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Quizzes > Books & Literature

The Metaphysical Poets Mastery Test

Quick, free metaphysical poetry test to check your knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Jordyn CroninUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art quill pen open book floating above layered cosmic shapes on dark blue background for metaphysical poetry quiz

This quiz helps you practice close reading of the metaphysical poets and their poetry, from conceits to tone, so you can check what you know fast. Get a broader view with our poetry test, explore context in the Elizabethan era quiz, and build skills across forms with a poetry and drama unit test.

Who is the author of the poem "The Flea"?
George Herbert
John Donne
Andrew Marvell
Robert Herrick
John Donne wrote "The Flea" around 1590 - 1592, using the ironic conceit of a flea to explore themes of love and physical intimacy. The poem's witty argument and metaphysical conceit are characteristic of Donne's style. It remains one of the most anthologized examples of metaphysical poetry.
Which poet wrote "Easter Wings"?
John Donne
Richard Crashaw
Andrew Marvell
George Herbert
"Easter Wings" is a shape poem by George Herbert first published in 1633. It appears in Herbert's collection "The Temple" and uses its typographical form to represent spiritual ascent and descent. Herbert's devotional style and religious imagery are hallmarks of his metaphysical poetry.
Metaphysical conceit refers to which of the following?
A simple direct comparison using 'like' or 'as'
A type of dramatic monologue
An extended metaphor linking highly dissimilar things
A rigid poetic form with strict meter
A metaphysical conceit is an extended, often startling, metaphor that connects two seemingly unrelated subjects. Metaphysical poets like Donne and Marvell used these elaborate comparisons to explore philosophical ideas and emotional complexity. The technique distinguished their work from more conventional Renaissance poetry.
The phrase "No man is an island" originally appears in which work?
Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII
Holy Sonnets
Paradoxes and Problems
Collected Sermons
"No man is an island" comes from John Donne's "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions," specifically Meditation XVII, written in 1624. The passage emphasizes human interconnectedness and shared fate. It has become one of Donne's most quoted lines.
Which of these poets is NOT typically classified as a Metaphysical poet?
John Milton
George Herbert
Andrew Marvell
John Donne
John Milton is associated with the epic and Puritan tradition rather than the Metaphysical school. Metaphysical poets include Donne, Marvell, Herbert, and Crashaw, who emphasized wit and complex conceits. Milton's style and themes differ markedly, focusing on biblical epics and political matters.
Metaphysical poetry primarily flourished in which century?
16th century
17th century
15th century
18th century
Metaphysical poetry reached its height during the early to mid-17th century, especially between 1600 and 1660. This was a period of religious upheaval and philosophical inquiry in England. Poets like Donne, Marvell, and Herbert produced their major works in this era.
The poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" uses which object as its central conceit?
A candle
A compass
An arrow
A ship
In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," John Donne compares the bond between lovers to the two legs of a compass. This extended conceit illustrates spiritual unity and balanced separation. The poem showcases Donne's ingenuity in linking abstract love with concrete imagery.
Which poet wrote "The Collar"?
John Donne
George Herbert
Andrew Marvell
Richard Crashaw
"The Collar" is a poem by George Herbert published in his 1633 collection "The Temple." It depicts the speaker's frustration and eventual submission to divine authority. Herbert's use of tension and poetic form reflects his metaphysical and devotional concerns.
In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," the speaker compares himself and his beloved to what?
Joining rivers
Two birds in flight
Twin compasses
Intertwined vines
Donne's famous conceit likens the lovers to the two legs of a drafting compass, one fixed and the other roaming. It emphasizes their spiritual unity despite physical distance. The compass image captures both stability and motion in their bond.
A hallmark of metaphysical poetry is:
Simplistic rhyme schemes
Extended metaphysical conceits
Strict use of blank verse
Pastoral idylls of country life
Metaphysical poets are known for their extended metaphysical conceits - elaborate analogies comparing two unlike entities. This technique sets their work apart from more straightforward Renaissance poetry. They also favor abrupt openings and colloquial language.
Which metaphysical poem begins with the line "Had we but world enough, and time"?
Love (III)
The Flea
The Altar
To His Coy Mistress
Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" opens with this famous carpe diem line. The speaker argues that if there were infinite time, he could spend ages wooing his love. The poem's use of hyperbole and wit exemplifies metaphysical style.
In George Herbert's "The Pulley," God withholds which gift from mankind?
Joy
Rest
Wisdom
Strength
In "The Pulley," Herbert imagines God bestowing gifts on humanity but withholding rest so humans would seek divine comfort. The poem uses the pulley conceit to illustrate spiritual longing. Herbert blends theology with inventive metaphor throughout.
Andrew Marvell's "The Definition of Love" primarily addresses:
Impossible love
Religious devotion
Nature imagery
Political satire
Marvell's "The Definition of Love" depicts love as an unattainable ideal thwarted by fate and mathematics. The poem uses paradox and logical argument to explore its theme. It showcases the intellectual rigor common to metaphysical verse.
Richard Crashaw's poetry is most associated with which religious influence?
Puritanism
Quakerism
Catholicism
Anglicanism
Crashaw converted to Catholicism and his work reflects intense Catholic mysticism and sacramental imagery. His poems often depict Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Eucharist with rapturous language. This distinguishes him from Protestant metaphysical contemporaries.
The term "Metaphysical Poets" was coined by which critic?
Samuel Johnson
T.S. Eliot
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Wordsworth
Samuel Johnson used the term in his 18th-century Preface to Shakespeare, applying it to poets like Donne and Marvell because of their intellectual style. The label stuck and has shaped how we view that group of 17th-century writers. Later critics have both praised and contested the category.
In John Donne's "Death, be not proud," what is the speaker's attitude toward death?
Defiant and mocking
Indifferent and dismissive
Joyful and celebratory
Reverent and fearful
The speaker in "Death, be not proud" challenges death's power, calling it a slave to fate and chance. He mocks death as powerless because it leads to eternal life. This defiant tone typifies Donne's bold metaphysical style.
Which figure of speech is most characteristic of metaphysical poetry?
Onomatopoeia
Anaphora
Metaphysical conceit
Synecdoche
Metaphysical conceits are extended metaphors linking disparate concepts through elaborate analogy, central to metaphysical poetry. While other devices appear in poetry at large, the boldness and length of these conceits define the metaphysical school. They often challenge readers' expectations.
John Donne's "The Ecstasy" explores the union of souls through a:
Literal medical description
Metaphysical conceit involving the soul's flight
Pastoral scene of shepherds
Naval battle analogy
In "The Ecstasy," Donne uses the conceit of two souls departing the body and then rejoining to symbolize spiritual and physical love. The poem blends erotic and mystical imagery. Its philosophical depth and inventive metaphor are hallmarks of metaphysical poetry.
Which poem by George Herbert is structured in the shape of its subject?
The Collar
Love (III)
The Altar
Easter Wings
Herbert's "The Altar" is a concrete poem shaped visually like an altar. The poem's typography reinforces its devotional theme and metaphysical focus. Herbert's innovative use of form complements his spiritual message.
"The Sun Rising" by Donne opens with which address?
"Rise up, fiery globe"
"O golden orb on high"
"Hello bright morning star"
"Busy old fool, unruly sun"
Donne begins "The Sun Rising" by chiding the sun as a "Busy old fool" and "unruly" for interrupting his love. The poem's provocative opening exemplifies Donne's dramatic style. He then argues that his private world transcends the sun's authority.
In "To His Coy Mistress," how does Marvell use the concept of time?
By emphasizing its swift passage to urge carpe diem
By praising its infinite nature
By lamenting only the past
By ignoring time altogether
Marvell underscores the fleeting nature of time - "Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near" - to persuade his mistress to seize the moment. The urgency created by the time motif is central to the poem's persuasive strategy. This carpe diem appeal is a classic metaphysical theme.
Which poetic device is exemplified in Richard Crashaw's "On the Wounds of Our Crucified Lord"?
Mystical imagery
Satirical tone
Heroic couplet
Blank verse
Crashaw's poem is rich with mystical imagery depicting Christ's wounds as gateways to divine love. His baroque style and sensuous devotional detail reflect Catholic mysticism. This focus on spiritual vision distinguishes his metaphysical approach.
In Donne's Holy Sonnets, which sonnet form does he primarily employ?
Spenserian sonnet
Petrarchan sonnet
Ode form
English/Shakespearean sonnet
Donne's Holy Sonnets generally follow the English (Shakespearean) sonnet form of three quatrains and a final couplet. He adapts the structure to accommodate his irregular meter and thematic urgency. This blend of formal outline and Free Verse feel underscores the metaphysical tension in his work.
Which Neo-Platonic concept influenced metaphysical poets' portrayal of love?
Transcendent unity of souls
Original sin
Divine right of kings
Empirical skepticism
Metaphysical poets often drew on Neo-Platonism, especially the idea that earthly love reflects a higher, spiritual unity between souls. This philosophy allowed them to blend erotic imagery with mystical aspiration. Their conceits frequently bridge physical sensation and divine connection.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Key Poetic Devices -

    Recognize core metaphysical conceits, paradoxes, and rhetorical techniques featured in the metaphysical poetry quiz.

  2. Analyze Complex Imagery -

    Break down vivid imagery and symbolic language used by poets like John Donne in this free metaphysical poets mastery test.

  3. Interpret Thematic Elements -

    Understand spiritual, philosophical, and intellectual themes in famous metaphysical poems quiz sections.

  4. Evaluate Historical Context -

    Assess how 17th-century societal and religious influences shaped metaphysical poetry MCQ questions.

  5. Apply Critical Reading Strategies -

    Use targeted techniques to tackle challenging metaphysical poets quiz questions accurately and efficiently.

  6. Compare Poetic Stylistic Approaches -

    Distinguish between the writing styles of various metaphysical poets, enhancing your overall poetry IQ.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Conceits and Extended Metaphors -

    Metaphysical poets like John Donne use elaborate conceits - unexpected comparisons that link disparate ideas - to surprise and engage readers (Cambridge University). For example, Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" likens lovers' souls to the two legs of a compass, illustrating unity through geometry. Mnemonic trick: remember "COMET" (Conceit, Odd Metaphor, Exact Twist).

  2. Paradox and Intellectual Wit -

    Paradox - statements that seem self-contradictory yet reveal deeper truths - is a hallmark of metaphysical poetry, showcased in poems like John Donne's "The Canonization." Recognizing these intellectual puzzles boosts your score on the metaphysical poetry quiz by sharpening analytical skills (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Treat each paradox as a mini-riddle to unlock thematic layers.

  3. Spiritual and Religious Imagery -

    George Herbert and Henry Vaughan infuse their work with Biblical allusions and devotional themes, inviting readers into personal acts of worship (Oxford English Dictionary research). Herbert's "The Pulley" uses the metaphor of divine gifts as tools of grace - a key concept for the metaphysical poetry MCQ section. Linking scriptural context to poetic devices strengthens your answers.

  4. Poetic Structure and Meter Variations -

    Unlike rigid Elizabethan forms, metaphysical poets often employ irregular meter and abrupt line breaks to mirror emotional intensity (Yale Literature Review). Spotting iambic pentameter shifts or enjambment patterns in the famous metaphysical poems quiz helps you identify the poet's mood and intent. Practice scanning lines aloud to internalize these rhythms.

  5. Historical and Cultural Context -

    Understanding 17th-century scientific discoveries, religious conflicts, and courtly life provides crucial background for the metaphysical poets mastery test (Oxford University Press). For instance, Donne's role as Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral influenced his sermonic tone. Chart major events on a timeline to visualize connections between history and poetic innovation.

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