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Thanatopsis

Total questions: 10

Worksheet time: 5mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the theme of "Thanatopsis?"

a)

Death is a sad and lonely fate.

b)

People should embrace nature and the inevitability of death.

c)

People should fear the consequences they will face after death.

d)

Industrial advancement is the key to escaping death.

2.

Which of the following quotes best conveys the idea of embracing death?

a)

"With patriarchs of the infant world—with kings,/The powerful"

b)

"Approach thy grave,/Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch/About him"

c)

"All that tread/The globe are but a handful to the tribes"

d)

"All the infinite host of heaven,/Are shining on the sad abodes of death"

3.

What type of figurative language is used to describe the soothing qualities of nature in lines 1-16?

a)

Hyperbole

b)

Personification

c)

Metaphor

d)

Simile

4.

The tone of the poem is dreadful and ominous.

a)

True

b)

False

5.

The "innumerable caravan" is a metaphor for...

a)

Death

b)

Rebirth

c)

Nature

d)

Trains

6.

According to the author, nature is a source of comfort, wisdom, and healing.

a)

True

b)

False

7.

What is the purpose of comparing the "last bitter hour" to a "blight?"

a)

To emphasize the crippling effects of a fear of death.

b)

To emphasize the results of disease on a person's mind.

c)

To emphasize the benefits of being controlled by fear.

d)

To support being afraid of death.

8.

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

a)

Tense, agitated, stressed

b)

Matter-of-fact, stately, respectful

c)

Mournful, melancholy, bleak

d)

Calm, reflective, comforting

9.

What two ideas are compared using the similes of "the quarry-slave" and "one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him," respectively?

a)

Work and rest

b)

Industrialization and the natural world

c)

Human greed and fear of death

d)

Fear of death and acceptance of death

10.

What is the literal meaning of "to mix for ever with the elements?"

a)

Dirt becoming mud.

b)

Death becoming one with life.

c)

People mixing dirt and rocks together.

d)

The human body decomposing into the dirt.