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Quiz — Storgy

TEMPORA MUTANTUR.

by James Russell Lowell.

Ten questions on craft, meaning, and form. Untimed. Answer every question to submit.

Q01of 10

What is the primary form of 'Tempora Mutantur'?

Q02of 10

The Latin title 'Tempora Mutantur' is part of a classical adage meaning 'times change, and we change with them.' How does the title function ironically in relation to the poem's argument?

Q03of 10

In the lines 'And there's a subtle influence that springs / From words to modify our sense of things,' Lowell is primarily concerned with which technique of corruption?

Q04of 10

When Lowell writes that a disgraced official 'may resign with honest pride,' his tone is best described as:

Q05of 10

The real historical figures William Marcy Tweed and James Fisk are named in the poem. What rhetorical purpose do these allusions serve?

Q06of 10

What image does Lowell use to suggest that the corrupt official's public reputation has been artificially restored after scandal?

Q07of 10

The phrase 'choker white, wherein no cynic eye / Dares see idealized a hempen tie' employs which literary technique?

Q08of 10

According to the speaker, what was the key difference in how crime was treated 'a hundred years ago' compared to the present day?

Q09of 10

What is the central theme of 'Tempora Mutantur'?

Q10of 10

Lines 32–35 read: ''Statesmanship' is just a way / To dodge the primal curse and make it pay, / Since office means a kind of patent drill / To force an entrance to the Nation's till.' The 'primal curse' most likely alludes to:

0 / 10 answered

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