock starts talking about the “bald spot” in the middle of his head,what do you think he is worrying about3.What types of images show that people are dehumanized in modern life, andsuggest that inanimate objects are alive4.What is the effect of the Biblical allusion in the poem5.Irony is everywhere in the poem. Identify them.Questions on Araby1.How does the boy describe his feelings for Mangan’s sister2.Why does the boy want to go to the bazaar3.Why does he arrive so late4.What is the role of the boy’s uncle in the story What value and attitude does herepresent5.What kind of conflict does the boy experience in the story between him andenvironment, or between him and the adultsAmerican LiteratureQuestions on Rip Van Winkle1.What historical events did Rip Van Winkle sleep through2.Why was Rip Van Winkle so surprised when he returned to the village3.What comparison is Irving implying when he states at the end of the story thatDame Van Winkle’s death has released Rip from “petticoat government”4.How much effect did American Revolution have on daily life of the commonpeople5.Analyze the humorous elements in Rip Van WinkleQuestions on The Scarlet Letter1.Who empowers Dimmesdale to stand on the scaffold2.Why does Dimmesdale want to reveal3.Why does Chillingworth try desperately to stop Dimmesdale from confessing hissins on the scaffold4.This novel makes extensive use of symbols. How do they help develop the themesand characters in the novel5.What is the narrative point of the novel And what is the effect of the narrativepoint of viewQuestions on Sister Carrie1.How many scenes did the writer describe in this chapter Name them.2.Why does Carrie still suffer from unsatisfied desires after she became successful3.How do you see Draiser’s naturalism influencing his works in Sister Carrie4.Discuss the character of Carrie and her relationships with Drouet and Hurswood. Questions on Indian Camp1.What kind of relationship between Nick and his father does the story describeHas the relationship changed Why and how does it change2.Why did the husband kill himself3.What does the last sentence mean4.What did Nick learn from his witnessing both birth and death over one night Questions on The Great Gatsby1.What kind of parties does Gatsby give on Saturdays according to the narrator2.What kind of people would attend the parties according to the narrator3.What is your impression on Gatsby after reading the text4.What is the theme of the novel5.Analyze the symbols in this chapter.。