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Are you Averse to Verse? Trivia Quiz

I give you the first of two lines of verse from some classic poems of English Literature and you finish the couplet for me. What could be easier?

A multiple-choice quiz by bracklaman. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
bracklaman

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
267,805

Updated
Feb 01 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1782

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: burnsbaron (10/10), clevercatz (6/10), Verbonica (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This line is from a famous poem by William Shakespeare and is very evocative of an extremely cold winter. This is the first line of the couplet. what came next?
'Blow, blow, thou winter wind,' Hint

Salted pork and bacon rind

Ice maketh me blind

Thou art not so unkind

Hail and water do bind

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The first line in this couplet was taken from a poem by Ben Jonson. What came next?
'Drink to me only with thine eyes,' Hint

And I will gently caress your thighs;

And I will respond with sighs;

And I will give you my troth;

And I will pledge with mine;

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Christopher Marlowe wrote lyrical and love poetry as well as the plays for which he is probably best remembered. One of these love poems has the opening line:
'Come live with me and be my love,'

What was the next line of verse? Hint

And we will constant prove

And we will be the treasure trove

And we will all the pleasures prove

And never care about reprove

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote several short poems and anthologies especially for young people. This first line is one of only two in such a poem. This is the first line, what was the second?
'The world is so full of a number of things,' Hint

Including children at play on their swings.

I'm sure we could all wear bracelets and rings.

I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.

I can hardly wait to see what the future brings.

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. The famous Irish poet William Butler Yeats wrote one of my personal favourite poems from which I've taken this opening line. What line of verse follows?
'I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,' Hint

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. This line of verse was written by Charles Wesley. What comes next?
'Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,' Hint

For I serve though I be mild;

Love me though I'm wild;

Look upon a little child;

Love for I am a mere child;

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. William Shakespeare wrote many love poems. These lines are from one such love poem. This is the first line what comes next?

'O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?' Hint

Come closer your hair needs combing!

That can sing both high and foaming

Stay and hear; your true Love's coming,

Journeys end in lovers' moaning!

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Percy Bysshe Shelley famously wrote 'The Skylark' from which this line of poetry is taken. What comes next?
'Hail to thee, blithe spirit!' Hint

And never mind the ferret

Bird thou never wert

From the earth thou springest,

Like a star of heaven,

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. The poet William Wordsworth vigorously strode (we would probably say power walked today, I think) through the beautiful landscape of places like the Wye Valley as well as his beloved Cumberland Fells. He gave us this wonderfully evocative line which often flashes upon my inward eye. Can you tell me what line of verse follows this?

'I wander'd lonely as a cloud' Hint

They stretch'd in never-ending line

That floats on high o'er vales and hills

Beside the lake, beneath the trees

Along the margin of a bay:

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. 'The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day,'

is the line of verse which opens one of the most famous poems in English Literature. What is the next line, do you know? Hint

The swallow twitt'ring from the straw-built shed,

The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,

Or busy housewife ply her evening care:

Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This line is from a famous poem by William Shakespeare and is very evocative of an extremely cold winter. This is the first line of the couplet. what came next? 'Blow, blow, thou winter wind,'

Answer: Thou art not so unkind

The lines of poetry are taken from Act II, Scene 7 from 'As You Like It' by William Shakespeare (1600).

'As You Like It' was a set text the year, many years ago, when I did my 'O levels' in the United Kingdom.

This was because it was considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies.

The heroine Rosalind was a redoubtable character and had many inspiring lines assigned to her part. In fact, Shakespeare gave Rosalind the most lines of any of his female heroines in any of his plays.

The play also contained the character of the jester or fool 'Touchstone' who is no doubt worthy of his own quiz.

2. The first line in this couplet was taken from a poem by Ben Jonson. What came next? 'Drink to me only with thine eyes,'

Answer: And I will pledge with mine;

Ben Jonson published this love poem called 'To Celia' in 1616. It was later set to music in the 18th century.

3. Christopher Marlowe wrote lyrical and love poetry as well as the plays for which he is probably best remembered. One of these love poems has the opening line: 'Come live with me and be my love,' What was the next line of verse?

Answer: And we will all the pleasures prove

Christopher Marlowe wrote this poem called 'The Passionate Shepherd to His Love' in about 1589.

The full verse is:
'Come live with me, and be my love;
And we will all the pleasures prove
That valleys, groves, hills and fields,
Woods or steepy mountain yields.'

Answer: I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.

The couplet in full is:
'The world is so full of a number of things,
I 'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.'

It appeared in the Anthology written by Stevenson called:
'A Child's Garden of Verses'

Robert Louis Stevenson (Born November 13, 1850, Died December 3, 1894)

Answer: And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made

Th full verse is:
'I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-be,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.'

William Butler Yeats lived from 1865 to 1939. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1865, the son of a well-known Irish painter, John Butler Yeats.

A careful search of the Internet will reveal audio clips of the great man reading aloud his own poetry.

6. This line of verse was written by Charles Wesley. What comes next? 'Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,'

Answer: Look upon a little child;

Charles Wesley wrote these lines of verse in 1742. They were designed to be used whilst instructing children in the Christian tradition. They have since been set to music as a hymn.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was an evangelical minister and revivalist. He was also a poet and hymn-writer. He was the eighteenth child of Samuel Wesley, a rector in Epsworth, Lincolnshire.

7. William Shakespeare wrote many love poems. These lines are from one such love poem. This is the first line what comes next? 'O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?'

Answer: Stay and hear; your true Love's coming,

'The Sonnets' were a collection of poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare. They dealt with a variety of themes including: love, beauty, politics, and mortality.
The 154 poems appeared in a 1609 collection.

This Shakespearean love poem's full text is:

'O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O, stay and hear; your true Love's coming,
That can sing both high and low:
Trip no further, pretty sweeting;
Journeys end in lovers meeting,
Every wise man's son doth know.

What is love? 'Tis not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter;
What's to come is still unsure:
In delay there lies not plenty;
Then, come kiss me, sweet and twenty,
Youth's a stuff will not endure.'

8. Percy Bysshe Shelley famously wrote 'The Skylark' from which this line of poetry is taken. What comes next? 'Hail to thee, blithe spirit!'

Answer: Bird thou never wert

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) wrote this poem called 'To a Skylark'.
The full verse is:
"Hail to thee, blithe spirit!
Bird thou never wert-
That from heaven or near it
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art."

Answer: That floats on high o'er vales and hills

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) wrote this poem which he called 'Daffodils'. The full opening verse is:
'I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.'

10. 'The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day,' is the line of verse which opens one of the most famous poems in English Literature. What is the next line, do you know?

Answer: The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,

Thomas Gray (1716-1771) wrote the poem 'Elegy written in a Country Churchyard' from which these lines are taken.

The full verse is:
'The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.'

Source: Author bracklaman

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