1. The correct answer, in my opinion, is B. leaped. The word “bound” can function as a noun, a verb, an adjective. As a verb, “to bound” means to take a leap or a jump, to spring. It can also be understood from the context: the moment he was unleashed, the dog readily jumped or leaped toward the fence.
2. I would say the correct answer is B. essence. Of course, sinews denote strength, power and vitality. But it is by no means close to the words “bones”, “location” or “longevity”. The speaker wonders how is it possible that something so powerful as the tiger could be created. The power of his heart is his essence; hence the correlation.
3. I would say the correct answer is B. playful. Sportive means playful, joyous, frolicsome, even mischievous. That can also be inferred from the context. When somebody is too playful, chances are that it will delight some people, but it will also annoy others. Indifference, studiousness, and unusualness will not produce such effect.
4. In my opinion, the correct answer is C. “Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!/Its silly wa’s the win’s are strewin’!" Empathy is a capability of really understanding how another being feels, even (or especially) if there were no similarities between the two beings. In this line, the speaker feels bad because the mouse’s house is ruined, and its walls are destroyed. The A option isn’t correct because the speaker thinks of himself while talking to the mouse. The B option shows his imagination; while it is also an example of empathy, it is not as powerful as the C. As for D, it is yet again focused on the speaker himself.
5. The correct answer is B. Jesus. It’s a traditional comparison that derives from the Bible, where Jesus is often referred to as a lamb – partly because of his meek, pure and innocent character (which Blake explicitly refers to in the poem), and partly because of his destiny, as he sacrificed himself for the humankind.
6. I would say the correct answer is B. modern life. Wordsworth thinks we are alienated from our true essence, which is best represented in a fusion with nature. It is completely in accordance with the spirit of Romanticism. He doesn’t criticize paganism; on the contrary, he would rather resort to it than keep on living in this cold and busy world of modernity. He isn’t concerned with reason. As for nature, he worships it as a haven against modernity.
7. The correct answer is C. “A savage place! as holy and enchanted…” This is the turning point from exotic idyll that the speaker describes in the first stanza, to a mysterious, haunting, uncanny place that he describes in the second. It is one and the same place, only now he sees it differently, as if he has been enchanted by its magic. All the other options describe Kubla Khan’s “stately pleasure dome” and its idyllic surroundings.
8. I would say the correct answer is C. “But soon he knew himself the most unfit/Of men to herd with Man…” It clearly states that the hero, even though he is a man, is unfit for his own kind. In a way, he is an outcast from society. The D option comes close to this, but it does not quite imply alienation. It just shows his inclinations to wander and pursue distant places.
9. In my opinion, the correct answer is B. “…Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow…” The subject of the work is the West Wind, which is wild, untamed and untamable. It is destructive, but it also preserves life by sweeping it under the ground, so the spring might resuscitate it again. This line about the spring is the only line in the poem that uses a highly contrasted image (“azure” as opposed to bleak or violent colors that dominate).
10. This question is a little bit tricky because Keats explores all of these feelings. However, the correct answer is B. the nature of beauty, because beauty is the top obsession of this poem, and it is an answer to all other questions – life originates and is perpetuated in beauty; death is overcome by it; passion is our mortal way to enjoy it.
11. I would say the correct answer is A. heavy reliance on rhythm and word sounds. Whereas some odes, like Horatian odes, have a pretty consistent and firm structure, rhythm, and sound, others don’t rely on it as heavily. On the other hand, it is almost a rule that an ode should have dignified tone and directly address the subject (e.g. “thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees” in Keats’s “Ode to a Nightingale”, “O wild West Wind” in Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” etc.)
12. In my opinion, the correct answer is A. archaic language. It can be seen in the forms “thou” and “wert”. Romantic poets used “thou” and “thee” as archaic ways of expressing intimacy with the subject. As for onomatopoeia, it is a sound figure that imitates the sounds from nature, which we don’t see in this line. Simile is a comparison, and the bird isn’t compared to anything here. Terza rima is a stanza form of three lines that are interlocked.
