BS EnglishELL-102: Introduction to Literary Studies

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Shall I compare to a summer’s day?
more lovely and more :
Rough winds do shake ,
And :
Sometime too hot shines, (5)
And often is his dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that , (10)
Nor shall death in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Who wrote this sonnet?
1. Robert Browning
2. William Wordsworth
3. William Shakespeare
4. Carl Sandburg
The poet compares his friend to __________________.
1. the gold complexion of the sun
2. the darling buds of May
3. a summer's day
4. the spring season
The poet asks if he should compare his friend to a summer's day. Why does he choose a summer's day for the comparison?
1. Because, in England, a summer's day is lovely and pleasant.
2. Because his friend is unbearable like a hot summer's day.
3. Because his friend is quick-tempered and unpredictable like a summer's day.
4. Because his friend is as short-lived as a summer''s day.
What possible shortcomings of a summer's day does the poet point to?
1. Rough winds may disturb the flowers of Spring.
2. Summer's duration is very short.
3. The sun may be too hot or hidden under the clouds.
4. All of the above
This sonnet can be divided into ____________.

[ Hint: octet = 8 lines; sestet = 6 lines; quatrain = 4 lines, couplet = 2 lines ]
1. an octet and a sestet
2. two sestets and a couplet
3. three quatrains and a couplet
4. an octet and three couplets
This sonnet follows the rhyme sheme of ___________.
1. abba abba cde cde
2. abab cdcd efef gg
3. abcd abcd efef gg
4. abba ccdd eeff gg
What "banking and finnce" terms are used in the poem?
1. lease
2. too short a date
3. ow'st
4. All of the above
The poet says that everything beautiful will ____________.
1. eventually lose its beauty
2. stay forever
3. only diminish marginally
4. be extended infintely
Which poetic device is used in the line, Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade?
1. metaphor
2. personification
3. hyperbole
4. alliteration
Which line in the sonnet uses a grafting metaphor?

[Hint: In horticulture, a grafting technique is used to join (and bind with a cord) two plants to grow as a single plant.]
1. Line 8
2. Line 10
3. Line 12
4. Line 14
In Line 12, the phrase eternal lines refers to _________.
1. the cords used in grafting
2. the lines of immortal poetry
3. the continuity of time
4. All of the above
The word this in the last line refers to ________.
1. this world
2. this sonnet
3. this beauty
4. this timeline
How does the poet justify his assertion that his friend's "eternal summer shall not fade"?
1. The friend will live in heaven because of the good deeds.
2. The poet's love will magically prevent the friend from dying.
3. This sonnet will immortalize the friend.
4. The friend will live forever in the memory of the poet.
In line 10, the phrase fair thou ows't also means "the beauty you have borrowed". According to the poet, what might have lent this beauty to the friend?
1. God
2. the summer
3. time
4. this sonnet

Islamabad Model College for Boys, F-10/4, Islamabad

BS English / ADP Arts
ELL-102: Introduction to Literary Studies

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Islamabad Model College for Boys, F-10/4, Islamabad

BS English / ADP ArtsELL-102: Introduction to Literary Studies

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

BS English / ADP Arts
ELL-102: Introduction to Literary Studies