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Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

Total questions: 30

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What type of poem is this?

a)

Sonnet

b)

Ballad

c)

Haiku

d)

Rap

2.

Shakespeare says the subject will live on forever in his "eternal lines." What does this mean?

a)

People will read about her in his poems

b)

She will die and go to heaven

c)

She will fall out of line

d)

People will know her because of her beauty

3.
What does "Rough winds shake the darling buds of May" mean?
a)
strong winds destroy spring flowers
b)
Strong winds cannot touch the flowers
c)
Strong winds don't stand a chance against his love
4.
What is the metaphor in Sonnet 18?
a)
Comparing Shakespeare to his beloved
b)
Comparing his beloved to a summer's day
c)
Comparing Shakepeare to a summer's day
d)
Comparing his beloved to time
5.
The couplet in a Shakespearean Sonnet is there to
a)
explain the main theme and summarize the sonnet 
b)
extended the poem's metaphor
c)
provide a twist or conflict
d)
leave the reader with a lasting image
6.
In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare does all of the following except
a)
compare a persona favorably to a certain moment of the year
b)
assure the person addressed of some sort of immortality
c)
pay someone some very flattering compliments
d)
suggest that poetry is more interesting than most people
7.
A sonnet contains _____ lines. 
a)
12
b)
4
c)
14
d)
16
8.
The last 'part' of a sonnet contains ____ lines 
a)
1
b)
2
c)
3
d)
4
9.
The first 'part' of a sonnet contains ____ lines. 
a)
4
b)
3
c)
2
d)
1
10.
Shakespeare's sonnet 18 compares a girl to..
a)
spring day
b)
summer's day
c)
nature
d)
his heartbeat 
11.
Shakespeare says his mistress will live on forever in his "eternal lines." What does this mean?
a)
People will read about her in his poems 
b)
She will die and go to heaven 
c)
She will fall out of line
d)
People will know her because of her beauty 
12.
What poetic device is used in the following line of Sonnet 18: "Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade" (Hint: Death is bragging!)
a)
Metaphor
b)
Personification
c)
Hyperbole
d)
Alliteration
13.
In Sonnet 18, the "eye of heaven" refers to the
a)
Friend's eye
b)
Sky
c)
Sun
d)
Moon
14.
In effect, in Sonnet 18, Shakespeare assures the person addressed that death
a)
is easily avoided and defeated
b)
remains the enemy of seasons but not of youth
c)
can be defeated by literary immortality
d)
in a sense can be frustrated by those who die young
15.

What does Sonnet 18 start with?

a)

A question

b)

A couplet

c)

Blank Verse

d)

Uneven rhyme

16.

Which of the following best describes a theme of the sonnet?

a)

Nature is indifferent to mankind and is often cruel and punishing.

b)

Love is like the natural world in that it often changes and grows with time.

c)

Love is grander and more enduring than what it is often compared to.

d)

Love is the surest way to find happiness in life and the afterlife.

17.

Which of the following best describes the effect of the use of figurative language in the poem?

a)

The speaker uses metaphors to compare his beloved to the summer, and criticizes the summer for being harsh and fleeting.

b)

The speaker personifies the sun, and makes it appear like the sun is a friendly individual who one would want to be compared to.

c)

The speaker personifies death to create conflict as he battles death for his beloved.

d)

The speaker uses high diction throughout the poem, and makes his relationship to his beloved appear informal.

18.

Which of the following best describes the function of “Time” in the poem?

a)

The speaker declares that his beloved’s loveliness will live on forever through his poetry, unlike the short-lived summer season.

b)

The speaker laments the fleeting nature of summer, as it is his favorite season and he wishes its warmth and brightness could last longer.

c)

The speaker explains that he loves his beloved more than he adores the summer because his beloved can love him back.

d)

The speaker admits that although his beloved’s beauty will fade with time, his love will not fade.

19.

In the first four lines, the speaker claims that the person to whom he is speaking:

a)

enjoys summer days more than any other season

b)

is not quite as nice as a typical summer day

c)

has several qualities that make them similar to a summer day

d)

is better than a summer day in several ways

20.

Which of the following best describes how the speaker describes summer in the beginning?

a)

too hot and ever-changing

b)

warm and lovely

c)

beautiful yet cruel

d)

uneventful yet pleasant

21.

At the end of the poem, the speaker says that the person they are addressing is unlike summer in that:

a)

they will fade away, while summer comes back each year

b)

they are brighter than the summer sun

c)

they are warmer than the summer heat

d)

they will live on eternally in the speaker’s writing

22.

What is Shakespeare saying about summer in lines 3, 4, 5 and 6 of his poem?

a)

It is too hot and can make you uncomfortable.

b)

The season is windy and begins too early.

c)

The weather is not perfect or lasting.

d)

Summer is the best season.

23.

What is the intention of Shakespeare comparing his love to a summer’s day?

a)

To show that he loves both his lady and the season of summer equally.

b)

To show that she is more beautiful than summer and his love will last.

c)

To demonstrate that his love is going to fade just like summer.

d)

To convey that she could never be as good as summer.

24.

In line 5, the phrase “the eye of heaven” is a:

a)

Simile

b)

Metaphor

c)

Idiom

d)

Assonance

25.

What is the rhyme scheme for this poem

a)

ABCD

b)

ABAB

c)

ABBA

d)

BABA

26.

Complete the rhyme scheme

a)

A

B

b)

B

A

c)

A

A

d)

B

B

27.

Complete the rhyme scheme

a)

A

A

b)

A

B

c)

B

B

d)

B

A

28.
The rhyme scheme in this stanza is __________________ 
"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red, than her lips red:
If snow be white, why then her breasts be dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. 
a)
AABB
b)
ABABA
c)
ABAB
d)
ABBA 
29.
What are English sonnets often called, and why?
a)
Shakespearean, because he created that sonnet. 
b)
Shakespearean, because he is the only published poet we have of sonnets.
c)
Shakespearean, because he is the most well-known sonnet writer. 
d)
Petrarchan, because he created the sonnet. 
30.

A fourteen line lyric poem that has a rhyme scheme according to its type.

a)

Epic

b)

Narrative Poem

c)

Sonnet

d)

Limerick