Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

1. What is the poem’s setting?

A) a country road at dawn

B) a farm at twilight

C) a church sanctuary at midday

D) a graveyard at dusk

2. What class of people is the speaker considering when he says, “Each in his narrow cell is for ever laid / The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep” (Lines 15-16)?

A) noblemen

B) average country folk

C) famous artists

D) well-known authors

3. What truth about death does the speaker impart when he says, “The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r, / And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave, / Awaits alike th’ inevitable hour. / The paths of glory lead but to the grave” (Lines 33-36)?

A) Death is unavoidable for everyone.

B) Power and wealth in life give one power over death.

C) Death is a punishment for boasting.

D) Death is avoidable for those with wealth and power.

4. Whose funeral does the shepherd (swain) witness?

A) a plowman’s

B) a housewife’s

C) the speaker’s

D) the church pastor’s

5. The Epitaph at the end of the poem suggests what about the dead person?

A) He is with God.

B) He is with loved ones.

C) He is reborn in nature.

D) He is in a terrible place.