Cultural and Historical Contexts - AP English Literature and Composition
Card 1 of 2152
Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
Who is the author of this poem?
Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
Who is the author of this poem?
Tap to reveal answer
This is Arthur Rimbaud’s 1871 poem “Le Bateau Ivre” (“The Drunken Boat”). Comprising 25 alexandrine quatrains, the poem is one of Rimbaud’s best-known works and includes vivid sensory details narrated from the point of view of the boat itself.
This is Arthur Rimbaud’s 1871 poem “Le Bateau Ivre” (“The Drunken Boat”). Comprising 25 alexandrine quatrains, the poem is one of Rimbaud’s best-known works and includes vivid sensory details narrated from the point of view of the boat itself.
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Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
What other work did the author of this poem write?
Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
What other work did the author of this poem write?
Tap to reveal answer
Les Illuminations (1886)is an unfinished series of prose poems by Rimbaud. Poèmes saturniens (1866), Sagesse (1880), Hombres (Hommes) (1891), and La bonne chanson (1870)are all works by Paul Verlaine.
Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud's "Le Bateau Ivre" ("The Drunken Boat") (1871)
Les Illuminations (1886)is an unfinished series of prose poems by Rimbaud. Poèmes saturniens (1866), Sagesse (1880), Hombres (Hommes) (1891), and La bonne chanson (1870)are all works by Paul Verlaine.
Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud's "Le Bateau Ivre" ("The Drunken Boat") (1871)
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Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
What country was the author of this poem from?
Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
What country was the author of this poem from?
Tap to reveal answer
Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France, in 1854, although he would later abandon poetry and move to Abyssinia to work. Rimbaud died in Marseilles in 1891.
Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud's "Le Bateau Ivre" ("The Drunken Boat") (1871)
Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville, France, in 1854, although he would later abandon poetry and move to Abyssinia to work. Rimbaud died in Marseilles in 1891.
Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud's "Le Bateau Ivre" ("The Drunken Boat") (1871)
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Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
Which of the following is a contemporary and confidant of this author?
Le Bateau Ivre
Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles
Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs;
Des Peaux-Rouges criards les avaient pris pour cibles,
Les ayant cloués nus aux poteaux de couleurs.
(As I floated the impassible rivers
I no longer felt myself guided by the haulers;
The gaudy Redskins had taken them for targets,
And had nailed them naked to totem poles.)
Which of the following is a contemporary and confidant of this author?
Tap to reveal answer
All of the poets on this list are French, but not all lived at the same time as Rimbaud. Not only was Paul Verlaine a contemporary of Rimbaud’s, the French poet was also Rimbaud’s lover and partner for a brief, tumultuous period.
Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud's "Le Bateau Ivre" ("The Drunken Boat") (1871)
All of the poets on this list are French, but not all lived at the same time as Rimbaud. Not only was Paul Verlaine a contemporary of Rimbaud’s, the French poet was also Rimbaud’s lover and partner for a brief, tumultuous period.
Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud's "Le Bateau Ivre" ("The Drunken Boat") (1871)
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His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
Who is the author of this poem?
His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
Who is the author of this poem?
Tap to reveal answer
This is Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “The Panther.”
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
This is Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “The Panther.”
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
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His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
Besides German, which of the following languages did this author most frequently write in?
His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
Besides German, which of the following languages did this author most frequently write in?
Tap to reveal answer
Rilke was known for his writings in not only German but also in French. More than 400 of his poems were originally written in his second language.
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
Rilke was known for his writings in not only German but also in French. More than 400 of his poems were originally written in his second language.
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
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His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
What other work did the author of this poem write?
His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
What other work did the author of this poem write?
Tap to reveal answer
Letters to a Young Poet is a 1929 collection of letters that Rilke wrote to a young aspiring poet. The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), Theory of Colours (1810), Roman Elegies (1795), and Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795) are by Johann Von Goethe.
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
Letters to a Young Poet is a 1929 collection of letters that Rilke wrote to a young aspiring poet. The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), Theory of Colours (1810), Roman Elegies (1795), and Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795) are by Johann Von Goethe.
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
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His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
What country is this author from?
His weary glance, from passing by the bars,
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars
And out beyond those bars the empty air.
The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around,
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.
But there are times the pupils of his eyes
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart,
Tense with the flood of visions that arise
Only to sink and die within his heart.
What country is this author from?
Tap to reveal answer
Rilke was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, which is now a part of the Czech Republic.
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
Rilke was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, which is now a part of the Czech Republic.
Passage adapted from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Poems, transl. Jessie Lamont (1918)
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Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
Who is the author of this poem?
Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
Who is the author of this poem?
Tap to reveal answer
These are the opening lines of Alexander Puskin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
These are the opening lines of Alexander Puskin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
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Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
Which of the following is not another work by this poet?
Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
Which of the following is not another work by this poet?
Tap to reveal answer
Pushkin wrote Eugene Onegin (1925), Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), The Gypsies (1827), and Dubrovsky (1841). Egipetskaya marka (The Egyptian Stamp) is by Osip Mandelstam.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
Pushkin wrote Eugene Onegin (1925), Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), The Gypsies (1827), and Dubrovsky (1841). Egipetskaya marka (The Egyptian Stamp) is by Osip Mandelstam.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
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Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
What country is the author of this poem from?
Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
What country is the author of this poem from?
Tap to reveal answer
Alexander Pushkin was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1799 and died in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1837.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
Alexander Pushkin was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1799 and died in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1837.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
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Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
Which of the following is not a genre that this author wrote in?
Mute sat Giray, with downcast eye,
As though some spell in sorrow bound him,
His slavish courtiers thronging nigh,
In sad expectance stood around him.
The lips of all had silence sealed,
Whilst, bent on him, each look observant,
Saw grief's deep trace and passion fervent
Upon his gloomy brow revealed.
Which of the following is not a genre that this author wrote in?
Tap to reveal answer
Pushkin was a multifaceted writer who wrote novels, short stories, dramas, and fairytales in addition to poems. He did not, however, write autobiographies.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
Pushkin was a multifaceted writer who wrote novels, short stories, dramas, and fairytales in addition to poems. He did not, however, write autobiographies.
Passage adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s The Bakchesarian Fountain, transl. William D. Lewis (1849)
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Who is the author of The Handmaid’s Tale?
Who is the author of The Handmaid’s Tale?
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The Handmaid’s Tale is Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s sixth novel.
Alice Munro (also Canadian) wrote Lives of Girls and Women (1971), Ursula K. LeGuin wrote The Dispossessed (1974), Pat Barker wrote The Regeneration Trilogy (1991, 1993, 1995), and Angela Carter wrote The Passion of New Eve (1977).
The Handmaid’s Tale is Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s sixth novel.
Alice Munro (also Canadian) wrote Lives of Girls and Women (1971), Ursula K. LeGuin wrote The Dispossessed (1974), Pat Barker wrote The Regeneration Trilogy (1991, 1993, 1995), and Angela Carter wrote The Passion of New Eve (1977).
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Which of the following fields of study is most relevant to studying the The Handmaid’s Tale ?
Which of the following fields of study is most relevant to studying the The Handmaid’s Tale ?
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While it does contain some religious references, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) is first and foremost a feminist novel that discusses gender dynamics, power, sexuality, and reproductive rights.
While it does contain some religious references, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) is first and foremost a feminist novel that discusses gender dynamics, power, sexuality, and reproductive rights.
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What country is the author of The Handmaid’s Tale from?
What country is the author of The Handmaid’s Tale from?
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Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet, and essay writer. She was born in 1939 in Ottawa. Atwood continues to live in Canada, now in Toronto, and is active on the Canadian literary and eco-political scenes.
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet, and essay writer. She was born in 1939 in Ottawa. Atwood continues to live in Canada, now in Toronto, and is active on the Canadian literary and eco-political scenes.
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Which of the following genres does The Handmaid’s Tale belong to?
Which of the following genres does The Handmaid’s Tale belong to?
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The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) is set in a futuristic, dystopian society. While it does contain some science fiction elements, Atwood herself has resisted this classification, preferring her work be termed dystopian or speculative fiction. The Handmaid's Tale is not a fantasy novel: there is no use of magic by any of the characters in the story.
The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) is set in a futuristic, dystopian society. While it does contain some science fiction elements, Atwood herself has resisted this classification, preferring her work be termed dystopian or speculative fiction. The Handmaid's Tale is not a fantasy novel: there is no use of magic by any of the characters in the story.
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Who is the author of The English Patient?
Who is the author of The English Patient?
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The English Patient is Michael Ondaatje’s 1992 Booker Prize-winning novel.
Canadian author Joseph Boyden wrote The Three Day Road (2005), Indonesian author Mochtar Lubis wrote Maut dan Cinta (Death and Love) (1977), Canadian author Margaret Atwood wrote The Edible Woman (1969), and Canadian author Alice Munro wrote Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (1974) (She has also recently had a Canadian postage stamp commisioned in her honor!).
The English Patient is Michael Ondaatje’s 1992 Booker Prize-winning novel.
Canadian author Joseph Boyden wrote The Three Day Road (2005), Indonesian author Mochtar Lubis wrote Maut dan Cinta (Death and Love) (1977), Canadian author Margaret Atwood wrote The Edible Woman (1969), and Canadian author Alice Munro wrote Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (1974) (She has also recently had a Canadian postage stamp commisioned in her honor!).
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What war is The English Patient set during?
What war is The English Patient set during?
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The English Patient (1992) concerns four characters (a nurse, a thief, a burn victim, and a British soldier) flung together in a dilapidated Italian villa towards the end of World War II.
The English Patient (1992) concerns four characters (a nurse, a thief, a burn victim, and a British soldier) flung together in a dilapidated Italian villa towards the end of World War II.
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Of which country is the author of The English Patient a citizen?
Of which country is the author of The English Patient a citizen?
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Although he was born in Sri Lanka in 1943, Michael Ondaatje is a Canadian writer. He moved to Canada in 1962.
Although he was born in Sri Lanka in 1943, Michael Ondaatje is a Canadian writer. He moved to Canada in 1962.
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Which of the following is not another work by the author of The English Patient?
Which of the following is not another work by the author of The English Patient?
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Ondaatje wrote Coming Through Slaughter (1976), In the Skin of a Lion (1987), Divisadero (2007), and The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-Handed Poems (1970). He did not write Oryx and Crake, a 2003 novel by Margaret Atwood.
Ondaatje wrote Coming Through Slaughter (1976), In the Skin of a Lion (1987), Divisadero (2007), and The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-Handed Poems (1970). He did not write Oryx and Crake, a 2003 novel by Margaret Atwood.
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