ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE.PART I.

The Board of Examiners.

FOR PASS AND HONOUR CANDIDATES.

1. What is the difference between the high and low German? What are low German languages? Give a short account of one (other than English).

2. What is the history of each of the following words?—

3.

Admiral, amuck, baron, boycott, canoe, ceremony, emu, jubilee, palfrey, preach, sever, syrup.

All murder'd: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,

To monarchize, be fear'd and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life
Were brass impregnable, and humour'd thus
Comes at the last and with a little pin

Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!
Cover your heads.

(1) Explain-mortal, antic, breath, self and vain

conceit.

(2) What is the subject to "comes"?

(3) What is the significance of the covering of the head?

(4) Describe the scene whence the passage is

taken.

4. In what senses, not modern, does Shakspeare use the words-benevolence, conceit, inherit, owe?

5. To what kings of England does Shakspeare make any allusion in Richard II.?

Contrast the characters of Richard II. and Bolingbroke.

6. Explain the following passages :—

(1) And with fine fingers cropt full feateously The tender stalkes on hye.

(2) Great Fletcher never treads in buskins here, Nor greater Jonson dares in socks appear.

(3) Low sculks the hind beneath the rage of pow'r, And leaves the wealthy traitor in the Tow'r.

(4) Above, below, the rose of snow,

Twin'd with her blushing foe, we spread: The bristled boar, in infant-gore

Wallows beneath the thorny shade.

(5) Luke's iron crown and Damien's bed of steel. (6) Our laird gets in his racked rents,

His coals, his kain, an' a' his stents;
He rises when he likes himsel;
His flunkies answer at the bell;
He ca's his coach; he ca's his horse;
He draws a bonie, silken purse

As lang's my tail, whar thro' the steeks
The yellow-letter'd Geordie keeks.

7. Explain very briefly the allusions in the follow

ing:

The twins of Jove.

Timotheus placed on high.

The bold Bavarian.
The sable warrior.
The Theban eagle.

She-wolf of France.

Ye towers of Julius.

Noble Elgin.

8. Give the meaning and origin of the following words:

Acrostick, stationers, gnome, quilt, trump, sycophant, nowt, vista, sonsie.

9. What do you think of Addison's prose style and what of his humour ?

10. How does Addison use the words-genius, quality, factor, relic, impertinency, a crack, original, speculation?

11. Explain the following expressions:-Auto da Fé, Scandalum Magnatum, Rajah, the Escurial, the Wooden Spoon, Molières doctors.

12. Those to whom allusion is made in the following passages are mentioned in Macaulay's essay. Give a short explanation of each passage.

(1) Friend to my life, which did not you prolong, The world had wanted many an idle song.

-Pope.

(2)

And he whose lightning pierced th' Iberian lines

Now forms my Quincunx, and now ranks my vines,

Or tames the genius of the stubborn plain.

-Pope. (3) He left the name, at which the world grew

pale,

To point a moral, or adorn a tale.-Johnson.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE.— PART II.

The Board of Examiners.

FOR PASS AND HONOUR CANDIDATES.

1. Quote half a dozen of Bacon's striking openings of Essays.

2. Give the substance of the Essays "Of Boldness," and "Of Studies."

3. Comment on the following passages:

(1) The astrologers call the evil influences of the stars evil aspects.

(2) Astronomers which did feign eccentrics and epicycles, and such engines of orbs to save the phenomena.

(3) Closeness did impair and a little perish his understanding.

(4) The personal fruition in any man cannot reach to feel great riches.

(5)

the greatest sabbath-breaker, because

his plough goeth every Sunday.

4. Consider "King Lear" as a study of madness.

5. Trace the overthrow of the classical school in English literature.

6. From the "Prose Masterpieces" choose two of which the style is most opposed, and contrast the styles.

7. Write short accounts of De Quincey and Ruskin.

8. Explain and comment on the following pas

sages:

(1) Even now many talk of Spenser's "Well of pure English undefiled," as if the language ever sprung from a well or fountain-head.

(2) Your character is a constitution for your country, and your conscience its guaranty.

(3) The dice of God are always loaded.

(4) The great end and aim of the British Constitution is to get twelve honest men into a box.

(5) You have been a "burra Shikarree

a "burra Sahib."

as well as

(6) It is Philosophy teaching by Example.