Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1By describing wax, height, and a sudden plunge without narrating his fall, the poem does not ............... Icarus so much as let the myth flicker behind the scene.
Wrong!
The cue 'without narrating his fall' shows that the poem hints at the myth rather than recounting it, so "allude to" is correct.
2When the starving villagers call the unexpected bread 'manna,' the narrator is making a ............... allusion.
Wrong!
Because manna belongs to Exodus, the phrase is a "biblical" allusion, not a classical one.
3The poet's phrase 'he sang as though even the underworld would turn to listen' invokes Orpheus and is therefore a ............... allusion.
Wrong!
Orpheus is a figure from Greek myth, so the reference is a "classical" allusion.
4When the detective lifts the skull and murmurs 'poor Yorick,' the scene frames his melodrama through a ............... allusion.
Wrong!
The echo of Hamlet's graveyard scene makes the reference "Shakespearean".
5The rebel's vow to 'reign in a self-made hell' unmistakably recalls Paradise Lost, making the passage a ............... allusion.
Wrong!
Because the line recalls Satan's defiant rhetoric in Paradise Lost, the allusion is "Miltonic".
6The novel's prison is arranged in nine circles, with punishments fitted to the inmates' sins, so its architecture carries a ............... allusion.
Wrong!
The nine circles and contrapasso point to Dante's Inferno, so "Dantean" is correct.
7By likening the clerk's daily filing to Sisyphus rolling his stone uphill, the narrator compresses futility into a ............... allusion.
Wrong!
Sisyphus belongs to Greek myth, so the passage contains a "classical" allusion.
8Because the 'promised land' in the title is a starving city rather than a place of deliverance, the title's ............... allusion sharpens the satire.
Wrong!
Calling a starving city a 'promised land' reverses the hopeful biblical meaning, making the allusion "ironic".
9The chapter title 'A New Eden' invokes Genesis while reproducing none of its exact wording, so it is an ............... rather than a quotation.
Wrong!
Because the novel borrows the idea without reproducing the wording, it is an "allusion".
10The phrase 'east of the orchard' gestures to Eden in passing; it is not an extended comparison but a brief ...............
Wrong!
Because the line depends on recognising Eden rather than developing a sustained point-by-point comparison, "allusion" is correct.
11The deserted thread on the shore, without naming Ariadne, creates an ............... allusion that rewards a reader's mythological memory.
Wrong!
Since the poet never names Ariadne, the deserted thread is an "implicit" allusion.
12By calling the boardroom 'Camelot' and its executives a tarnished Round Table, the satirist builds an ............... allusion.
Wrong!
Camelot and the Round Table belong to Arthurian legend, so the allusion is "Arthurian".
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- By describing wax, height, and a sudden plunge without narrating his fall, the poem does not allude to Icarus so much as let the myth flicker behind the scene.
- When the starving villagers call the unexpected bread ‘manna,’ the narrator is making a biblical allusion.
- The poet’s phrase ‘he sang as though even the underworld would turn to listen’ invokes Orpheus and is therefore a classical allusion.
- When the detective lifts the skull and murmurs ‘poor Yorick,’ the scene frames his melodrama through a Shakespearean allusion.
- The rebel’s vow to ‘reign in a self-made hell’ unmistakably recalls Paradise Lost, making the passage a Miltonic allusion.
- The novel’s prison is arranged in nine circles, with punishments fitted to the inmates’ sins, so its architecture carries a Dantean allusion.
- By likening the clerk’s daily filing to Sisyphus rolling his stone uphill, the narrator compresses futility into a classical allusion.
- Because the ‘promised land’ in the title is a starving city rather than a place of deliverance, the title’s ironic allusion sharpens the satire.
- The chapter title ‘A New Eden’ invokes Genesis while reproducing none of its exact wording, so it is an allusion rather than a quotation.
- The phrase ‘east of the orchard’ gestures to Eden in passing; it is not an extended comparison but a brief allusion.
- The deserted thread on the shore, without naming Ariadne, creates an implicit allusion that rewards a reader’s mythological memory.
- By calling the boardroom ‘Camelot’ and its executives a tarnished Round Table, the satirist builds an Arthurian allusion.