CHARMAINE KAY J.

GARCIA

WORLD LITERATURE
PART II- ANALYZING TEST ITEMS

General Directions: Write the letter only of your answer.

1. Gilgamesh, Mahabharata, and Aeneid are examples of _________________.

A. Metrical Romance C. A Metrical Tale
B. An Epic D. An Allegory
2. Which is not lyric poem?
A. Ballad B. Sonnet C. Elegy D. Ode
Read the poem below and choose the best answer to the questions that follow
VIII
1 Whether at Naishapur or Babylon,
2 Whether the Cup with sweet or bitter run,
3 The Wine of Life keeps oozing drop by drop,
4 The Leaves of Life keep falling one by one.

From the Rubaiyat

3. The figure of speech used in Lines 3 and 4 is _________________.

A. Personification C. Simile
B. Metaphor D. Apostrophe
4. Lines 3 and 4 suggest that life is ____________________.
A. Is short and temporary
B. Can be intoxicating and tiring
C. Can be sweet and beautiful
D. Is cruel and painful
Read the proverb and then choose the best answer to the questions that follow.

The king who tastes his kingdom like

Elixir, bit by bit,
Who does not overtax its life,
Willy fully relish it.

From the Panchatantra

5. The proverb implies that a king who rules well is one who ____________.
A. Believes he is a god enjoying his power
B. Can make his country prosperous
C. Does not exact high taxes
D. Treasures his kingdom not his position
6. The figure of speech used in lines 1-2 is ________________.
A. Personification C. Simile
B. Metaphor D. Apostrophe
Read the poem and choose the best answer to the questions that follow.

Poverty’s child---
He starts to grind the rice
And gazes at the moon.

-Basho

7. The haiku suggests the idea that ___________________.

A. Nature offers the only consolation to a lonely life
B. Life as symbolized by the rice is difficult for the child
C. Humans are lucky to see the moon on a clear night
D. Poverty makes the child feel hopeless and pitiful
Read the passage below from The Iliad and choose the best answer to the questions
that follow.

[Achilles, still very angry because Briseis is going to be taken from him, speaks to
Agamemnon after talking with the Goddess Athene who told him not to fight with
Agamemnon.]
1 “You wine sack, with a dog’s eyes, and with a deer’s heart. Never
2 Once have you taken courage in your heart to arm with your people
3 For battle, go into ambuscade with the best of the Achaians [the Greeks].
4 No, for in such things you see death. Far better to your mind
5 Is it, all along the widespread host of the Achaians
6 To take away the gifts of any man who speaks up against you.
7 King who feeds on your people, since you rule nonentities,
8 Otherwise, son of Atreus, this were your last outrage.
9 ….. And this shall be a great oath before you:
10 Someday longing for Achilleus will come to the sons of the Achaians,
11 All of them. Then stricken at heart though you be, you will be able
12 To do nothing, when in their numbers before man-slaughtering Hektor
13 They drop and die. And then you will eat out the heart within you
14 In sorrow, that you did no honor to the best of the Achaians.”

8. In lines 1-8 Achilles is saying that Agamemnon is ________________.

A. Such an ugly man inside and out
B. A drunkard, a greedy man, and a coward
C. No better than a dog or a deer
D. A worthless and an irresponsible person
9. In lines 10-14 Achilles, feeling angry, insulted and offended, predicts that without
him _________________.
A. The Trojans will be defeated by the Achaians
B. Agamemnon will die in the hands of Hektor
C. All of the Achaians will suffer a tragic defeat
D. Agamemnon will not gain fame as a hero
Identify the figure of speech used in these lines. Choose the correct answer.
10. ‘My love is like a red, red rose’
A. Synecdoche C. Metonymy
B. Metaphor D. Simile
11. ‘All eyes were on him’
A. Metonymy C. Personification
B. Synecdoche D. Hyperbole
12. ‘The setting stars weigh down our heads toward sleep’
A. Hyperbole C. Oxymoron
B. Personification D. Litotes
Read the poem below and choose the best answer to the questions that follow.
From Africa by David Diop
1 Africa, tell me, Africa
2 Is this you?
3 This back that is bent
4 This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation
5 This back trembling with red sears
6 And saying yes to the whip of the midday sun

13. The tone of the persona is ____________________.

A. Angry and bitter C. Envious and Spiteful
B. Ironic and Sarcastic D. Cautious and Fearful
14. ___________________ is the figure of speech used in line 1.
A. Oxymoron C. Apostrophe
B. Metonymy D. Litotes
15. The word ‘back’ in lines 3-5 emphasizes and suggests the ______________.
A. Hard life of the black people in working on their land
B. Suffering of Africa under the hands of the colonizers
C. Tragic consequence of being born black and poor
D. Ignorance of the Africans about their human rights
16. The word ‘back’ in lines 3-5 shows the use of the figure speech called
_________________.
A. Metonymy C. Metaphor
B. Simile D. Synecdoche
Read the passage below and then choose the best answer to the questions that follow.

It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a
gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy,
monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and
the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a
sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so
peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the
orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to
hearken the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and
there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and while the chimes of
the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more
aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as it in confused reverie or
meditation.
From The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
17. The dominant atmosphere in the passage quoted is evidently _______________.
A. Terrifying and Horrifying C. Dramatic and Suspenseful
B. Sad and Tranquil D. Tense and Exciting
18. The image that helps the most to create the atmosphere is ____________.
A. The musicians who stopped performing
B. The waltzers who paused from their dancing
C. The sound of the clock which chimed every hour
D. The older people who held their brows in confusion
19. The expression ‘the brazen lungs of the clock’ shows the use of ____________ as
a figure of speech.
A. Simile C. Metaphor
B. Personification D. Metonymy
20. The passage appeals the most to the sense of ______________ to create the
dominant atmosphere.
A. Hearing C. Smell
B. Sighting D. Touch
21. The overriding issue tackled in the epic The Song of Roland is _____________.
A. Good vs. Evil
B. God is powerful
C. Loyalty to God and king
D. Man’s place in this world
22. One of the questions which the epic Divine Comedy seeks for the readers to ponder
upon is ____________.
A. What is the purpose of life?
B. Is there heaven and hell?
C. Is there forgiveness?
D. Who is God?
23. These lines are taken from the poem ____________ by ______________.

To see the world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower;
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

A. For Once Then Something – Robert Frost

B. Auguries of Innocence – William Blake
C. The Wild Honeysuckle – Philip Freneau
D. Psalm of Life – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
24. These are all written Leo Tolstoy except __________________.
A. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
B. How Much Land Does a Man Need?
C. God Sees the Truth but Waits
D. Where Love is, There God is Also
25. Gulliver’s Travels is a kind of satire. A satire is a writing that _____________.
A. Gives a sermon or a lecture to teach people to behave properly
B. Aims to entertain and give pleasure
C. Traces the etymology of things
D. Ridicules or holds in contempt the faults of individuals or groups
PART III-ENHANCING TEST TAKING SKILLS
Read the excerpt below from a poem and then choose the letter of the best answer to
the questions that follow.
“… Palm of my hand, soles of my feet
Are peroxide blond. Friction, caused –
Foolishly, madam –
By sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black – one moment, madam! – sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears – “Madam,” I pleaded, “wouldn’t you rather
See for yourself?”

From the Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka

1. The tone of the persona in the passage is ______________.
A. Angry and Arrogant C. Sarcastic and Rude
B. Apologetic and Polite D. Respectful and Considerate
2. The lines that most convincingly support your answer are ______________.
A. Lines 1-2 C. Lines 5-6
B. Lines 3-4 D. Lines 7-8
Read the passage below and choose the best answer to the questions that follow.
Teiresias: I say thou art the murderer of the man 1
Whose murderer thou pursuest. 2
Oedipus: Thou shalt rue it 3
Twice to repeat so gross a calumny. 4
Teiresias: Must I say more to aggravate thy rage? 5
Oedipus: Say all thou wilt; it will be but waste of breath. 6
Teresias: I say thou livest with thy nearest kin 7
In infamy, unwitting in thy shame. 8
Oedipus: Think’st thou for aye unscathed to wag thy tongue? 9
Teiresias: Yea, if the might of truth can aught prevail. 10
Oedipus: With other men, but not with thee, for thou 11
In ear, wit, eye, in everything blind. 12
Teiresias: Poor fool to utter gibes at me which all 13
Here present will cast back on thee ere long. 14

From Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

3. The exchange of witty, biting dialogue in a drama just like what is in the excerpt
from Oedipus Rex is an example of _______________________.
A. Stichomythia C. Hubris
B. In Medias Res D. Hammartia
4. Teiresias reveals in lines 1 and 2 that Oedipus is the man who murdered the former
king of Thebes, but Oedipus does not know this. Everybody in the play knows that
Oedipus is the murderer except himself. Sophocles, the dramatist, used
________________ to emphasize the sad fate of Oedipus.
A. Epiphany C. Mimesis
B. Peripeteia D. Irony
5. Based on his lines, Oedipus shows his ____________ toward Teiresias.
A. Arrogance C. Pity
B. Respect D. Hatred
6. On the other hand, Teiresias looks at Oedipus with ___________ in his heart.
A. Guilt C. Pity
B. Fear D. Hatred
“I wanted
Read to try this
the excerpt andnew drink.the
choose That’s
bestallanswer
we do,toisn’t
theitquestions
– look at that
things and try new
follow.
drinks.”
“It tastes like licorice,” the girl said and put the glass down.
“I guessthe
“That’s so.”
way with everything.”
“Yes,’
The said
girl the girl.
looked “Everything
across tastes of licorice. Especially things you’ve wanted
at the hills.
“They’re
so long for, lovely
like hills,” she said. “They don’t really look like white elephants. I just
absinthe.”
meant the coloring
“Oh, cut it out.” of their skin through the trees.”
“Should
“You started we have another
it,” the drink?”
girl said. I was being amused. I was having a fun time.”
“All
“Well,right.”
let’s try and have a fine time.”
“All right.
The warmI wind
was trying.
blew theI said
beadthecurtain
mountains looked
against like white elephants. Wasn’t
the table.
“The beer’s
that bright?” nice and cool,” the man said.
“It’s
“Thatlovely” the girl said.
was bright.”
“It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,” the man said. “It’s not really an
operation at all.”
The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on.
“I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in.”
The girl did not say anything.
“I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s
perfectly natural.”

From the Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

7. The characters in the story are actually confronted with a problem. It seems that
the solution the man is suggesting is _____________________.
A. To break up C. To cool off
B. To get an abortion D. To get married
8. The expression ‘the mountains looked like white elephants’ shows the use of
_______________ as a figure of speech.
A. Simile C. Oxymoron
B. Metaphor D. Synecdoche
9. In the exchange of the dialogue, the female character is evidently ________.
A. Tired and Uneasy C. Angry and Sarcastic
B. Sad and Disappointed D. Irritable and Impatient
10. In the last part of the excerpt, the female character did not say anything to the
man’s suggestion. Her silence could mean that she _________.
A. Agrees with the suggestion of the man
B. Wants to drink more and just forget the problem
C. Is touched by the man’s concern for her
D. Realizes the sad state of her relationship with the man
11. The idea that a thing is like a white elephant means that it is ______________.
A. Precious and Rare C. Beautiful but Useless
B. Remarkable but Obsolete D. Distinct and Special
Read the poem below and then choose the best answer to the questions that follow.

Sonnet XXIX
William Shakespeare

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, -- and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From the sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings

12. In the first eight lines, the persona says that he ___________________.
A. Is poor and envious of people who have more wealth and talent
B. Feels embarrassed every time he sees the person he loves
C. Has been abandoned by God and he has no one else in this world
D. Feels shy when other people look at him with pity in their eyes
13. In the last six lines of the poem, the persona compares himself to a lark. He realizes
then that he ___________________.
A. Will remain poor all his life C. is luckier than the lark
B. Should be happy with his life D. Can be a king someday
14. The use of ‘deaf heaven’ in line 3 is an example of a ________________.
A. Metaphor C. Hyperbole
B. Synecdoche D. Metonymy
15. The use of ‘men’s eyes’ in line 1 is an example of a _________________.
A. Metaphor C. Hyperbole
B. Synecdoche D. Metonymy
Read the excerpt below and choose the best answer to answer the questions that
follow.
From The Song of Roland (#171)

Now Roland the Count feels: his sight is gone;

Gets on his feet, draws on his final strength,
The color on his face lost now for good.
Before him stands a rock; and on that dark rock
In rage and bitterness he strikes ten blows:
The steel blade grates, it will not break, it stands unmarked.
“Ah!” said the Count, “Blessed Mary, your help!
Ah Durendal, good sword, your unlucky day,
For I am lost and cannot keep you in my care.
The battles I have won, fighting with you,
The mighty lands that holding you I conquered,
That Charles rules now, our King, whose beard is white!
Now you fall to another: it must not be
A man who’d run before another man!
For a long while a good vassal held you:
There’ll never be the like in France’s holy land.”

16. The narrator is perhaps ________________________.

A. Another soldier C. A monk
B. Charles, the King D. A vassal
17. Given the description in this scene, this is the _______________ of the story.
A. Falling action C. Rising Action
B. Exposition D. Climax
18. Roland is saying good-bye to his sword in this scene. This shows the use of
__________________.
A. Hyperbole C. Oxymoron
B. Personification D. Apostrophe
19. In this scene, Roland is evidently _________________.
A. Relieved and Contented
B. Sad and Regretful
C. Angry and Bitter
D. Grateful and Happy
20. The sword is precious to Roland as shown in this scene. The sword is a metaphor
for Roland’s ______________.
A. Devotion and Loyalty to the King
B. Supremacy and Skill in Battle
C. Courage and Heroic Conquests
D. Faith and Trust in the Lord
21. The characters Kriemhild and Siegfried are found in the epic _____________.
A. The Aeneid
B. The Nibelungenlied
C. The Shah-nama
D. El Cid
22. The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd is a parody of ______________.
A. The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
B. Song to Celia
C. The Indian Serenade
D. Ode to the West Wind
23. One outstanding and distinct feature of Latin American literature is the use of
_________________.
A. The stream of consciousness technique
B. Local color
C. Magic realism
D. Flashback and flash forward
24. All are Nobel Prize winners except _____________________.
A. William Faulkner
B. Rabindranath Tagore
C. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
D. Chinua Achebe
25. The following passage is from _____________ by Yoshida Kenko.

‘Emptiness accommodates everything. I wonder if thought of all kinds intrude

themselves at will on our minds because what we call our minds are vacant?
If our mind were occupied, surely so many things would not enter them.’

A. Essays in Idleness C. Rig-veda

B. Bhagavad Gita D. The Analects