Robert Browning

Choose the best answer to the following questions, according to the information on the tape.

1. The narrator first read poems by Robert Browning

A. at school.

B. when she discovered him for herself.

C. when a schoolfriend lent her a book.

D. when her mother gave her some to read.

2. The message of the lecture was that

A. ambition led to social advancement.

B. hard work was necessary for successful studying.

C. time should not be wasted.

D. human beings should strive for excellence.

3. Browning's poem about grammarian puts forward the view that

A. knowledge is power.

B. too much studying leads to ill health.

C. intellectual pursuits can't bring pleasure.

D. people must work to achieve their aims,

4. A characteristic of Browning's that the narrator admires is

A. his inexhaustible thirst for knowledge.

B. his description of physical objects.

C. his studies of the insane.

D. his shrewd judgements.

5. One problem of biographers of Browning is that

A. they get the facts wrong.

B. they are dull.

C. they are less subtle than Browning himself.

D. they don't provide a balanced picture.

6. From the text we learn that Browning was married to

A. a feminist.

B. a writer.

C. a literary critic.

D. a complicated woman.

7. Which word best fits the narrator's view of Browning? He was

A. understanding.

B. generous.

C. committed.

D. demanding.

Read the article and complete the matching exercise.

1 chimera a a person easily fooled

2 quarry b no longer existing

3 whine с once well developed but now of little use

4 skeletal d a non-expert

5 joystick e a high-pitched noise

6 sucker f an imaginary monster

7 defunct g extremely thin

8 vestigial h a device for controlling direction

9 layman i an object being hunted