English Literature Lecture 4: Exercises

1. English Literature Lecture 4: Exercises

2. Exercises • I. Fill in each blank • 1.The 16th century in England was a period of the breaking up of feudal relations and the establishing of the foundations of ______. • 2.Thomas More wrote his famous prose work "_______" . • 3.In Elizabethan Period, ___wrote more than fifty excellent essays, which made him one of the best essayists in English literature.

3. 4._________is often referred to as "the poets' poet". • 5.Spenser is generally regarded as the greatest non-dramatic poet of the Elizabethan Age. His fame is chiefly based on his masterpiece "_______" 6."So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." Is the last line of a sonnet written by.__________________.

4. 7.In the Elizabethan Period, the greatest playwright of England is _______. • 8. Francis Bacon wrote many excellent essays, such as "_____, ____", etc. • 9. William Shakespeare's four great tragedies generally refer to "______","______","______", and "______".

5. 10.The most gifted of the university wits is _________. He produced in all six plays and several poems. • 11."Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" is one of _______'s best known sonnets. • 12."The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" is one of _______'s best plays. • 13."Of Youth and Age" is one of the essays written by ________.

6. II. Choose one or more than one suitable answers for each statement. • 1.The first person to introduce the sonnet into English literature is _____. • a. Thomas Wyatt • b. William Shakespeare • c. Philip Sidney • d. Thomas Campion

7. 2.The epoch of Renaissance witnessed a particular development of English drama. It was ______who made blank verse the principal vehicle of expression in drama. • a. Christopher Marlowe • b. Thomas Loge • c. Edmund Spenser • d. Thomas More

8. 3. At the beginning of the 16th century the outstanding humanist in England _______wrote his Utopia in which he gave a profound and truthful picture of the people's suffering and put forward his ideal of a future happy society. • a. Thomas More • b. Thomas Marlowe • c. Francis Bacon • d. William Shakespeare

9. 4.During the reign of ___absolute monarchy in England reached its summit. • a. Henry VIII b. Queen Elizabeth • c. William d. Queen Victoria • 5.English Renaissance Period was an age of ________. • a. prose and novel • b. poetry and drama • c. essays and journals • d. ballads and songs

10. 6.The greatest and most distinctive achievement of Elizabethan literature is drama. Thus appeared a group of excellent dramatists. Mainly they are _________. • a. John Lyly • b. Thomas Kyd • c. George Peele • d. Christopher Marlowe • e. William Shakespeare

11. 7.Choose the “University Wits” from the following playwrights. • a. John Lyly • b. Robert Greene • c. William Shakespeare • d. Christopher Marlowe • e. Thomas Kyd

12. 8.Choose the works written by Fancis Bacon. • a. The Advancement of Learning • b. The New Instrument • c. Essays • d. The new Atlantics • e. Venus and Adonis

13. 9. Marlowe's best plays include _____. • a. Tamburlaine the Great • b. The Jew of Malta • c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus • d. Cymbeline

14. 10.One of Ben Jonson's best-known comedies is "________”. • a. The Merchant of Venice • b. Utopia • c. The Winter's Tale • d. Volpone

15. 11. Shakespeare was the son of a ___________. • a. clerk b. landlord • c. trader d. lawyer • 12. Most of Shakespeare's best plays were written in the _______ period of his dramatic career. • a. first b. second • c. third d. fourth

16. 13.The well-known soliloquy by Hamlet "To be, or not to be …" shows his _________. • a. hatred for his uncle • b. love for life • c. resolution of revenge • d. inner conflict

17. 14."Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade" (Sonnet 18). This means that you _________. • a. are in the shadow of death • b. will die peacefully • c. are not afraid of death • d. will live forever

18. 15."Grieve not that I am fall'n to this for you;…I'll pay it presently with all my heart." (in Merchant of Venice). This shows ________. • a. Portia's love to Bassanio • b. Antonio's friendship with Bassanio • c. Shylock's cruelty to Antonio • d. Gratiano's friendship with Bassanio

19. 16.Which is the first book to contain a long discussion on the social conditions of England and shows us a realistic picture of early 16th century England? • a. The Canterbury Tales • b. The Fairy Queen • c. Utopia • d. Doctor Faustus

20. III. Paraphrase the following . • 1.To die, to sleep; /To sleep! Perchance to dream. (Hamlet) • 2.How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none? (by Duke of Venice) • 3.My deeds upon my head! I crave the law,/ The penalty and forfeit of my bond.(by Shylock) • 4.For thy sweet love rememb'red such wealth brings/That then I scorn to change my state with kings. (Sonnet 29)

21. IV.Find the relevant match from column B for each item in column A • Part I A B • 1. ( ) Christopher Marlowe a. Utopia • 2. ( ) Shakespeare b. The Jew of Malta • 3. ( ) Edmund Spenser c. The Faerie Queene • 4. ( ) Thomas More d. The Merchant of Venice • 5. ( ) Francis Bacon e. The New Instrument • 6. ( ) Ben Jonson f. The Canterbury Tales • 7. ( ) Geoffrey Chaucer g. Volpone

22. Part II • A B • 8. ( ) The Merchant of Venice h. Desdemona • 9. ( ) As You Like It i. Cordelia • 10. ( ) Hamlet j. Juliet • 11. ( ) King Lear k. Ophelia • 12. ( ) Othello l. Falstaff • 13. ( ) Romeo and Juliet m. Rosalind • 14. ( ) Henry IV n. Portia

23. V. Questions (Choose one of them) • 1.Tell what you know about the following. • 1) Shylock • 2) Portia • 2. Give a summary about the English literature in the Renaissance period. • 3. What are the characteristics of Spenser's poetry? What is Spenserian Stanza?

24. 4. What is the writing style of Bacon's essays? • 5. What did Shakespeare tell us in his comedies? • 6. What were Shakespeare's main tragedies? What did he write about in his tragedies? • 7. Make comments on the heroines in Shakespeare's comedies.