Literature
Cliff has answered many Literature questions from other students who need a little help on their homework and tests. Browse this list of questions to find out if Cliff already has an answer for you. If not, return to the Ask Cliff page to ask your Literature question, keeping in mind, of course, that Cliff won't do your homework for you.
| 1. |
I'm guessing the word quadroon is four of something. But what's a roon? |
| 2. |
I'm trying to understand Shakespeare's play, King Lear. Can you explain these quotes from Act 1, Scene 1? |
| 3. |
In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, what's a samovar? |
| 4. |
I came across a music channel that featured "tejano," and then I saw the same word when I was reading Bless Me, Ultima. What does it mean? |
| 5. |
In The Awakening, there's a term "prunella gaiter." I'm guessing that gaiters are a type of covering for your legs ? like the gaiters I use on my ski boots to keep snow out. But what the heck is prunella ? is it a purplish color like prunes? |
| 6. |
What's sedulous mean? |
| 7. |
In Chapter 2 of Jane Eyre, what are divers parchments? |
| 8. |
A friend of mine said she hopes to get a counterpane for Christmas. What's that? |
| 9. |
In Wuthering Heights, what does munificent mean? |
| 10. |
The other day, my dad called my friends a motley crew. Is that his way of saying I should hang out with a different crowd? |
| 11. |
Why is there an authorship problem with Shakespeare? |
| 12. |
What is it called when something is out of place in time, like a jet stream in a movie about ancient Rome? |
| 13. |
In 1984, does Winston die from a bullet at the end of the book or is he in a dream-state? |
| 14. |
I saw some old guy in a soldier's uniform selling fake red flowers. He said it was for Veterans Day. What's the connection? |
| 15. |
I was kind of flirting with this really cute boy when my teacher told me to stop palavering. Did she want me to stop flirting or stop talking? |
| 16. |
My grandmother says when she was a kid in China, she became Catholic because of the Mary Knows nuns. I tried to look that up on the Internet but couldn't find anything. Can you help? |
| 17. |
In The Count of Monte Cristo, does cupidity mean love? I'm guessing that because of, you know, Cupid . . . Valentine's Day. |
| 18. |
My theater teacher called me a name the other day. I don't think it was supposed to be a compliment. What's a somnambulist, anyway? |
| 19. |
Why was Tartuffe such a jerk? |
| 20. |
To Kill a Mockingbird has this word fey in it, but I don't know what it means. Does it mean short lived or fleeting? |
| 21. |
In Pride and Prejudice, what's "probity" — does it mean being nosy? |
| 22. |
I never met my grandma, who my mom says lives in a hovel and wants her to move in with us. Then I saw that word in Frankenstein. What's a hovel? I thought it was like a place that had room service. |
| 23. |
I have a friend who said something about phantasmagoric. That's not real, is it? |
| 24. |
Which of the following literary devices is used in these poetic lines by John Milton? |
| 25. |
In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," what does noblesse oblige mean? |
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