Q.1
Who is the narrator, or speaker, of this poem?
  • Robert Browning
  • The poet
  • A Duke
  • The Duchess
Q.2
Where is the Duchess who is the subject of the poem?
  • She is in the room
  • She is waiting with the rest of the Duke's company
  • She has been banished from the castle
  • She is dead
Q.3
What is meant by the phrase 'a spot of joy' (lines 14-15)?
  • A brightness in the eye
  • A blush
  • A time of merriment
  • A tear
Q.4
Which of the following phrases gives the reader the impression that the Duke was a fond husband?
  • 'Fra Pandolf’s hands / Worked busily a day, and there she stands'
  • 'She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad'
  • Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet / The company below, then'
  • '(Since none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)'
Q.5
'She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad' - What is the effect of the Duke's hesitation here?
  • The Duke implies that his interpretation is much kinder than the reality
  • The pause gives the impression that the Duke hesitates to wipe away a tear or two
  • The Duke implies that his wife was a much gentler, soft-hearted woman than people realized
  • The pause gives the impression that the Duke is not very articulate
Q.6
What effect does the repeated enjambment have in this poem?
  • It gives the impression that the Duke is an accomplished speaker
  • It gives the impression that the Duke has broken down emotionally
  • It gives the impression that the Duke rarely pauses for breath
  • The use of enjambment has no effect
Q.7
Considering its tone, the Duke's monolog is best described as a...
  • tirade
  • epitaph
  • elegy
  • charade
Q.8
Which of the following is NOT one of the Duchess's misdemeanors, according to the Duke?
  • She was flattered by compliments from Fra Pandolf
  • She enjoyed the sunset as much as she enjoyed her husband's favor
  • She wouldn't listen to her husband when he tried to correct her behavior
  • She was equally grateful for all acts of kindness, regardless of their source
Q.9
'This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together.' - How should these lines be interpreted?
  • The Duchess stayed out of her husband's way
  • The Duke is somehow responsible for the Duchess's early death
  • The Duke forgave his wife and stopped tormenting her
  • The Duchess grew to hate her husband and divorced him
Q.10
What is the Duke in the midst of planning?
  • A hunting trip
  • An expedition
  • Commissioning a statue of his wife
  • A new marriage
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