Section A Pre-1900 Poetry and Prose: Practice Questions

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, what is the name of the estate that Mr. Bingley rents, which causes great excitement for Mrs. Bennet at the beginning of the novel?

In George Eliot’s Middlemarch, the narrator describes Dorothea’s disillusionment by contrasting her initial view of Casaubon’s mind with a metaphor of physical space. Instead of the 'magnificent temple' of knowledge she expected, she finds his mental world to be characterized by which of the following?

In Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 ('Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame'), how does the speaker characterize the psychological transition from the pursuit of lust to its fulfillment?

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, what is the primary motivation for Mrs. Bennet's frantic behavior throughout the novel?

In George Eliot's Middlemarch, Edward Casaubon’s life work, the 'Key to all Mythologies,' is ultimately characterized as:

Analyse how Geoffrey Chaucer’s Alisoun in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale subverts traditional medieval "authority" by using selective biblical exegesis to defend her views on multiple marriages and female sovereignty.

In Walt Whitman's poem 'I Hear America Singing', how does the poet use the metaphor of singing to characterize the American workforce?
a) Describe the different types of labor mentioned and the mood associated with their activities.
b) Explain how the individual nature of these 'carols' contributes to a collective sense of national pride.

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the institution of marriage is explored through diverse characters with varying motivations. Discuss how Austen uses the contrast between different couples to critique the social and economic structures of her time.

Your response should address:
a) The pragmatic rationale behind Charlotte Lucas’s marriage to Mr. Collins and Elizabeth’s initial reaction to it.
b) The significance of the Bennet family's financial precariousness, specifically the 'entail,' in driving the plot.
c) How the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth represents a successful negotiation between personal integrity and social responsibility.