Here are the requirements from the professor:
The one essay exam is broadly phrased and allows you to choose any of the
poems or stories you have read this term (excluding Heart of Darkness or
Apocalypse Now) as the focus for the essay. It should be approximately 200
words. I expect a strong thesis supported by evidence from the texts and what
you know about current events and today's society. I do not expect you to quote;
however, you should still provide the kind of specifics expected in an intelligent,
informed conversation.
Here is the reading list for the term:
Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”
GW Williams “An Open Letter”
Mark Twain: “King Leopold’s Soliloquy”
Claude McKay: "Outcast” (p. 241)
Langston Hughes "Theme for English B"
Gwendolyn Brooks: "Song in the Front Yard"
Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise"
W.B. Yeats “Easter 1916”
Yosano Akiko: I Beg You Brother: Do Not Die!
Rupert Brooke: “The Soldier”
Wilfred Owen: "Dulce et Decorum Est"
T.S. Eliot: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
W.B. Yeats: “The Second Coming”
Constantine Kavafy: "Days of 1908"
W.H. Auden “September 1, 1939”
I did all the questions in blocks, but this will aid you in knowing which questions
refer to which texts.
Heart of Darkness 1 -10
Apocalypse Now 11 -20
A Song in the Back Yard 26 - 28
Theme for English B 29 - 32
I Beg of You Brother, Please Do Not Die 33 - 36
Dulce et Decorum Est 37 - 40
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 41 - 51
Second Coming 52 - 56
September 1, 1939 57 - 60
Question 1
Identify the people on the Nellie.
1. A narrator, a company director, a lawyer, an accountant, and Marlow
2. A company director, Marlow, a Russian businessman, Kurtz’ fiancée
3. A helmsman, a Russian, Marlow and Willard
Question 2
Name two unusual procedures at Marlow’s physical exam.
1. The doctor gives him a blood test, and asks if there is diabetes in his family
2. The doctor gives him a psyche exam and asks if he’s ever been institutionalized
3. The doctor measures Marlow’s head with calipers, and asks if there has been
madness in his family.
Question 3
Why does Marlow call some people on the boat “pilgrims”?
1. Because they carry staves and their “pilgrimage” is to obtain ivory.
2. Because they are religious and see Africa as the holy land.
3. Because they worship greed and Kurtz is figuratively their god.
Question 4
Why does the book Marlow finds in the hut interest him?
1.
Because it explains Kurtz’ thinking and actions.
2.
Because it reflects a task planned and done well
3.
Because it is a truthful record of the Europeans in Africa.
Question 5
How does Marlow scare the natives during the fight?
1. Marlow blows the steam whistle and the natives fear the noise.
2. He pretends to be possessed by an evil spirit.
3. He fires a shot into the air, and they have never seen or heard guns before.
Question 6
Why did Kurtz write a report?
1.
Because he was instructed to chronicle his experience with the savages.
2.
Because it kept him somewhat sane to keep a journal.
3.
Because he wanted his fiancée to know the truth about his experience.
Question 7
Why does the manager disapprove of Kurtz?
1.
They are rivals for power, and the manager will do anything to get it.
2.
He thinks that Kurtz should have been more disciplined in his treatment of
natives.
3.
He believes Kurtz has done more harm than good with his unsound methods.
Question 8
Explain the irony of where they bury Kurtz.
1.
His burial in a muddy hole means he is not revered in death as he was in life.
2.
His burial in an ancient-style tomb means his methods were actually successful.
3.
His military burial at sea suggests he had a career that he actually shunned.
Question 9
What frightening sight does Marlow see outside Kurtz' house?
1.
Dead bodies hanging from trees
2.
Disembodied head on polls
3.
Bloody children brandishing machetes
Question 10
What lie does Marlow tell Kurtz’s fiancée?
1.
He tells her Kurtz regretted his actions in the Congo.
2.
He tells her Kurtz’s last words were her name.
3.
He tells her Kurtz is still alive.
Question 11
What war is being fought in Apocalypse Now?
1.
The Vietnam War
2.
The Korean War
3.
The Cambodian Civil War
Question 12
With what American sport are some of the men obsessed?
1.
Basketball
2.
Surfing
3.
Volleyball
Question 13
Where is Kurtz, and what has he done wrong, according to the U.S.
Army?
1.
He is in Cambodia and he has killed American intelligence officers.
2.
He is in North Korea and has joined forces with the communists.
3.
He is in Northern Vietnam and supports the regime was sent to overthrow.
Question 14
Why is this assassination going to be difficult for Willard, by his own
account?
1.
Because Kurtz himself is a skillful assassin.
2.
Because Kurtz is an American and a war hero.
3.
Because Kurtz is an officer of higher rank, and a madman.
Question 15
How does Willard spend most of his private time on his trip upriver?
1.
Playing music and smoking marijuana.
2.
Talking about women and life back home.
3.
Reading and learning about Kurtz.
Question 16
Which of the following best describes Captain Kilgore?
1.
Confident, unquestioning, and commanding
2.
Confident, brutal and a renegade
3.
Commanding and cruel to his men
Question 17
Why does Kilgore throw cards on the bodies of the corpses of people
killed?
1.
To show that they have been killed by Americans
2.
So that their ranks can be identified
3.
As an ironic gesture regarding fate and chance
Question 18
How does Kilgore treat the surviving women and children?
1.
Disdainfully
2.
Compassionately
3.
Perversely
Question 19
When do we first see Willard descend into the “darkness” of his own
soul?
1.
When he shoots dead the tiger who is not even threatening them.
2.
When he rapes the Playboy “Bunny.”
3.
When he shoots dead the injured woman in the boat.
Question 20
Why do we see the water buffalo sacrificed when Willard kills Kurtz?
1.
It implies that Willard is now sacrificing his own innocence
2.
It implies that Kurtz’ killing is also a sacrifice of sorts
3.
It stands for the Korean people who are sacrificed to U.S. political aims.
Question 21
To what is "Theme for English B" a direct response?
1.
The history of black oppression in the Congo
2.
An assignment given by his white, privileged professor
3.
A grade Hughes received on his previous assignment
Question 22
Why isn’t it so simple for him to just write the truth?
1.
It’s a very complicated truth
2.
It might not be something his professor wants to hear
3.
His audience might not recognize his truth as truth because they have no
experience of it.
4.
All of the above
Question 23
Who else speaks on his page, according to Hughes?
1.
His mother
2.
Harlem
3.
His professor
Question 24
Which of the following is a truth that Hughes identifies in the poem?
1.
Being black doesn’t make him not like the things white people like
2.
Being black sets him radically apart from whites
3.
All things happen for the best
Question 25
What is very American about his poem (page) according to Hughes?
1.
It is a patriotic celebration of freedom
2.
It will demonstrate that black and white lives are intertwined
3.
It records in detail the history of black oppression
Question 26
In Brook’s poem, how is the backyard different from the front yard?
1.
It’s a safe haven, fenced off from a dangerous world.
2.
It’s wild and overgrown with weeds.
3.
It’s beautifully pastoral in an urban environment.
Question 27
Who is the speaker in this poem?
1.
A young boy who identifies with his neighbors.
2.
A teenage girl who is already a prostitute
3.
A young girl who has led a sheltered life.
Question 28
With whom is the backyard associated?
1.
Elderly people who sit in their chairs waiting to die.
2.
Undisciplined and/or uncared for children and teens.
3.
Youths who are ambitious and self-disciplined
Question 29
When Angelou says “I” to whom is she referring?
1.
The black race, and especially black women
2.
Herself alone
3.
Only black women
Question 30
What is the speaker’s attitude toward oppression?
1.
She is angry and about to turn violent
2.
She is in denial
3.
She is defiantly proud and positive
Question 31
To whom is this poem addressed?
1.
Other black people in America
2.
White oppressors and bigots/racists
3.
A lover
Question 32
Why does she associate herself with diamonds and oil wells?
1.
Because she is rich in hope and self-esteem
2.
Because she values these signs of success
3.
Because she is symbolically devaluing riches
Question 33
In "I Beg of You Brother, Die" Why does the sister beg this?
1.
He is the eldest child
2.
He is the only son
3.
Both of their parents are dead
Question 34
To what kind of family does he belong?
1.
Military
2.
Political
3.
Merchant
Question 35
What is his sister’s attitude toward war?
1.
There is no honor in it.
2.
It’s should only be fought by common people.
3.
It’s not actually the concern of ordinary people.
Question 36
Who else would be heart-broken if her brother dies?
1.
His mother
2.
His wife
3.
His son
Question 37
Which of the following best describes the marching troops?
1.
Fatigued, battle-worn and demoralized
2.
Lame and blind but determined
3.
Advancing and confident despite fatigue
Question 38
In the second stanza, what happens to one of the soldiers?
1.
He falls behind the other men and gets lost
2.
He doesn’t get his helmet on in time
3.
He kills himself rather than go on
Question 39
What is the cause of the soldier's death?
1.
Grenade
2.
Friendly fire
3.
poison gas
Question 40
What, according to Owen, would we not do if we too had seen this
horrible death?
1.
Be able to sleep at night
2.
Tell the old patriotic lie
3.
Sing the national anthem with pride
Question 41
Which of the following best describes Prufrock?
1.
Self-doubting, self-conscious, literary
2.
Indecisive, incisive, and socially adept
3.
Insecure, well-read, womanizing
Question 42
He compares the evening to a patient etherized upon a table.Ó Why?
1.
This subjective description tells us a lot about him as a character
2.
He sees it as sick and insensitive to pain
3.
He imagines himself the ÒdoctorÓ who will make it healthy again
Question 43
Which of the following best describes the streets Prufrock takes us
through?
1.
shabby, littered, and decadent
2.
Reeking of sordid affairs and morning after guilt
3.
Romantic in a gothic sort of way
4.
only 1 and 2
5.
only 2 and 3
Question 44
What does mean that he has "measured out [his] life with coffee
spoons"?
1.
His life is little, rigid, and repetitive
2.
He is always caffeinated and on the go.
3.
His life is tedious but luxurious
Question 45
Why does he keep repeating: "There will be time"?
1.
He wants to convince himself this is true
2.
It's ironic because he's getting old and running out of time
3.
Because he's religious and quoting the Bible for strength
4.
Only 1 and 2
Question 46
In which of the following ways does Prufrock defeat himself?
1.
He belittles his looks
2.
He says he already knows what the outcome will be
3.
He imagines the worst rather than best outcome
4.
All of the above
Question 47
Who are the women he mentions as "talking of Michelangelo"?
1.
Prostitutes who pretend to be debutants
2.
Drag queens in a cabaret
3.
Refined, educated, wealthy and probably moral
Question 48
What does he seem to want to do when he visits the ladies?
1.
Talk about mortality and the grim truths of life b. Express his interest in one of
them c. Talk about art and literature
2.
Express his interest in one of them
3.
Talk about art and literature
Question 49
What is the difference between himself and Lazarus?
1.
According to him, they are actually very much alike
2.
He does not have faith in life after death
3.
He feels like he has already risen from death
Question 50
According to Prufrock, how does he compare to Hamlet?
1.
They are both indecisive
2.
They both have issues with women
3.
He doesn't compare. He's not the hero of a tragedy.
Question 51
Why, at the poem's end do we "wake and drown."?
1.
Because we already too caught up in the mermaids' song
2.
Because reality is too difficult to face and live.
3.
Because life doesn't compare with our fantasies.
Question 52
In Yeats' vision, what precipitates the second coming?
1.
The four horsemen of the apocalypse
2.
The rule of a horrible demagogue
3.
A world that has spun out of control
Question 53
Why is the tide "blood dimmed"?
1.
Another World War
2.
He doesn't say specifically
3.
The birth of a terrible monster
Question 54
Why does the "Spiritus Mundi" "trouble [the speaker's] sight"?
1.
Because it is powerful, destructive, and unstoppable
2.
Because it is heart-breaking in its piteousness
3.
Because he is afraid of the reckoning at the second coming
Question 55
Who is this "rough beast" and what is its purpose?
1.
A monstrous sphinx who will not save, but destroy, the world
2.
Jesus, who is now taking a different and more terrifying shape
3.
Humanity itself
Question 56
What historical event or events might have influenced Yeats' poem?
1.
WWI
2.
WWII
3.
The Great Depression
Question 57
What historical event or events might have influenced Auden's poem?
1.
WWI
2.
WWII
3.
The Great Depression
4.
All of the Above
5.
Only 1 and 2
Question 58
What kind of view is the speaker taking of current events?
1.
Historical/Political
2.
Economic/Scientific
3.
A bird's eye view
Question 59
What simple truth does the speaker know?
1.
Each language is full of vain excuses
2.
Those to whom evil is done do evil in return
3.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
4.
All of the above
Question 60
What is his comment on how we live our lives when he says, "The
lights must never go out/ the music must always play"?
1.
We must enjoy every minute while we can.
2.
We do everything not to face ourselves and our reality.
3.
He is alluding to Prufrock's visiting the women
Question 61
For this essay, you can choose to focus on any of the poems or stories
we have read (Excluding Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now).
Question: How does the poem you have chosen speak to society
today? All of these poems are over 50 years old. Do they still
reverberate in regards to today's issues? Even if you are not a
"News Junky" I am assuming you have some sense of current affairs. As
a cautionary note, I do not expect you to use the poem or story just as a
springboard to speak of current issues; rather, I want you to refer to
specifics in the literary work and then relate them to current affairs.
This essay should be roughly 200 words.
Best of luck with this - and the whole exam!
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