Hamlet 1
Frankenstein 1
Poetry
Hamlet 2
Frankenstein 2
Short stories
100
Who is the ghost that appears in the beginning of the play?
Hamlet's dead father, Hamlet Sr.
100
Which literary movement emphasized emotion, nature, and individual experience as a reaction against industrialization?
Romanticism
100
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
A simile makes an explicit comparison between two different things using "like" or "as" (e.g., "brave as a lion")
A metaphor makes a direct, implicit comparison, stating one thing is another without those words (e.g., "He is a lion").
100
What is Hamlet's attitude towards women?
Very negative - he thinks they are the reason for his misfortunes, that they are not trustworthy, etc.
100
In which year was the novel was first published, at the height of Romantic literature?
in 1818
100
What fell on the father in the short story "A shocking Accident" and why?
A pig - it got too heavy for the balcony where it lived in Naples
200
Which historical period emphasized humanism, classical learning, and individual thought, all reflected in Hamlet’s education and language?
The Renaissance
200
Which city is Victor from? In which university city did Victor become obsessed with natural philosophy and begins his fatal experiment?
Geneva, Ingolstadt
200
Who was Mary Shelley's husband and which poem that we looked did he write?
Percy Shelley, Ozymandias
200
Which English monarch ruled during Shakespeare’s career and shaped cultural anxieties about succession and legitimacy?
Queen Elizabeth I
200
Victor Frankenstein resembles which mythological figure who is punished for giving forbidden knowledge to humans? What was the forbidden knowledge given by the mythological figure?
Prometheus, fire
200
Which short story and poem shared the same title? Why? Who wrote the poem and who wrote short story?
"There Will Come Soft Rains"
They share similar themes of humans and war vs. nature, but also the poem is included in the short story
Poem - Sarah Teasdale, short story - Ray Bradbury
300
Which religious conflict helps explain Hamlet’s anxiety about suicide and the afterlife? Who and what started this religious conflict?
The tension between Catholicism and Protestantism.
Henry the VIII started it when he left the Catholic church so that he could divorce his first wife, Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn in hopes of having a male heir.
300
Frankenstein blends Romantic ideals with which related but darker literary genre focused on fear and the supernatural?
Gothic Romanticism
300
What do the daffodils represent in the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"?
The daffodils also represent nature's incredible capacity for beauty, and its ability to manifest that beauty in subtle and innovative ways.
The poem's implicit argument is that people should take more notice of nature—that they should take their time, look more closely, and marvel at the natural world's incredible variety of forms.
300
Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? What do they do? What happens to them?
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are childhood friends of Hamlet. They are invited by Claudius to spy on him to find out what is wrong with him. Hamlet feels betrayed by them and sends them to their death in England.
300
Which scientific theory about reanimating dead tissue fascinated Shelley and inspired Victor’s experiment.
Galvanism
300
What day and where does the story "There Will Come Soft Rains" take place?
August 4th, 2026 in (Allendale) California
400
Hamlet’s famous question “To be, or not to be” reflects which philosophical concern?
the meaning of existence (or suicide / mortality)
400
The Creature learns to read by studying which three books and which of these books deeply influenced the Creature in his understanding of human suffering and injustice?
Plutarch’s Lives, The Sorrows of Young Werther, *Paradise Lost*
400
What's the difference between "theme", "motif", and "symbol"?
Theme: the central idea, message, or insight that a poem explores, the deeper meaning — what the poem is about on a conceptual level.
Motif: a repeated image, idea, or element that helps to reinforce the theme, a thread that runs through the poem (or a group of poems), adding cohesion and depth.
Symbol: a specific object, image, or word that stands for a larger idea or concept more concrete than a motif
400
In a literary sense, what is the purpose of Laertes' character in Hamlet, in reference to the character of Hamlet? Can you give an example of this literary concept?
Laertes' is Hamlet's "foil" meaning that the purpose of Laertes's character is to highlight all the characteristics and things that Hamlet does not have,
For example: Laertes acts immediately and impulsively, contrasting sharply with Hamlet's prolonged hesitation, contemplation, and moral struggles, making Laertes a decisive man of action versus Hamlet's man of thought, thereby emphasizing Hamlet's internal conflict
400
Which repeated image symbolizes isolation and emotional coldness experienced by multiple characters throughout the book?
Ice or cold landscapes
400
In Chopin's story "Story of an Hour", what abstract concept does the “open window” symbolize?
Freedom or independence for the protagonist, Louise
500
Which play-within-a-play is used to test the king’s guilt and what happens during this play?
The Murder of Gonzago, which Hamlet calls "The Mousetrap".
The performance staged by traveling actors to confirm King Claudius's guilt for murdering Hamlet's father by mirroring the crime, prompting Claudius to react and reveal his conscience
500
What are the main themes in Frankenstein?
(name five correct ones, get 100 pts for each)
Dangerous Knowledge,
Sublime Nature,
Family & the Role of Parental Responsibility,
Isolation and Alienation,
The Consequences of Ambition,
Literal and Metaphorical Monstrosity,
The Destructive Nature of Secrecy,
The Vital Role of Communication,
The Nature of Goodness
500
What is the meter of this line called and what are its special feature?
"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?"
Iambic pentameter = 5 iambs = 10 syllables per line, alternating unstressed/stressed.
“Shall I | comPARE | thee TO | a SUM | mer’s DAY”
500
Ophelia’s descent into madness is marked by the use of which symbolic items?
Flowers- she goes around giving everyone flower, each has its own meaning for each person
Rosemary for remembrance (Polonius),
pansies for thoughts, fennel for flattery (Claudius/Gertrude),
columbine for ingratitude/adultery (Claudius/Gertrude),
rue for repentance (herself/Gertrude),
daisy for lost innocence,
and violets (withered) for faithfulness.
All convey her disillusionment and impending tragedy.
500
Where does Victor destroy the female creature?
The Orkney Islands in Scotland
500
What are the main overlapping themes in all three short stories that we read this semester?
Death (triviality/absurdity)
Family
Love