GCE A-Level - Higher 2 (H2) · Literature in English (9539)

John Donne: selection of poems: Practice Questions

5 multiple-choice questions marked as you go, and 5 written questions with worked solutions. All on John Donne: selection of poems.

10 questions22 marksFree, no account

Question 1

1 mark

In The Sun Rising, why does the speaker chide the sun as a "Busy old fool"?

Question 2

1 mark

In A Nocturnal upon S. Lucy’s Day, the speaker claims that the death of his beloved has turned him into:

Question 3

1 mark

In John Donne's poem The Good Morrow, the speaker suggests that their previous loves before finding his current partner were merely a preparation for the present. Which of the following metaphors is used to describe this pre-awakening state?

Question 4

1 mark

In Holy Sonnets: Divine Meditations 10 ("Death be not proud"), what is the primary reason the speaker gives for why Death should not be "mighty and dreadful"?

Question 5

1 mark

Which famous metaphysical conceit does Donne use in A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning to describe the souls of the two lovers?

Question 6

2 marks

In Donne's 'Holy Sonnet 10' ('Death be not proud'), what is the logical paradox presented in the final line: \(Death, thou shalt die\)?

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Question 7

3 marks

In John Donne's poem 'The Sun Rising', how does the speaker use the concept of microcosm to challenge the authority of the sun?

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Question 8

2 marks

Identify and briefly explain the central conceit used by Donne in 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning' to describe the connection between the two lovers' souls.

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Question 9

4 marks

John Donne is renowned for his use of metaphysical conceits.

(a) With reference to the poem 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning', identify the primary conceit and explain how it illustrates the nature of the lovers' relationship.
(b) How does this compare to the portrayal of love in 'The Sun Rising'?

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Question 10

6 marks

John Donne’s Holy Sonnets often depict a turbulent relationship between the speaker and the Divine.

(a) Analyze the use of violent imagery and imperative verbs in 'Holy Sonnets: Divine Meditations 14 (Batter my heart, three-person'd God)'.
(b) Compare this struggle for spiritual certainty with the speaker’s attitude toward death in 'Holy Sonnets: Divine Meditations 10 (Death be not proud)'.
(c) Explain how Donne’s use of the sonnet form contributes to the intensity of these explorations.

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