Today in class we briefly discussed the practice A.P. multiple choice questions for the poems "An Epitaph," "Sestina," and "The Habit of Perfection." Some students expressed a bit of frustration at being stumped by challenging vocabulary or somewhat obscure literary terms. Please cite a particular word/term that caused a problem for you (including poem and question number), then provide a definition or explanation. No repeats, please!
(Sorry for the disturbing visual, but I couldn't pass it up!)
17 comments:
From “An Epitaph” question four
Pious
1 a: marked by or showing reverence for deity and devotion to divine worship b: marked by conspicuous religiosity
2: sacred or devotional as distinct from the profane or secular : RELIGIOUS
3: showing loyal reverence for a person or thing : DUTIFUL
4 a: marked by sham or hypocrisy b: marked by self-conscious virtue : VIRTUOUS
5: deserving commendation : WORTHY
From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pious
From "Sestina" question 14:
Elegiac-
1. used in, suitable for, or resembling an elegy.
2. expressing sorrow or lamentation: elegiac strains.
From "Sestina" question 22:
epigrammatic
1 : of, relating to, or resembling an epigram
2 : marked by or given to the use of epigrams
epigram
1 : a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought
2 : a terse, sage, or witty and often paradoxical saying
From "An Epitaph" question 7:
Parsimonious
1. characterized by or showing parsimony; frugal or stingy
2. adj. Excessively sparing or frugal
"Insular" from "An Epitaph"
(Question 4)
4. Detached; standing alone; isolated.
6. Narrow-minded or illiberal; provincial: insular attitudes toward foreigners.
7. Pathology. occurring in or characterized by one or more isolated spots, patches, or the like.
--There were more definitions (a total of 9) and the ones I skipped over all had to do with islands and islanders, for some reason...
From "The Habit of Perfection" question forty
Nascent
–adjective
1. beginning to exist or develop: the nascent republic.
2. Chemistry. (of an element) in the nascent state.
From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nascent
From "An Epitaph" Question 2:
"inveterate":
–adjective
1. settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like: an inveterate gambler.
2. firmly established by long continuance, as a disease, habit, practice, feeling, etc.; chronic.
I have quite a few..
From "An Epitaph", number 6 and then 9
livery
1-costume or insignia worn by retainers of a fuedal lord
2-distinctive uniform worn by a household's manservants
3-dress of a particular group
4- the care and boarding of horses for a fee
5- hiring out horses and carraiges
From "An Epitaph" number 14,
Paean
1-a song of joyful praise and exultation
2-An ancient greek hymn of thanksgiving to a god (Apollo)
From "The Habit of Perfection", question 42
hutch
1-a pen or coop for small animals
2-a cupboard with drawers for storage
3-a chest or bin for storage
4- a hut
It wasnt really the vocabulary, just that none of the answers made any more sense than other ones.
From "An Epitaph", question eight
Sardonic:
–adjective characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering: a sardonic grin.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sardonic
From "The Habit of Perfection" question 40.
Amorphous-- (adjective)
1 a: having no definite form : shapeless
b: being without definite character or nature : unclassifiable
c: lacking organization or unity
2: having no real or apparent crystalline form >
From "An Epitaph"
Question #14
Iambic tetrameter is a meter in poetry. It refers to a line consisting of four iambic feet. The word "tetrameter" simply means that there are four feet in the line; iambic tetrameter is a line comprising four iambs. A line of iambic tetrameter consists of four such feet in a row:
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM
Epitaph:
2. a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person.
Sources:www.dictionary.com
www.wikipedia.com
from "An Epitaph" #2
commiserates
v. tr.
To feel or express sorrow or pity for; sympathize with.
v. intr.
To feel or express sympathy: commiserated over their failure.
source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/commiserates&
From “An Epitaph” question 4
in•su•lar
1 a: of, relating to, or constituting an island b: dwelling or situated on an island
2: characteristic of an isolated people ; especially : being, having, or reflecting a narrow provincial viewpoint
3: of or relating to an island of cells or tissue
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insular
From “An Epitaph” question 7
par•si•mo•ni•ous
1: exhibiting or marked by parsimony ; especially : frugal to the point of stinginess
2: SPARING , RESTRAINED
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parsimonious
from "An Epitaph" number four:
altruistic
1. unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others
2. of or pertaining to behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, often its close relatives.
From "Epitah" Number 9
Word: sumptuous
"extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent"
from the merriam-webster dictionary.
"An Epitaph" (#6): 'enervation'
enervate
–verb (used with object)
1. to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken
I actually had no trouble with any of the words in those exercises.
;) Just Kidding.
An Epitaph (line 53)
ring⋅er /ˈrɪŋər/\
–noun 1. a person or thing that encircles, rings, etc.
2. a quoit or horseshoe so thrown as to encircle the peg.
3. the throw itself.
4. Also, ringers. Also called ring taw. Marbles. a game in which players place marbles in a cross marked in the center of a circle, the object being to knock as many marbles as possible outside the circle by using another marble shooter.
5. Australian. a highly skilled sheep shearer.
From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ringers
I'm going to assume its number five in the context of the poem =)
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