美国文学练习题

Ⅰ. Multiple Choices( a) 1. American Puritan values include all the following except ________.A. extravagance B thrift C. optimism D. simple tastes(c) 2. The period before the American Civil War is generally referred to as ______.A. the Naturalistic PeriodB. the Modern PeriodC. the Romantic PeriodD. the Realistic Period( a ) 3. In the following works, which signs the beginning of the American literature?A. The Sketch BookB. Leaves of GrassC. Leather Stocking TalesD. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn( a ) 4.________ is the author of the work The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.A. Washington IrvingB. James JoyceC. Walt WhitmanD. William Butler Yeats( d ) 5. Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle is famous for __________.A.Rip’s escape into a mystery.B.The story’s German legendary source material.C.Rip’s seeking for happiness.D.Rip’s 20-year sleep( c ) 6. Which of the following statements is not true about Washington Irving?A.Washington Irving is regarded as Father of the American short stories.B.Irving’s relationship with the Old World in terms of his literaryimagination can hardly be ignored considering his success both abroad and at home.C.Irving’s taste was essentially progressive or radical.D.Washington Irving has always been regarded as a writer who perfectedthe best classic style that American literature ever produced”.( a) 7. The publication of ________ established Emerson as the most eloquent spokesman of New England Transcendentalism.A. NatureB. Self-RelianceC.The American ScholarD. The Over-Soul( a ) 8. The phrase “a transparent eye-ball”compares philosophical mentation of Emerson’s. It appears in Nature.A. NatureB. Self-RelianceC. The American ScholarD. The Over-Soul( c ) 9. In 1837, Ralph Waldo Emerson made a speech entitled _______ at Harvard, which was hailed by Oliver Wendell Holmes as “Our Intellectual Declaration of Independence”.A. “Self-Reliance”B. “Divinity School Series”C. “The American Scholar” C. “Nature”(b ) 10. Which of the following accounts is not true for Ralph Waldo Emerson?A. He is the chief spokesman of New England Transcendentalism.B. Emerson is generally known as an dramatist.C. His works were usually derived from his journals or lectures he had already given.D. In Nature, he employed “a transparent eye-ball”to illustrate his philosophical discussion.( a ) 11. __________ is the most ambivalent writer in the American literary history.A. Nathaniel HawthorneB. Walt WhitmanC. Ralph Waldo EmersonD. Mark Twain( c ) 12. “There is evil in every human heart, which may remain latent, perhaps, through the whole life; but circumstances may rouse it to activity”, which of the following authors does the mention belong to? A. Ralph Waldo Emerson B. Walt Whitman C. Nathaniel Hawthorne D. Mark Twain( b ) 13. In Hawthorne’s novels and short stories, intellectuals usually appear as ____.A. saviorsB. villainsC. commentatorsD. observers( b ) 14. All of the following are works by Nathaniel Hawthorne except ________.A. The House of the Seven GablesB. The White JacketC. The Marble FaunD. The Blithedale Romance.( c ) 15. _________ is the author of The Scarlet Letter.A. John BunyanB. Daniel DefoeC. Nathaniel HawthorneD. George Eliot( c ) 16. Walt Whitman is radically innovative in the form of his poetry. What he prefers for his new subject is ________.A. blank verseB. lyrical poemC. free verseD. heroic couplet ( d ) 17. Which of the following features can not be frequently found in the poems by Walt Whitman?A. end-stopped linesB. free-flowing verseC. simple and rather crude wordsD. traditional iambic meters( a ) 18. “Moby-Dick” is regarded as the first American _______.A. prose epicB. comic epicC. dramatic fictionD. poetic fiction( b ) 19. T he giant Moby-Dick may symbolize all except __________.A. mystery of the universeB. sin of the whaleC. power of the grant natureD. evil of the world ( a ) 20. Which of the following writers is not the dominant figure of the Realistic Period in American?A. Herman MelvilleB. William Dean HowellsC. Henry JamesD. Mark Twain( b ) 21. Which of the following comments on the writings by Edgar Allan Poe is not true?A.He was the most controversial and misunderstood writer in America.B.He was positively accepted by critics and popularly among readerswhen he was alive.C.Beauty was the aim of his poetry.D.“Single-effect” was one principle of his short-story writing.( c) 22. ________ was the most controversial and misunderstood writer in America.A. Nathaniel HawthorneB. Ralph Waldo EmersonC. Edgar Allan PoeD. Walt Whitman( c ) 23. The Transcendentalists believe that nature is ennobling and the individual is divine: therefore _______.A. self-consciousB. self-defenseC. self-reliantD. self-respect( b ) 24. Which of the following works concerns most concentratedly the Calvinistic view of original sin?A. The Waste LandB. The Scarlet LetterC. Leaves of GrassD. As I Lay Dying( c ) 25. The Transcendentalists believe that, first, nature is ennobling; and second, the individual is ________.A. insignificantB. vicious by natureC. divineD. forward-looking( c ) 26. Beside sketches, tales and essays, Washington Irving also published a book on ________, which is also considered an important part of his creative writing.A. Poetic theoryB. French ArtC. A History of New YorkD. Life of George Washington( b ) 27. The Romantic writers would focus on all the following issues except the ___ in the American literary history.A. individual feelingsB. idea of survival of the fittestC. strong imaginationD. return to nature( a ) 28. Henry David Thoreau’s work ______, has always been regarded as a masterpiece of New England Transcendentalism.A. WaldenB. The PioneersC. NatureD. Song of Myself ( a ) 29. The famous 20-year sleep in “Rip Van Winkle”helps to construct the story in such a way that we are greatly affected by Irving’s ___________.A.concern with the passage of timeB.expression of transient beautyC.satire on laziness and corruptibility of human beingsD.idea about supernatural manipulation of man’s life( c ) 30. Walt Whitman was a pioneering figure American poetry. His innovation first of all lies in his use of ________.A. blank verseB. heroic coupletC. free verseD. iambic pentameter( a ) 31. Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth and Pearl are most likely the names of the characters in ________.A. The Scarlet LetterB. The House of Seven GablesC. The Portrait of a LadyD. The Pioneers( b ) 32. Which of the following writings is regarded as the first American prose epic?A. PierreB. Moby-DickC. TypeeD. Billy Budd( b ) 33. Statement ____ is wrong in describing Nathaniel Hawthorne.A.One source of evil that Hawthorne is concerned most is over-reachingintellect.B.Hawthorne is a realistic writer.C.Hawthorne is also a great allegorist.D.Hawthorne is a master of symbolism.( d ) 34. Which of the following writings is not finished by Ralph Waldo Emerson?A. NatureB. Self-RelianceC. The Over-SoulD. Of Studies( ) 35. Which of the following features cannot characterize poems by Walt Whitman?A. Lyrical and well-structuredB. Free-flowingC. Simple and rather crudeD. Conversational and casual ( ) 36. Statement _____ is not true in describing Washington Irving.A. He is regarded as Father of American long stories.B. His relationship with the Old World in terms of his literary imagination can hardly be ignored considering his success both abroad and at home.C. His taste was essentially conservative.D. He has always been regarded as a writer who “perfected the best classic style that American literature ever produced.”( a ) 37. Thoreau was often alone in the woods or by the pond, lost in spiritual communication with _________.A. natureB. transcendentalist ideasC. human beingsD. celestial beings( a ) 38. In American literature the first important writer who earned an international fame on both side of the Atlantic Ocean is __________.A. Washington IrvingB. Ralph Waldo EmersonC. Nathaniel HawthorneD. Walt Whitman( b ) 39. The American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for his “black vision’. The term “black Vision” refers to ________.A.Hawthorne’s observation that every man faces a black wall.B.Hawthorne’s belief that all men are by nature evil.C.That Hawthorne employed a dream vision to tell his story.D.That Puritans of Hawthorne’s time usually wore black clothes.( b ) 40. In ________, Washington Irving agrees with the protagonist on his preference of the past to the present, and of a dream-like world to the real world.A. Young Goodman BrownB. Rip Van WinkleC. Rappaccini’s DaughterD. The Birthmark( a ) 1 . The period ranging from 1865-1914 has been referred to as _______.A. the Age of RealismB. the Age of ModernismC. the Age of RomanticismD. the Age of Colonialism( d ) 2. Who exerts the single most important influence on literary naturalism?A. EmersonB. Jack LondonC. Theodore DreiserD. Darwin( b ) 3. Naturalism is evolved from realism when the author’s tone in writing becomes less serious and less sympathetic but more ironic and more __________.A. optimisticB. pessimisticC. humorousD. rational( a ) 4. One of the most familiar themes in America naturalism is the theme of human “__________”.A. bestialityB. goodnessC. compassionD. greed( d ) 5. Statement “__________”is not true in describing American naturalists.A.they were deeply influenced by DarwinismB.they were identified with French novelists and theorist Emile ZolaC.they chose their subjects from the lower ranks or society.D.they used more serious and more sympathetic tone in writing thanrealists.( d ) 6. ______ is consider ed by H. L. Menken as “the true father of our national literature”.A. HemingwayB. PoeC. IrvingD. Twain( c ) 7. Mark Twain shaped the world’s view of America and made a combination of ______ and serious literature.A. English folk loreB. funny jokesC. American folk humorD. American traditional values( c ) 8. The book from which “all modern American literature comes from” refers to ________.A. The Great GatsbyB. The Sun Also RisesC. The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnD. Moby-Dick( d ) 9. Mark Twain wrote most of his literary works with a ________ language.A. grandB. pompousC. simpleD. vernacular( a ) 10. Henry James’s fame generally rests upon his novels and storieswith _____.A. international themeB. national themeC. European themeD. regional theme( ) 11. In the following writers, _______ is generally regarded as the forerunner of the 20th“stream-of-consciousness” novels and the founder of psychological realism.( a ) 12. Stylistically , Henry James’fiction is characterized by ________.A. highly refined languageB. ordinary American speechC. short, clear sentencesD. abundance of local images( b ) 13. In Henry James’Daisy Miller, the author tries to portray the young woman as an embodiment of _________.A.the corruption of the New WorldB.the free spirit of the New WorldC.the decline of aristocracyD.the force of convention( a ) 14. Daisy Miller’s tragedy of indiscretion in intensified and enlarged by its narration from the point of view of ________.A.the American youth WinterbourneB.the author of Henry JamesC.her mother Mrs. MillerD.the Italian youth Giovanelli( c ) 15. Which of the following best describes the young woman in Henry James’ Daisy Miller?A.She is an embodiment of the force of convention.B.She means the decline of aristocracy.C.She represents the free spirit of the New World.D.She is reflection of the corruption of the newly rich.( d) 16. “Because I could not stop for death”is a poem written by _______.A. Ezra PoundB. Walt WhitmanC. Robert FrostD. Emily Dickinson ( a ) 17. Which of the following is NOT a usual subject of poetic expression of Emily Dickinson’s?A. War and peaceB. Love and marriageC. Life and deathD. Religion( ) 18. In “I heard a Fly buzz –when I died –”, Emily Dickinson describes the moment of death ________.A. passionatelyB. pessimisticallyC. in despairD. peacefully( ) 19. Which of the following is not a work of Emily Dickinson?A.This is my letter to the worldB.I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –C.The Road Not TakenD.Over the fence( ) 20. Theodore Dreiser is generally regarded as one of America’s _______.A. naturalistsB. realistsC. modernistsD. romanticists( ) 21. The following titles are all related to the subject of escaping from the society and returning to nature except __________.A.Dreiser’s Sister CarrieB.Copper’s Leather-Stocking TalesC.Thoreau’s WaldenD.Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn( ) 22. The greatest work written by Theodore Dreiser is __________.A. Sister CarrieB. An American TragedyC. The FinancierD. The Titan( ) 23. All the following writers are naturalists except _______.A. Jack LondonB. O. HenryC. Stephen CraneD. Herman Melville24. Closely related to Emily Dickinson’s religious poetry are her poems concerning _________.A. childhoodB. youth and happinessC. lonelinessD. death and immortality( a ) 25. “My life closed twice before its close –” is a poem written by ________.A. Emily DickinsonB. Walt WhitmanC. Robert FrostD. T. S. Eliot( c ) 26. Mark Twain, one of the greatest 19th century American writers, is well known for his __________.A. international themeB. waste-land imageC. local colorD. symbolism ( ) 27. The literary characters of the American type in early 19th century are generally characterized by all the following features except that they ________.A.speak local dialectsB.are polite and elegant gentlemenC.are simple and crude famersD.are noble savages (red and white) untainted by society( ) 28. “This is my letter to the world” is a poetic expression of Emily Dickinson’s _________ about her communication with the outside world.A. indifferenceB. angerC. anxietyD. sorrow ( c ) 29. With Howells, James and Mark Twain active on the literary scene, _______ became the major trend in American literature in the seventies and eighties of the 19th century.A. sentimentalismB. romanticismC. realismD. naturalism( c) 30. After The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain gives a literary independence to Tom’s friend Huck in a book entitled _________.A. Life on the MississippiB. The Gilded AgeC. The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnD. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court( ) 31. Generally speaking, all those writers with a naturalistic approach to human reality tend to be _____________.A. transcendentalistsB. idealistsC. pessimistsD. impressionists ( ) 32 . In the following writers, who is generally regarded as the forerunner of the 20th-century stream-of-consciousness”novels and the founder of psychological realism?A. Henry JamesB. Mark TwainC. Emily DickinsonD. Theodore Dreiser( d ) 33. ________ is not a dominant figure of the Realistic Period.A. Mark TwainB. William Dean HowellsC. Henry JamesD. Washington Irving( ) 34. Which of the following best describes the young woman in Henry James’s Daisy Miller?A.She is embodiment of the force of convention.B.She means the decline of aristocracy.C.She represents the free spirit of the New World.D.She is a reflection of the corruption of the newly rich.( a ) 35. Henry James’ fame generally rests upon his novels and stories with _______A. international themeB. national themeC. European themeD. regional theme ( b ) 36. Mark twain’s first novel _____, published in 1873, though not an artistic success, gives its name to the get-rich-quick-years of the Post- Civil War period which it attempts to satirize.A. The Age of InnocenceB. The Roughing TimeC. The Jazz AgeD. The Gilded Age( ) 37. In the literary history of America, the Age of Realism refers to ______.A. the period ranging from 1865 to 1914B. the period stretching from the end of the 18th century to the outbreak of the Civil WarC. the period ranging from 1860 to 1914D. All the above are not true.( ) 38. Stylistically, Henry J ames’ fiction is characterized by _______.A. highly refined languageB. ordinary American speechC. short, clear sentencesD. abundance of local images( ) 39. Sinclair Lewis’ Babbit presents a documentary picture of the narrow and limited _______.A. upper-class mindB. middle-class mindC. proletarianD. ordinary people( b ) 40. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is best know for Mark Twain’s wonderful characterization of _____ a typical American boy.A. JimB. HuckC. Tom SawyerD. Miss Watson( a ) 1. Ezra Pound is a leading spokesman of the ________.A. Imagist MovementB. Chartist MovementC. Modernist MovementD. Romantic Movement ( b ) 2. Strong affinity to the Chinese and Oriental literature can be found in the works of ______-.A. Mark TwainB. Ezra PoundC. Emily DickinsonD. Arthur Miller( b ) 3. “In a Station of the Metro”is regarded by critics as a classic specimen of ___.A. the romantic poetryB. the imagist poetryC. the absurd poetryD. the transcendental poetry( ) 4. In 1915, Ezra Pound began writing his great work _______, which spanned from 1917 to 1959.A.CantosB.Collected Early Poems of Ezra PoundC.PersonaeD.Hugh Selwyn Mauberley( a ) 5. “I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence: / Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.”The poem from which the stanza is taken must be _______.A.Robert Lee Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”B.Alfred Tennyson’s“Break, Break, Break”C.Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”D.Samuel Johnson’s “London”( ) 6. “And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.”It is the end of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. Symbolically, the word “sleep” may imply _________.A. a restB. deathC. happinessD. peace( ) 7. The first book Robert Frost wrote was _________.A. Mountain IntervalB. New HampshireC. A Further RangeD. A Boy’s Will( ) 8. Robert Frost was the Pulitzer Prize winner on __________ occasions.A. twoB. threeC. fourD. five ( ) 9. The founder of the American drama is ________.A. Arthur MillerB. Clifford OdetsC. Tennessee WilliamsD. Eugene O’Neil ( ) 10. The first full-length play written by Eugene O’Neil is ________.A. The StrawB. Beyond theHorizonC. Bound East for CardiffD. The hairy Ape ( ) 11. Eugene O’Neil’s The Hairy Ape explores the problem of __________ in the early twenties century.A.human disillusionmentB.the corruption of human desireC.human responsibilityD.the loss of human identity( ) 12. Among the works by Eugene O’Neil, ________ has gained its status as a world classic and simultaneously marks the Climax of O’Neil’s literary career and the coming age of American drama.A.Long Day’s Journey into NightB.Strange InterludeC.Bound East for CardiffD.The Great God Brown( ) 13. From Eugene O’Neil’s works, we can see he is ________.A. a man of optimismB. a man of PessimismC. a man of apathyD. a man of inactivity( ) 14. Fitzgerald makes great efforts in his fiction to deal with theme of the bankruptcy of _________.A. the ruling classB. the rich capitalistsC. the American DreamD. the modern civilization( ) 15. Fitzgerald’s fictional world is the best embodiment of the spirit of _______.A. the Jazz AgeB. the Romantic PeriodC. the Renaissance PeriodD. the Neoclassical Period ( ) 16. Fitzgerald wrote the following except ________,A. The Great GatsbyB. In Our TimeC. Tender is the NightD. This Side of Paradise ( ) 17. “There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars …”, the two sentences are taken from _______.A. The Great GatsbyB. Sister CarrieC. Daisy MillerD. Moby-Dick( ) 18. Which of the following comments on the novel The Great Gatsby is not true _________.A.The Great Gatsby is a novel that is set against the ending of the war.B.Gatsby is wealthy but unintelligent and brutal.C.Gatsby is a mysterious figure whose intensity of dream partakes of amind that embodies American itself.D.Gatsby is the last of the romantic heroes.( ) 19. _________is Hemingway’s masterpiece.A. A Farewell to ArmsB. For Whom the BellTollsC. The Sun Also RisesD. The Old Man and the Sea( b) 20. The first which presents a Hemingway hero – Nick Admas is ______.A. A Farewell to ArmsB. In Our TimeC. The Sun Also RisesD. The Old Man and the Sea( ) 21. _______ is Hemingway’s first true novel.A. The Sun Also RisesB. In Our TimeC. The Old Man and the SeaD. Death in the Afternoon( a ) 22. Which of the following description of Ernest Hemingway is appropriate?A.In Our Time is the first book to present a Hemingway hero—NickAdams.B.A Farewell to Arms is Hemingway’s first big success.C.For Whom the Bell Tolls is Hemingway’s masterpiece.D.A Farewell to Arms represents his climax in writing.( ) 23. “It was a big, sequarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lighted style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most selectstreet …” these sentences are taken from ________.A.A Rose for Emily by William FaulknerB.Indian Camp by Ernest HemingwayC.The Great Gatsby by F. S. FitzgeraldD.The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neil( ) 24. Which of the following best describes the protagonist of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”?A.She is a conservative aristocrat.B.She is a wealthy lady.C.She is a prisoner of the past.D.She has good taste.( a ) 25. The author of “The Sound and the Fury” is ________.A. William FaulknerB. George Gordon ByronC. F. S. FitzgeraldD. Ernest Hemingway ( d ) 26. Among the following sentences about William Faulkner, which is NOT true?A.Most of his works are set in the American South, with his emphasis onthe Southern subject and consciousness.B.Almost all his heroes turn out to be tragic.C.Faulkner has always been regarded as a man with might of inventionand experimentation.D.The Old Man and the Sea is Faulkner’s masterpiece.( ) 27. Which of the following figures does not belong to “The Lost Generation”?A. Ezra PoundB. WILLIAN Carlos WilliamsC. Robert FrostD. Theodore Dreiser( ) 28. Who, disregarding grammar and punctuation, always used “i”instead of “I” to refer to himself as a protest against self-importance?A. E. E. CummingsB. Wallace StevensC. Ezra Pound Robert Frost( a ) 29. Who is the author of the writing “The Grapes of Wrath”?A. John SteinbeckB. Eugene O’NeilC. F. S. FitzgeraldD. Theodore Dreiser( d ) 30. Two roads diverged in a yellow woodAnd sorry I could travel both …In the above two lines of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, the poet, by implication, was referring to __________.A. a travel experienceB. a marriage decisionC. a middle-age crisisD. one’s course of life ( a ) 31. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, there are detaileddescriptions of big parties. The purpose of such descriptions is to show _________.A. emptiness of lifeB. the corruption of the upper classC. contrast of the rich and the poorD. the happy days of the Jazz Age( a ) 32. Which of the following novels can be regarded as typically belonging to the school of literary modernism?A. The Sound and the FuryB. Uncle Tom’s CabinC. Daisy MillerD. The Gilded Age( d ) 33. In “After Apple-Picking,”, Robert Frost wrote: “For I have had too much / Of apple-picking: I am overtired / Of the great harvest I myself desired.”From these lines we can concluded that the speaker is ___________.A. happy about the harvestB. still very much interested in apple-pickingC. expecting a greater harvestD. indifferent to what he once desired( a ) 34. Chinese poetry and philosophy have exerted great influence over ______.A. Ezra PoundB. Ralph Waldo EmersonC. Robert FrostD. Emily Dickinson( ) 35. The Hemingway Code heroes are best remembered for their _________.A. indestructible spiritB. pessimistic view of lifeC. war experienceD. masculinity ( ) 36 In The Emperor Jones and The Hairy Ape, O’Neil adopted the expressionist technique to portray the ________ of human beings in hostile universe.A. helpless situationB. uncertaintyC. profound religious faithD. courage and perseverance( ) 37. In Hemingway’s “Indian Camp”, Nick’s night trip to the Indian village and his experience inside the hut can be taken as __________.A.an essential lesson about Indian tribes.B.a confrontation with evil and sinC.an initiation to the harshness of lifeD.a learning process in human relationship( ) 38. Which of the following statements about Emily Grierson, the protagonist in Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily”, is NOT true?A.She is a distorted personality.B.She is physically deformed and paralyzed.C.She is the symbol of the old values of the South.D.She is the victim of the past glory.( ) 39. In the following writers, who is often acclaimed literary spokesman of the Jazz Age?A. Theodore DreiserB. F. S. FitzgeraldC. Herman MelvilleD. Ernest Hemingway ( ) 40. Robert Frost combined traditional verse forms –the sonnet, rhyming couplets, blank verse –with a clear American local speech rhythm, the speech of ____Farmers with its idiosyncratic diction and syntax.A. SouthernB. westernC. New HampshireD. New England( a ) 41. In Hemingway’s short story Indian Camp, through a story of woman giving birth, the protagonist, Nick Adams, receives an education of __________.A. birth and violentB. devotion and kinshipC. racial inequalityD. charity and benevolence ( b ) 42. Hemingway’s short story A clean Well-Lighted Place manifest the theme of __________.A. idealismB. nihilismC. love for natureD. degeneration of morality ( ) 43. Which of the following best describe the speaker of T. S Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”?A.He is a man of action.B.He is a man of apathy.C.He is a man of inactivity.D.All the above are not true.( ) 44. From Eugene O’Neil’s works, we can see he is ___________.A. a man of optimismB. a man of pessimismC. a man of apathyD. a man of inactivity ( ) 45. Yank’s sense of belonging nowhere, hence homeless an d rootless. The Hairy Ape is thus a play that concerns the problems of modern man’s ____.A. loveB. homey relationsC. identityD. development。