SONN

ET 18 / SONN

ET 29 / SONN

ET 116 / SON

NET 130

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SONNET 18 / SONNET 29 / SONNET 116 / SONNET 130

Diagnostic and Selection TestsBritish Literature

Assessment File

Selection Test B/C

Comprehension Read each of the following questions. Then choose the letter of the best answer. (6 points each)

1. In “Sonnet 18,” the poem’s subject is different from the summer season because

A. the speaker is always unhappy near the subject

B. the subject’s life will contain intemperate days

C. the subject’s beauty will never change or fade

D. many harsh things will happen to the subject

2. What visual image does Shakespeare use in “Sonnet 18” to describe the idea of death?

A. people reading about lost beauty

B. someone walking in the shade

C. buds shaking in the wind

D. the hot sun shining

3. What does the speaker want in lines 5–8 of “Sonnet 29”?

A. enjoyment of the things that other people give

B. the friendship of many exceptional people

C. recognition for having admirable qualities

D. other people’s best features and talents

4. The remembrance of the subject’s love causes the speaker in “Sonnet 29” to

A. desire the coming of death

B. enjoy listening to birds

C. feel better about life

D. envy wealthy kings

5. Which sentence best expresses Shakespeare’s subject in the first quatrain of “Sonnet 116”?

A. Love has no obstacles and exists only when it is unmoved through change.

B. Love is found only when people live through difficult situations.

C. Obstacles give people a chance to find true love for themselves.

D. Only love that has obstacles is real love between people.

6. The speaker of “Sonnet 116” uses the visual image of the sickle, a harvesting tool, to convey the idea that time

A. makes changes in people’s lives

B. brings a harvest of roses to all lovers

C. works hard to obey Love’s commands

D. delivers all the joys of marriage with age

7. Reread lines 13–14 of “Sonnet 116.” What does the existence of the poem emphasize?

A. Time has power against human life.

B. The speaker’s marriage will never alter.

C. Doom will come as long as time continues.

D. The speaker is correct about the nature of love.

8. In lines 5–6 of “Sonnet 130,” the speaker means that his

A. mistress lacks appreciation for nature’s beauty

B. mistress’s complexion is less lovely than roses

C. compliments fail to make his mistress blush

D. mistress stays indoors too much of the time

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/ SON

NET

29

/ SON

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116

/ SO

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SELECTION TEST B/C, CONTINUED

Diagnostic and Selection TestsBritish Literature

Assessment File

Written Response Short Response On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the poems. (10 points each)

11. What is the only time in these four sonnets that the speaker is compared with an animal?

12. Explain how Shakespeare uses the rhyme scheme in the second quatrain of “Sonnet 130” to emphasize the idea in these lines.

Extended Response Answer one of the following questions based on your knowledge of the poems. Write one or two paragraphs on a separate sheet of paper. (20 points)

13. What actions do the sonnets’ speakers believe true love should inspire someone to do? Support your answer with a detail from each sonnet.

14. Challenge Choose two poems and describe the problems that the lovers encounter and how each problem is solved. Support your answer with details from the poems.

9. The subjects that the speakers describe in “Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet 130” are different because

A. one is idealized and the other has flaws

B. the speaker loves one but hates the other

C. one has the speaker’s love and the other has lost it

D. one is jealous of the other’s beauty

10. In “Sonnet 18,” the speaker assures the subject that the poem will preserve their love. “Sonnet 29” is different because the speaker

A. devotes all his skills to praising heaven

B. fails to regain faith in his writing talent

C. relies on love to preserve his confidence

D. doubts his own worth as a writer

Final ProofsTX_L12ASu02_03_Assessment.indd 92TX_L12ASu02_03_Assessment.indd 92 7/9/09 2:20:13 PM7/9/09 2:20:13 PM