English LiteratureLecture 4: Exercises

ExercisesI. 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.

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.__________________.

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 "______".

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 ________.

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 Wyattb. William Shakespearec. Philip Sidneyd. Thomas Campion

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 Marloweb. Thomas Logec. Edmund Spenser d. Thomas More

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 Marlowec. Francis Bacon d. William Shakespeare

4.During the reign of ___absolute monarchy in England reached its summit.

a. Henry VIII b. Queen Elizabethc. William d. Queen Victoria5.English Renaissance Period was an

age of ________. a. prose and novel b. poetry and dramac. essays and journalsd. ballads and songs

6.The greatest and most distinctive achievement of Elizabethan literature is drama. Thus appeared a group of excellent dramatists. Mainly they are _________.

a. John Lylyb. Thomas Kydc. George Peele d. Christopher Marlowe e. William Shakespeare

7.Choose the “University Wits” from the following playwrights.

a. John Lyly b. Robert Greenec. William Shakespeare d. Christopher Marlowee. Thomas Kyd

8.Choose the works written by Fancis Bacon.

a. The Advancement of Learning b. The New Instrumentc. Essays d. The new Atlantics e. Venus and Adonis

9. Marlowe's best plays include _____. a. Tamburlaine the Great

b. The Jew of Malta c. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

d. Cymbeline

10.One of Ben Jonson's best-known comedies is "________”.

a. The Merchant of Venice b. Utopia c. The Winter's Tale d. Volpone

11. Shakespeare was the son of a ___________.

a. clerk b. landlord c. trader d. lawyer12. Most of Shakespeare's best plays

were written in the _______ period of his dramatic career.

a. first b. second c. third d. fourth

13.The well-known soliloquy by Hamlet "To be, or not to be …" shows his _________.

a. hatred for his uncle b. love for lifec. resolution of revenged. inner conflict

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

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 Bassanioc. Shylock's cruelty to Antonio d. Gratiano's friendship with Bassanio

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 Queenc. Utopia d. Doctor Faustus

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)

IV.Find the relevant match from column B for IV.Find the relevant match from column B for each item in column Aeach 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

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

V. Questions (Choose one of them) 1.Tell what you know about the following.

1) Shylock2) 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?

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.