Poetry AP Multiple Choice Questions: The World Is Too Much With Us by William Wordsworth

1. The World Is Too Much With Us is a...

        A. Petrarchan sonnet

        B. elegy

        C. ode

        D. ballad

        E. Italian sonnet

2. Line two of the poem serves to…

A. To show how people generally use their power

B. Portray Wordsworth’s opinion on giving and receiving

C. Show that people have given themselves up to a preoccupation with the materialistic

D. To say that it is a waste of human power to not use it to spend

E. Describe how recieving things gives one a powerful feeling

3. The poem makes reference to all of the following except…

        A. Greek Mythology

B. Nature

C. Religion

D. Love

E. The Ocean

4. In the poem the reader can infer that William Wordsworth believes...

A. Triton and Proteus are the most important gods

B. nature must be better appreciated

C. the sea is the most important part of nature

D. people cannot handle the world they live in

E. nature does not belong to people

5. The references to Greek mythology in the last two lines serve to...

1. give an example of what true appreciation of nature is
2. give the level he wants all people to attain with nature
3. show Wordsworth’s true passion for Greek mythology

        A. I only

        B. I and III

        C. II and III

        D. I and II

        E. I, II, and III

1. ANS: A

• The answer is choice A. The poem contains fourteen lines with the first octave containing an abbaabba rhyme pattern and the last sestet containing a cdcdcd rhyming pattern.
• Choice B is incorrect. The poem is not in remembrance of someone or in reference to any death.
• Choice C is incorrect. The poem is more critical of a time period than would be an ode.
• Choice D is incorrect. The poem is not in quatrains or meant to be sung.
• Choice E is incorrect. While it is a sonnet with it’s fourteen lines, it does not have the rhyme scheme of an Italian sonnet.

 2. ANS: C

• The answer is choice C. This is Wordsworth main concern that he is addressing throughout the poem.
• Choice A is incorrect. Although he sees people to focus most of their attention on this, there is deeper meaning trying to be achieved.
• Choice B is incorrect. He is not merely giving his opinion on it, but expanding upon it and how it affects society.
• Choice D is incorrect. This is the opposite of what he is truly saying.
• Choice E is incorrect. While that may be true, that is not the message being delivered by this line.

3. ANS: D

• The answer is choice D. Although he brings up that people have given their hearts away, it is in reference to their souls, not their capacity for love.
• Choice A is incorrect. The last two lines both contain references to Greek Mythology.
• Choice B is incorrect. One of the main components of the poem is the ideal of nature.
• Choice C is incorrect. Not only does it reference “Great God!”, but also the opposite in one who doesn’t follow any religion, a pagan.
• Choice E is incorrect. With the references to mythology in the last lines, references to the ocean are also included.

4. ANS: B

• The answer is choice B. Wordsworth finds it a major problem that people are so out of touch with nature, as he says, “we are out of tune”(8)
• Choice A is incorrect. While he does have admiration of their ability to be in touch with aspects of nature, there is nothing showing he believes in their dominance over others.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although he examines the sea specifically in the poem, it is just one example of nature, not necessarily the most important.
• Choice D is incorrect. He believes people can handle the world, just that at that time they are unwilling to.
• Choice E is incorrect. This is the opposite of his beliefs, although people weren’t at the time he believed they needed to get in better touch with nature.

5. ANS: A

• The answer is choice A. He is giving an ideal situation to describe what he would actually like to see in the world, something that can distract him from what truly occurs.
• Choice B is incorrect. Although I is correct, the point is not to show his passion, but to exemplify his thinking.
• Choice C is incorrect. He is using the mythology as an example, not to show his passion for it.
• Choice D is incorrect. While I is correct, II is only the ideal, he doesn’t expect all people to go to that level, just to have some deeper connection with nature.
• Choice E is incorrect. While I is correct, both II and III are incorrect.