MCQs: Sonnet to Orpheus, Part Two, XII Vocabulary

What is the flame most likely a metaphor for?

• Destruction

• Inspiration and transformation

• Anger

• Nature

What does this line suggest about the relationship between suffering and beauty?

• Suffering should be avoided

• Pain has no purpose

• Suffering can transform and radiate meaning

• Beauty feeds on joy

What is the effect of describing humans as “dancers”?

• It emphasizes disorder

• It suggests mechanical movement

• It implies graceful participation in life’s cycles

• It mocks human emotion

What poetic device is used in “You were sent out beyond your recall”?

• Simile

• Hyperbole

• Enjambment

• Personification

In the context of the sonnet, “the tree sprang up” is best interpreted as:

• A literal event in nature

• A metaphor for creation through music or art

• A memory of childhood

• A warning against growth

What theme is best supported by the lines: “Take your practiced powers and stretch them out / Until they span the chasm between two / Contradictions...”

• Human weakness

• The need for logic

• Bridging opposites through expression

• Avoiding conflict

How does the sonnet portray Orpheus?

• As a violent mythological figure

• As a divine musician capable of transforming reality

• As a symbol of war

• As a political hero

Which poetic technique is used in the line: “Be – and at the same time know what it is not to be.”

• Irony

• Juxtaposition

• Alliteration

• Euphemism

Which of the following best expresses the speaker’s attitude toward change?

• It is dangerous and must be avoided

• It is natural but unwelcome

• It is necessary and should be embraced

• It is chaotic and meaningless

What does the sonnet suggest about the power of art?

• Art is less important than reason

• Art can bridge contradictions and create beauty out of chaos

• Art cannot compete with nature

• Art is mostly for entertainment