DU & Public University English Admission Test - Model Set 01

1. PASSAGE 1: 'She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies. One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impaired the nameless grace Which waves in every raven tress, Or softly lightens o'er her face; Where thoughts serenely sweet express, How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.' Question: Read the line 'Had half impaired the nameless grace'. What is the correct synonym of 'impaired' as used in Byron's poem?

2. PASSAGE 1: 'She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.' Question: What is the antonym of 'gaudy' in the phrase 'Which heaven to gaudy day denies'?

3. PASSAGE 2: 'I died for beauty, but was scarce Adjusted in the tomb, When one who died for truth was lain In an adjoining room.' Question: In Dickinson's poem, the word 'scarce' in 'was scarce / Adjusted in the tomb' functions as a/an:

4. PASSAGE 1: 'Where thoughts serenely sweet express, How pure, how dear their dwelling-place. And on that cheek, and o'er that brow, So soft, so calm, yet eloquent...' Question: Choose the synonym of 'serenely' from Byron's poem line: 'Where thoughts serenely sweet express'.

5. PASSAGE 3: 'When I returned from so many journeys, I stayed suspended and green between sun and geography -I saw how wings worked, how perfumes are transmitted by feathery telegraph...' Question: In Neruda's passage, what is the meaning of the word 'transmitted' in 'how perfumes are transmitted'?

6. PASSAGE 1: 'The smiles that win, the tints that glow, But tell of days in goodness spent, A mind at peace with all below, A heart whose love is innocent!' Question: Find the antonym of 'innocent' as used in 'A heart whose love is innocent!'.

7. PASSAGE 2: 'He questioned softly why I failed? "For beauty," I replied. "And I for truth - the two are one; We brethren are," he said.' Question: In Dickinson's poem, what does the word 'failed' mean in 'why I failed'?

8. PASSAGE 1: 'And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.' Question: What is the synonym of 'mellowed' in 'Thus mellowed to that tender light'?

9. PASSAGE 3: 'The day went from flute to flute, went dressed in vegetation, in flights which opened a tunnel through the wind would pass to where birds were breaking open the dense blue air-and there, night came in.' Question: In Neruda's poem, the word 'dense' in 'dense blue air' is closest in meaning to:

10. PASSAGE 1: 'And on that cheek, and o'er that brow, So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, The smiles that win, the tints that glow...' Question: What is the antonym of 'eloquent' in 'So soft, so calm, yet eloquent'?

11. PASSAGE 1: 'She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright...' Question: Lord Byron's line 'She walks in beauty, like the night' contains which prepositional phrase?

12. PASSAGE 3: 'It was passed from one bird to another, the whole gift of the day. The day went ____ flute to flute, went dressed in vegetation...' Question: Fill in the blank according to Pablo Neruda's text.

13. PASSAGE 2: 'When one who died for truth was lain In an adjoining room.' Question: In the line 'When one who died for truth was lain', the word 'lain' is the past participle of which verb?

14. PASSAGE 1: 'One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impaired the nameless grace Which waves in every raven tress...' Question: 'One shade the more, one ray the less / Had half impaired the nameless grace' — This construction is an example of a/an:

15. PASSAGE 3: 'When I returned from so many journeys, I stayed suspended and green between sun and geography -I saw how wings worked... where birds were breaking open the dense blue air.' Question: Identify the clause type of the underlined part: 'I stayed suspended and green where birds were breaking open the dense blue air'.

16. Grammar Practice: 'He was accused ___ theft after the precious gems went missing from the museum.' Question: Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence.

17. Grammar Practice: 'Had I seen the beautiful night sky described in Byron's poem, I ___ a poem myself.' Question: Choose the correct verb form.

18. Grammar Practice: 'Neither Byron nor his contemporaries ___ present at the literary discussion yesterday.' Question: Choose the correct verb form.

19. PASSAGE 1: 'A mind at peace with all below, A heart whose love is innocent!' Question: The poetic line 'A mind at peace with all below' uses the preposition 'with' after 'peace'. Which preposition correctly follows 'peace' in this context?

20. Grammar Practice: 'It is high time we ___ the deep philosophy embedded in 19th-century poetry.' Question: Choose the correct verb form.

21. PASSAGE 1: 'She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies...' Question: What literary device is used in 'She walks in beauty, like the night'?

22. PASSAGE 2: 'And so, as kinsmen met a-night, We talked between the rooms, Until the moss had reached our lips, And covered up our names.' Question: In Dickinson's poem, the phrase 'We talked between the rooms' serves as a metaphor for:

23. PASSAGE 3: '...I saw how wings worked, how perfumes are transmitted by feathery telegraph...' Question: In Neruda's lines, 'feathery telegraph' is an example of:

24. PASSAGE 1: 'Or softly lightens o'er her face; Where thoughts serenely sweet express, How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.' Question: What figure of speech is demonstrated in 'Where thoughts serenely sweet express'?

25. PASSAGE 3: '...and from above I saw the path, the springs and the roof tiles, the fishermen at their trades, the trousers of the foam...' Question: In Neruda's 'trousers of the foam', the phrase is a famous example of:

26. Spelling Test: Choose the correctly spelled word.

27. Spelling Test: Choose the correctly spelled word related to literary rhythm.

28. Spelling Test: Select the correctly spelled word meaning 'feeling of humiliation or self-consciousness'.

29. Spelling Test: Find the correctly spelled military rank word.

30. Spelling Test: Identify the correct spelling of the word meaning a period of a thousand years.

31. Idioms & Phrases: What does the idiom 'At daggers drawn' mean?

32. Idioms & Phrases: The phrase 'A blessing in disguise' means:

33. Idioms & Phrases: What does the idiom 'Once in a blue moon' imply?

34. Idioms & Phrases: To 'Bite the bullet' means:

35. Idioms & Phrases: The phrase 'Out of the blue' implies:

36. Analogy: Poet : Poem :: Flute : ?

37. Analogy: Beauty : Byron :: Truth : ?

38. Analogy: Swallow : Bird :: Rose : ?

39. Analogy: Eye : Aspect :: Lip : ?

40. Analogy: Tomb : Death :: Cradle : ?

41. PASSAGE 1 (Byron): 'She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes...' Question: What is the central contrast introduced in these opening lines?

42. PASSAGE 1 (Byron): 'One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impaired the nameless grace Which waves in every raven tress, Or softly lightens o'er her face...' Question: According to Byron, what would happen if there was 'One shade the more, one ray the less'?

43. PASSAGE 2 (Dickinson): 'I died for beauty, but was scarce Adjusted in the tomb, When one who died for truth was lain In an adjoining room.' Question: Where does the interaction between the two speakers take place?

44. PASSAGE 2 (Dickinson): 'He questioned softly why I failed? "For beauty," I replied. "And I for truth - the two are one; We brethren are," he said.' Question: Why does the second corpse claim that he and the speaker are 'brethren'?

45. PASSAGE 2 (Dickinson): 'And so, as kinsmen met a-night, We talked between the rooms, Until the moss had reached our lips, And covered up our names.' Question: What ultimate fate do both speakers suffer in Dickinson's poem?

46. PASSAGE 3 (Neruda): 'It was passed from one bird to another, the whole gift of the day. The day went from flute to flute, went dressed in vegetation...' Question: What does 'flute to flute' metaphorically represent?

47. PASSAGE 3 (Neruda): 'The day went from flute to flute, went dressed in vegetation, in flights which opened a tunnel through the wind would pass to where birds were breaking open the dense blue air-and there, night came in.' Question: In Neruda's poem, what happens when birds were 'breaking open the dense blue air'?

48. PASSAGE 3 (Neruda): 'When I returned from so many journeys, I stayed suspended and green between sun and geography -I saw how wings worked... and from above I saw the path, the springs and the roof tiles, the fishermen at their trades, the trousers of the foam; I saw it all from my green sky.' Question: What perspective does the narrator adopt when he claims to see 'roof tiles, fishermen, and trousers of the foam'?

49. PASSAGE 3 (Neruda): 'I had no more alphabet than the swallows in their courses, the tiny, shining water of the small bird on fire which dances out of the pollen.' Question: What does the narrator mean by 'I had no more alphabet than the swallows in their courses'?

50. COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW (Byron, Dickinson, Neruda): Consider all three poetry selections: 1. Byron's 'She Walks in Beauty' (Physical vs. Moral Harmony) 2. Dickinson's 'I Died for Beauty' (Beauty & Truth Transcending Death) 3. Neruda's Bird Selection (Natural Perception Beyond Human Language) Question: What common underlying motif unites all three selections?