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American Lit Semester A Review

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 5mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What were the Puritans' reasons for settling in New England?

a)

Their religious beliefs were the same as the Church of England; They wanted a colony that was strictly Puritan.

b)

They did not believe that living in England was suitable for them and set out for a better life.

c)

They thought that a new life away from the King's rulings would be easier than remaining in England.

d)

Their religious beliefs differed greatly from the Church of England; they were persecuted. They wanted a colony that was strictly Puritan.

2.

Identify two common themes of Native American oral literature that reflect cultural beliefs.

a)

Humans do not have a sacred bond with the animals they hunt and selfish acts are punished

b)

Humans have a sacred bond with the animals they hunt and selfish acts are punished.

c)

Humans have a sacred bond with the animals they hunt and selfish acts are not punished.

d)

Humans do not have a sacred bond with the animals they hunt and selfish acts are not punished.

3.

What point of view did Captain John Smith's journals represent and what was his purpose?

a)

Smith's journals were meant for himself only. He wanted to remember his experiences.

b)

Smith's journals described Virginia in little detail.

c)

Smith's journals described Virginia and life there to promote his points of view that colonizing the New World was good for England.

d)

Smith's journals were very descriptive and detailed the terrible conditions in the New World.

4.

What was the foundational document written during the build-up to the Revolutionary War?

a)

The Bill of Rights

b)

The Articles of Confederation

c)

The Constitution

d)

The Declaration of Independence

5.

What earned Patrick Henry his fame early in his political career?

a)

His use of rhetoric

b)

His 1765 speech in response to the Stamp Act

c)

His letters

d)

His work as a lawyer

6.

What elements did Phillis Wheatley borrow from the poetic style of her day?

a)

Formal language

b)

Formal language and inverted word order

c)

Formal language, inverted word order, and religious themes

d)

Inverted word order and religious themes

7.

What was Thoreau’s outlook on life?

a)

Thoreau believed that it mattered not only what we do or create but also how we live. Living well can be an art.

b)

Thoreau believed that only what we do and create matter.

8.

Which theme is most associated with literature written during the Romantic era?

a)

Logical reasoning and intellect were key to a simple lifestyle.

b)

Reason and intellect were more of a focus than the power and value of emotion. A complex lifestyle.

c)

The power and value of emotion, compared to reason and intellect. A simple, self sufficient lifestyle.

9.

What were Ralph Waldo Emerson's ideas about nature?

a)

Neither option is correct

b)

Emerson believed that the natural world was a kind of gateway to self-understanding and to larger spiritual truths.

c)

Nature reveals spiritual truths to us when we pay close attention to it.

d)

Both options are correct

10.

How did Gothic literature differ from Romantic Literature?

a)

It emphasized the darker, less noble aspects of human nature, yet still focused on the impact of positive emotions.

b)

It emphasized the darker, less noble aspects of human nature such as the strong impact of negative emotions.

c)

It celebrated the triumph of irrationality over rationality, and the positive aspects of human nature.

11.

Pearl, a key character in The Scarlet Letter, does not seem like a real child, but instead appears to be a symbol, though she symbolizes different things to different people. What does Pearl symbolize to Dimmesdale and what does she symbolize to the Puritan Society?

a)

She symbolizes evil to both Dimmesdale and society

b)

She symbolizes renewed life to Dimmesdale but evil to society

c)

She symbolizes Dimmesdale's guilty conscience and is symbolic of evil to society

d)

She symbolizes renewed life to Dimmesdale and redemption to society

12.

What Gothic element appears in both "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee," two poems by Edgar Allan Poe?

a)

Both poems deal with the death of beautiful, beloved women.

b)

Both poems deal with the death of beautiful, beloved men.

c)

Both poems deal with the life of beautiful, beloved women.

d)

Both poems deal with the life of beautiful, beloved men.

13.

What device does Nathaniel Hawthorne use throughout The Scarlet Letter to encourage readers to think carefully and critically about the novel's meaning?

a)

Symbolism

b)

Irony

c)

Motifs

d)

Textual Ambiguity

14.

Which author saw the beauty in the flaws as well as the perfections in the country and its people; he is the key figure in the transition from Romanticism to Realism.

a)

Emerson

b)

Whitman

c)

Thoreau

d)

Hawthorne

15.

Which type of poetry involved experimentation?

a)

Contemporary

b)

Romantic

c)

Gothic

d)

Realist