Poetry Quiz: 'The Going' by Thomas Hardy

What is the primary emotion expressed by the speaker in the opening stanza?

• Grief

• Bitterness

• Joy

• Indifference

How does the speaker characterise his love's departure in the poem?

• As a natural occurrence

• As a blessing

• As a betrayal

• As an adventure

How does the rhyme scheme contribute to the poem's effect?

• It creates a sense of harmony

• It adds an uncomfortable cadence

• It emphasizes the poem's joyful tone

• It has no significant impact

What shift occurs in the fourth stanza of the poem?

• A shift to anger

• A shift to acceptance

• A shift to nostalgia

• A shift to confusion

What does the phrase "dead man held on end" suggest about the speaker's emotional state?

• He feels physically ill

• He feels indifferent

• He feels relieved

• He feels emotionally devastated

What does the speaker express surprise about in the final stanza?

• Emma's beauty

• The intensity of his emotional reaction

• The passage of time

• The nature of death

Which of the following best describes the overall tone of the poem?

• Shifting between bitterness, nostalgia, and grief

• Consistently angry

• Purely celebratory of Emma's life

• Detached and unemotional

How does Hardy's use of vivid imagery in the poem contribute to its overall impact?

• It creates a sense of detachment from Emma

• It intensifies the emotional weight of her absence

• It distracts from the poem's central theme

• It portrays Emma in a negative light

What can be inferred about the speaker's state of mind from the line "Why did you give no hint that night"?

• He feels guilty for not noticing Emma's declining health

• He believes Emma intentionally deceived him

• He is confused about the sudden nature of her passing

• He resents Emma for not warning him about her impending death

What aspect of Hardy and Emma's relationship does the poem reveal?

• They had a complex, often unhappy relationship

• They were divorced before Emma's death

• They were recently married

• They had a consistently happy marriage