American Literature历年试题汇集

American Literature Chap1

1.The Romantic writers would focus on all the following issues EXCEPT the ___ in the American literary histrory. A.individual feelings B.idea of survival of the fittest C.strong imagination D.return to nature 2.American ―Transcendentalists most typically believe that . [A]man is divine in name [B]art is superior to life [C]man can transform nature [D]poetry is the highest form of art

3.Which group of writers are among those who may be called early pioneers of American literature? [A]Mark Twain and Henry James.

[B]Fenimore Cooper and Washington lrving. [C]Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner [D]Jack London and O‘Henry.

4.The hightide of Romanticism in American literature occurred around . [A]1820 [B]1850 [C]1880 [D]1920

5.The Romantic Writers would focus on all the following issues EXCEPT the（ ）in the American literary history. A. individual feeling B. survival of the fittest C. strong imagination D. return to nature 6. Which of the following works best illustrates the Calvinistic view of original sin? A. Stowe‘s Uncle Ton’s Cabin B. James‘s The Portrait of a Lady. C. Hemingway‘s A Farewell to Arms D. Hawthorne‘s The Scarlet Letter. 7.Which of the following statements is NOT true of American Transcendentalism? A．It can be clearly defined as a part of American Romantic literary movement.

B．It can be defined philosophically as ―the recognition in man of the capacity of knowing truth intuitively‖. C．Ralph Waldo Emerson was the chief advocate of this spiritual movement. D．It sprang from South America in the late 19th century.

8.In the American Romantic writings,______ came to function almost as a dramatic character that symbolized moral law. A. fire B. water C. trees D. wilderness

9.The fiction of the American _____ period ranges from the comic fables of Washing-ton Irving to the social realism of Rebecca Harding Davis.

A. Romantic B. Revolutionary C. Colonial D. Modernistic

10.A preoccupation with the Calvinistic view of _____ and the mystery of evil marked the works of Hawthorne, Melville and a host of lesser writers.

A. love and mercy B. bitterness and hatred C. original sin D. eternal life 11.The desire for an escape from society and a return to ______ became a permanent convention of the American literature.

A. the family life B. nature C. the ancient time D. fantasy of love

12.The Romantic Period, one of the most important periods in the history of American literature, stretches from the end of ______________ to the outbreak of ____________.

A．the 17th century…the American War of Independence B．the 18th century…the American Civil War C．the 17th century…the American Civil War D．the 18th century…the U.S. – Mexican War 13.Being a period of the great flowering of the American literature,the Romantic period is also called ―_________‖. A.the American Enlightenment B.the American Renaissance

C.the American Optimistic Movement D.the American Literature Revolution

14. The desire for an escape from _______ and a return to ______ became a permanent convention of the American literature. A.the outside…the family life B.the family life …the outside C.nature…society D.society…nature

论述题15.The most clearly defined literary movement in Romantic period is New England Transcendentalism. Please make a comment on this philosophical and literary school. I.Washington Irving

1.______________ has always been regarded as a writer who ―perfected the best classic style that American Literature ever produced‖. A．Edgar Ellen Poe B．Walt Whitman C．Henry David Thoreau D．Washington Irving

2.The famous 20-years 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 time B.expression of transient beauty C.satire on laziness and corruptibility of human beings D.idea about supernatural manipulation of man's life 3.Which of the following statements about Washington Irving is NOT true? A. Literary imagination should breed in a land rich in the past culture.

B. He is preoccupied with the Calvinistic view of original sin and the mystery of evil. C. His stories are among the best of the American literature.

D. Some of his works are based on the materials of the European legendary tales.

4.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 Brown‖ B.―Rip Van Winkle‖ C. ―Rappaccini‘s Daughter‖ D.―Bartleby, the Scrivener

5.In American literature the first important writer who earned an international fame on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean is_______. A. Washington Irving B. Ralph Waldo Emerson C. Nathaniel Hawthorne D. Walt Whitman 6.The theme of Washington Irving‘s Rip Van Winkle is ______________. A．the conflict of human psyche B．the fight against racial discrimination C．the familial conflict D．the nostalgia for the unrecoverable past 7._________is worth the honor of being ―the American Goldsmith‖ for his literary craftsmanship. A.Walt Whitman B.Nathaniel Hawthorne C.Washington Irving D.Ralph Waldo Emerson

8.―God knows,…I'm not myself—I'm somebody else—…and I'm changed,and I can't tell what's my name,or who I am.‖ Questions:

A.Identify the work and the author.

B.The speaker says he is changed.Do you think he is changed, or the social environment has changed? C.What idea does the quoted sentence express?

9.(简答题)What is generally the view Washington lrving expressed in his ―Rip Van Winkle‖ about the radical changes that happened to the

American society in his time? II.Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Which of the following is NOT one of the main ideas advocated by Emerson, the chief spokesman of New England Transcendentalism? A. As an individual, man is divine and can develop and improve himself infinitely. B. Nature exercises a healthy and restorative influence on human beings.

C. There exists an emotional communication between an individual soul and the universal ―Oversoul.‖ D. Evil and sin are ever present in human heart and will pass on from one generation to another.‖

2.Henry David Thoreau's work,__,has always been regarded as a masterpiece of New England Transcendentalism. A.Walden B.The pioneers C.Nature D.Song of Myself

3.―Standing on the bare ground,—my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space ,—all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball. I am nothing. I see all. The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.‖ The above passage is taken from ______. A. Stowe‘s Uncle Tom’s Cabin B. Cooper‘s ―Leatherstocking Tales‖ C. Emerson‘s ―Nature‖ D. Dreiser‘s Sister Carrie

4.The unofficial manifesto for the Transcendental Club was ______________, Emerson‘s first little book, which established him ever since as the most eloquent spokesman of New England Transcendentalism.

A．The American Scholar B．Self— reliance C．Nature D．The Over—Soul 5.Most people consider_______an unofficial manifesto for the ―Transcendental Club‖. A.Nature B.Self-Reliance C.The American Scholar D.The Dial

6.Emerson rejected both the fomal religion of the churches and the Deistic philosophy instead he based his religion on an intuitive belief in an ultimate unity ,which he called the ―_____‖.

A.over-soul B.super-man C.godly man D.intuitive 7.Walden is a ________. A. Transcendentalist work B. epic in prose C. lyric poem D. short story

8. (简答题)Nature is a philosophic work, in which Emerson gives an explicit discussion on his idea of the Qversoul.What is your

understanding of Emersonian ―Oversoul‖? III．Nathaniel Hawthorne

1.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 2. Hawthorne intended to ______ in The Scarlet Letter. A．tell a story of parental love B．tell a story of sin and bloody violence C．call the readers back to the plantation way of living D．reveal the human psyche after they sinned

3. The Birthmark drives home symbolically ______ point that evil is a man's birthmark, something he was born with. A. Whitman's B. Melville's C. Hawthorne's D. Emerson's

4. Nathaniel Hawthorne held an unceasing interest in the ―interior of the heart ‖of man‘s being. So in almost every book he wrote, Hawthorne discusses______________. A．love and hatred B．sin and evil C．frustration and self—denial D．balance and self—discipline

5.In Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne, the name of Goodman Brown‘s wife is _____, which also contains many symbolic meanings. A．Ruth B．Hester C．Faith D．Mary

6.Which one of the following statements about Hawthorne‘s The Scarlet Letter is true? A.Hawthorne intended to tell a love story in this novel B.Hawthorne intended to tell a story of sin in this novel

C. Hawthorne intended to reveal the human psyche after they sinned,so as to show people the tension between society and individuals.

D.Hawthorne focused his attention on consequences of the sin on the people in general,so as to call the readers back to the conventional Puritan way of living

7.The Birthmark drives home symbolically Hawthorne‘s point that ―______‖is man‖s birthmark,something he is born with. A.goodness B.gratefulness C.evil D.bitternes

8.Like Nathaniel Hawthorne,_______also manages to achieve the effect of ambiguity through symbolism and allegory in his narratives. A. Mark Twain B. Henry James C. R. W. Emerson D. Herman Melville 9.Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth and Pearl are most likely characters in______. A. The House of the Seven Gables B. The Scarlet Letter C. The Portrait of a Lady D. The Pioneers

10.Hawthorne was not a Puritan himself, but his view of man and human history originates, to a great extent, in_______. A. Calvinism B. Puritanism C. Realism D. Naturalism 11. Hawthorne generally concerns himself with such issues as in his fiction. [A]the evil in man‘s heart [B]the material pursuit [C]the racial conflict [D]the social inequality

12.In many of Hawthorne‘s stories and novels, the Puritan concept of life is condemned, or the Puritan past is shown in an almost totally negative light, especially in his ______ and The Scarlet Letter.

A．Twice-Told Tales B．The Blithedale Romance C．The Marble Faun D．The House of the Seven Gables 13.After his experiences in the forest, Young Goodman Brown returns to Salem ______. A. desperate and gloomy B. renewed in his faith C. wearing a black veil D. unaware of his own sin 14.―?Faith! Faith!‘cried the husband. ?Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One.‘‖ Questions:

A. Identify the work and the author.

B. What idea does the quoted sentence express?

15.（简答题）The theme of Hawthron‘s ―The Scarlet Letter‖

16. (论述题)―My faith is gone!‖ cried he (Goodman Brown), after one stupefied moment. ―There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil! For to thee is this world given.‖

Comment on this passage from Hawthorne‘s ―Young Goodman Brown‖. IV．Walt Whitman

1. Whitman‘s poems are characterized by all the following features EXCEPT ______ . A. the strict poetic form B. the free and natural rhythm C. the easy flow of feelings D. the simple and conversational language 2. By means of ―_____,‖ Whitman believed, he has turned the poem into an open

field, an area of vital possibility where the reader can allow his own imagination to play.

A. balanced structure B. free verse C. fixed verse D. regular rhythm

3.Walt Whitman is a poet with a strong sense of mission, having devoted all his life to the creation of the ―single‖ poem, ______. A．The Love Song of J．Alfred Prufrock B．The Waste Land C．Murder in the Cathedral D．Leaves of Grass 4.Whitman‘s poems are characterized by all the following features except . [A]a strict poetic form [B]a simple and conversational language [C]a free and natural rhythmic pattern [D]an easy flow of feelings

5.As ______ saw it, poetry could play a vital part in the process of creating a new nation. It could enable Americans to celebrate their release from the Old World and the colonial rule.

A．Wordsworth Longfellow B．William Bryant C．Walt Whitman D．Robert Frost

6.Walt whitman was a pioneering figure of American poetry. His innovation first of all lies in his use of __,poetry without a fixed beat or

regular rhyme scheme.

A.blank verse B.heroic couplet C.free verse D.iambic pentameter 7. Walt Whitman, whose ______________ established him as the most popular American poet of the 19th century. A．Leaves of Grass B．Go Down, Moses C．The Marble Faun D．As I Lay Dying

8. ―Cavalry Crossing a Ford‖ by Whitman reminds its readers of a picture,or a photo of a scene of_________. A.the American War of Independence B.the Westward Movement C.the U.S.-Spanish War D.the American Civil War

9. Walt Whitman prefers for his new subject and new poetic feelings is ―______ ,‖ that is, poetry without a fixed beat or regular rhyme scheme.

A. blank verse B. free rhythm C. balanced structure D. free vers

10. Which of the following statements might be true of the theme of Song of Myself by Whitman?

A．This poem describes the growth of a child who learned about the world around him and improved himself accordingly.

B．This poem shows the author‘s cynical sentiments against the American Civil War. C．This poem reflects the author‘s belief in Unitarianism or Deism.

D．This poem reflects the author‘s belief in the singularity and equality of all beings in value.

11._________believed he had turned the poem into an open field,an area of vital possibility where the reader could allow his own imagination to play.

A.Whitman B.Paine C.Pound D.Longfellow 12. There was a child went forth every day,

And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became,

And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day, Or for many years or stretching cycles of years. Questions:

A. Identify the poet.

B.From which poem and which collection of the poet are these lines taken? C.What does the poet describe in the poem? 13.―I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

I loafe and invite my soul,

I learn and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.‖ (from Walt Whitman‘s ―Song of Myself‖) Questions:

A．Whom does ―myself‖ refer to?

B．How do you understand the line ―I loafe and invite my soul‖? C．What does ―a spear of summer grass‖ indicate?

简答题:14.Whitman has made radical changes in the form of poetry by choosing free verse as his medium of expression. What are the characteristics of Whitman‘s free verse? 15．Whitman is one of the representative poets in American.He employs brand-new means in his poetry. What are the features of his poetry? V.Herman Melville

1. Herman Melville wrote his semi-autobiographical novel ______ concerning the sufferings of a genteel youth among brutal sailors. A．Typee B．Redburn C．Moby-Dick D．Mardi

2.―Then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago.‖ In the quoted sentence, the author might imply that ______.

A. nothing changes in the 5000 years of human history

B. man‘s desire to conquer nature can only end in his own destruction C. nature is evil as it was 5000 years ago D. nature has the ultimate creative power

.3. In 1849, Herman Melville published ______ ,a semi-autobiographical novel, con- cerning the sufferings of a genteel youth among brutal

sailors.

A. Omoo B. Mardi C. Redburn D. Typee

4.In Moby—Dick, the white whale symbolizes ______________ for Melville, for it is complex, unfathomable, malignant, and beautiful as well.

A．nature B．human society C．whaling industry D．truth

5. By writing Moby - Dick, _______ reached the most flourishing stage of his literary creativity. A. Herman Melville B. Edgar Ellen Poe C. William Faulkner D. Theodore Dreiser

6. The white whale, Moby Dick, symbolizes ________ for Melville, for it is complex, unfathomable, malignant, and beautiful as well. A．society B．nature C．ocean animals D．both A and C

7.Beside symbolism, all the following qualities EXCEPT ______are fused to make Melville‘s Moby-Dick a world classic. A. narrative power B. psychological analysis C. speculative agility D. optimistic view of life

8. ________ is regarded as the first American prose epic. Although it is presented in the form of a novel, at times it seems like a prose poem. (填空题)

9.（简答题）The white whale,Moby Dick,is the most important symbol in Melville's novel.What symbolic meaning can you draw from it? 论述题：10.Symbolism is an important literary practice in literature and it has been widely used by many American writers.Discuss the way symbolism is used in Melville‘s Moby-Dick.

11. Retell in a few sentences the story of the last chapter (Ch, 135) ―The Chase－Third Day‖ of Melville‘s novel Moby-Dick. Discuss the

meaning of the ending of the story. Chap2

1. Guided by the principle of adhering to the truthful treatment of life, the American _______ introduced industrial workers and farmers, ambitious businessmen and vagrants, prostitutes and unheroic soldiers as major characters in fiction. A. romanticists B. modernists C. psychologists D. realists

2. The period ranging from 1865 to 1914 has been referred to as the Age of _____ in the literary history of the United States, which is

actually a movement or tendency that dominated the spirit of American literature. A. Rationalism B. Romanticism C. Realism D. Modernism

3. Realism was a reaction against ______ or a move away from the bias towards romance and self- creating fictions, and paved the way to

Modernism.

A. Romanticism B. Rationalism C. Post-modernism D. Cynicism

4.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 19thcentury.

A.sentimentalism B.romanticism C.realism D.naturalism 5.Generally speaking, all those writers with a naturalistic approach to human reality tend to be______. A. transcendentalists B. optimists C. pessimists D. idealists 6.Realism was a reaction against Romanticism and paved the way to ______. A．Modernism B．Scientism C．Post-Modernism D．Feminism

7.After the American Civil War, the literary interest in the so-called ―reality‖ of life started a new period in the American literary writings known as the Age of ______.

A．Realism B．Reason and Revolution C．Romanticism D．Modernism 8. provides the main source of influence on American naturalism.

[A]The puritan heritage [B]Howells‘ ideas of realism

[C]Darwin‘s theory of evolution [D]The pioneer spirit of the wild west

9.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 dialects B.are polite and elegant gentlemen C.are simple and crude farmers D.are noble savages( red and white) untainted by society

10.As a genre, naturalism emphasized ______________ as important deterministic forces shaping individualized characters who were presented in special and detailed circum-stances. A．theological doctrines B．heredity and environment C．education and hard work D．various opportunities and economic success 11. American Naturalism(名词解释)

问答题：12. Who are the three dominant figures of the American Age of Realism and what are the differences in their understanding of the

―truth‖?

13.The literary school of naturalism was quite popular in the late 19th century. What are the major characteristics of naturalism? 14.Why are naturalists inevitably pessimistic in their view? I.Mark Twain

1.The renowned American critic H. L. Mencken regarded _____ as ―the true father of our national literature.‖ A. Bret Harte B. Walt Whitman C. Washington Irving D. Mark Twain

2.In Mark Twain‘s The Adventures of huckleberry Finn, Huck writes a letter to inform against Jim, the escaped slave, and then he tears the letter up. This fact reveals that . [A]Huck has a mixed feeling of love and hate

[B]there is a conflict between society and conscience in Huck [C]Huck is always an indecisive person [D]Huck has very little education

3.After The adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain gives a literary independence to Tom's buddy Huck in a book entitled ___. A.Life on the Mississippi B.The Gilded Age

C.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

D.A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

4. According to Mark Twain, in river towns up and down the Mississippi, it was every boy‘s dream to some day grow up to be ______. A. Methodist preacher B. a justice of the peace C. a riverboat pilot D. a pirate on the Indian ocean

5.The raft with which Huck and Jim make their voyage down the Mississippi River may symbolize all the following EXCEPT ______. A. a return to nature

B. an escape from evils, injustices, and corruption of the civilized society C. the American society in the early 19th century

D. a small world where people of different colors can live friendly and happily

6.As a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,______ marks the climax of Mark Twain's literary activity. A. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn B. Life on the Mississippi C. The Gilded Age D. Roughing It

7. H．L．Mencken considered ______ ―the true father of our national literature‖. A．Bret Harte B．Mark Twain C．Washington Irving D．Walt Whitma

8.Which of the following is NOT a typical feature of Mark Twain‘s writing style?

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