Walt Whitman, born in New York, in 1819, was one of America’s unusual literary figures. As an individualist, he rambled through the countryside seeing people and places, and making them his own. His experiences in earning a living were varied; at times he was a printer, a teacher, a carpenter, a nurse, and a newspaper editor. He was a big-hearted man, open and accepting. He gave freely of his time by caring for the wounded during the Civil War. Though he lived in the city, he often spent time in the country, developing his strong sense of nature, which carried through to his poems. In 1855 he collected the verses he had written, and published them in one thin volume, “Leaves of Grass”, a book which he revised and rewrote all the rest of his life. The book was ridiculed by some poets and generally ignored by others, probably because his verse forms were not traditional. He had felt that it was necessary to achieve a new poetic form in order to communicate his views. His reputation didn’t grow until after his death, and it reached a high point in the 1920s. Since then, Whitman’s style has greatly influenced modern poets.
1. The best title for this passage is
A. Leaves of Grass B. Walt Whitman
C. A Country man D. Poetry: A New Form.
2. Whitman’s big-heartedness is shown by his
A. visiting the countryside B. being an individualist
C. rewriting “ Leaves of Grass” D. caring for the wounded.
3. The passage says that during Whitman‘s life time, other poets
A. accepted him B. communicated with him.
C. praised him D. laughed at him
4. We can assume that Whitman was ignored because he
A. wrote in a new form B. rambled through the countryside
C. published his poems D. rewrote his book
5. The word “rambled” is most similar to the meaning of
A. stopped briefly B. walked slowly
C. traveled quickly D. marched excitedly.