Sample Test Questions: The Restoration and Eighteenth Century

  1. What is the date of the Restoration? [1]
  2. In the Restoration, exactly what was restored? [1]
  3. What is the date of the chartering of the Royal Society of London for the Improving of Natural Knowledge? [1]
  4. What is the English translation of the motto of the Royal Society of London for the Improving of Natural Knowledge? [1]
  5. What are the two key technical characteristics of a heroic couplet?[2]
  6. What poet is considered the greatest master of the heroic couplet? [1]
  7. Why is the heroic couplet called "heroic"? [1]
  8. What does the adjective "mock-heroic" mean? [1]
  9. What is the target of the satiric poem Hudibras? [1]
  10. In Aphra Behn's "The Disappointment," what does the shepherdess do that causes the shepherd to lose potence? [1]
  11. In Aphra Behn's "The Disappointment," what is implied about men's sexual attitudes? Support your explanation with an example from the poem. [2]
  12. In Aphra Behn's Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave, how does Oroonoko die? [1]
  13. In "A Modest Proposal" what are two of Swift's serious (not satiric) proposals for improving the condition of the Irish? Quote to support your assertions. [4]
  14. In conducting his experiments on light, what device did Newton use to separate light into its component colors? [1]
  15. In "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift" what three justifications of his satire does Swift offer? Support your answer with quotations. [6]
  16. What is a "comedy of manners"? [1]
  17. In A School for Scandal what does Sir Peter Teazle do for his wife, which she wanted and he at first resisted, and how does it show that he is ahead of his time? [2]
  18. In A School for Scandal how does Sir Oliver Surface test the characters of his nephews? What quality is Sir Oliver looking for? Why does Charles pass the test, and why does Joseph fail? [4]
  19. In A School for Scandal who is the "man of sentiment," and what is meant by that phrase? [2]
  20. How is Swift's "A Description of a City Shower" similar to "The Lady's Dressing Room." [1]
  21. In Swift's Lilliput, there is a bitter dispute between the Big-endians and the Small-endians over the proper place to break one's boiled egg. What does this dispute satirize? [1]
  22. Why is Gulliver forced to leave the land of the Houyhnhnms? [1]
  23. What is the theme of the section of "Annus Mirabilis" which appears in the anthology? [1]
  24. What was the position of Deb Willet in Pepys' household? [1]
  25. When his wife was angry with Pepys, what threat did she make? [1]
  26. Describe Swift's satiric method in "A Modest Proposal." (Hint: It has two basic steps.) [2]
  27. What are Papists, and what would the plan put forward in "A Modest Proposal" do for/about them? [2]
  28. How would the plan put forward in "A Modest Proposal" reduce the incidence of wife-beating? [1]
  29. What is the tone of John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding? [1]
  30. What is Roxana's primary personal objection to marrying? [1]
  31. In Mary Jones' "Soliloquy on an Empty Purse" what does Jones say are two good aspects of having an empty purse? [2]
  32. For Fantomina, or Love in a Maze, list three of the disguises in which the main character gets the attentions of Beauplaiseir. [3]
  33. The Beggar's Opera is a satire on what kind of stage production that was popular in the time? [1]
  34. How does The Beggar's Opera end? [1]
  35. What famous 20th Century theatrical production was inspired by The Beggar's Opera? [1]
  36. According to Samuel Johnson, what is the only way to escape the problem posed by the vanity of human wishes? [1]
  37. Why is Samuel Johnson's The Vanity of Human Wishes hard to read, at least at first? [1]
  38. In Eliza Haywood's "Fantomina; or, Love in a Maze" where did the heroine first see Beauplaiser?
  39. For The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself what difference does it make that the author may have been born in South Carolina and not Africa? [1]
Essay Questions

  1. Explain how the motto of the Royal Society could be used as an explanation of both the aims of The Spectator and of Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
  2. On the theme of relationships between men and women, compare and contrast the viewpoints of Fantomina, or Love in a Maze and The School for Scandal.
  3. On the theme of relationships between men and women, compare and contrast the viewpoints of Roxana and The School for Scandal.
  4. On the theme of relationships between men and women, compare and contrast the viewpoints of Fantomina, or Love in a Maze and "The Disappointment."
  5. According to Swift's standards, as stated in "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift," which is the better satire, "The Lady's Dressing Room" or "The Reasons That Induced Dr. Swift to Write a Poem Called the Lady's Dressing Room."