Quiz on William Empson’s “Ambiguity” body { font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; } .quiz-option { transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; } .quiz-option:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); } .quiz-option.selected { background-color: #3b82f6; /* Tailwind's blue-500 */ color: white; border-color: #2563eb; /* Tailwind's blue-600 */ } .correct { background-color: #dcfce7; /* Tailwind's green-100 */ border-left-color: #22c55e; /* Tailwind's green-500 */ } .incorrect { background-color: #fee2e2; /* Tailwind's red-100 */ border-left-color: #ef4444; /* Tailwind's red-500 */ } Literary Ambiguity Quiz

Test your knowledge of William Empson’s “Seven Types of Ambiguity”.

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Review Your Answers Try Again const quizData = [ { question: "How did William Empson redefine the concept of 'ambiguity' in his work?", options: [ "As a grammatical mistake that makes writing unclear", "As a feature found only in poetry dealing with psychological conflict", "As any verbal nuance that allows for alternative reactions to the same language", "As a simple pun where one word has two meanings" ], correct: 2 }, { question: "Which type of ambiguity occurs when an author is 'discovering his idea in the act of writing,' leading to a 'blurring of the focus'?", options: [ "Second Type: Alternative Meanings Resolved into Unity", "Fourth Type: Complex State of Mind", "Seventh Type: Full Contradiction", "Fifth Type: Fortunate Confusion" ], correct: 3 }, { question: "The example of Milton's line, 'That specious monster, my accomplished snare,' where words like 'specious' and 'accomplished' carry two distinct meanings simultaneously, is used to illustrate which type of ambiguity?", options: [ "The First Type", "The Third Type", "The Sixth Type", "The Second Type" ], correct: 1 }, { question: "According to the document, what is the primary characteristic of the Seventh Type of ambiguity, 'Full Contradiction'?", options: [ "The reader is forced to invent an interpretation to resolve an irrelevant statement", "Two alternative meanings are resolved into a single, rich meaning", "It marks a fundamental division or deep-seated conflict in the author's mind", "A detail is effective in several ways at once without the reader noticing" ], correct: 2 }, { question: "How are Empson's seven types of ambiguity arranged in his book?", options: [ "In order of increasing logical disorder and psychological complexity", "Chronologically, based on the literary period of the examples", "By the frequency of their appearance in English literature", "Randomly, with no discernible order" ], correct: 0 }, { question: "The Fourth Type of ambiguity is described as making clear a 'complicated state of mind in the author.' What kind of feelings does this type typically convey?", options: [ "A simple sense of humor or wit", "A feeling of absolute certainty and clarity", "Painfully mixed feelings that show internal conflict", "A sense of confusion that the reader must resolve" ], correct: 2 }, { question: "What is Empson's overall conclusion about analyzing ambiguity in poetry?", options: [ "It is a 'niggling' and unnecessary exercise that detracts from the poem's beauty", "It is essential for understanding the complex emotions and intellectual depth compacted within the verse", "It proves that most classical poets were simply making mistakes in their writing", "It should only be applied to works that are intentionally contradictory" ], correct: 1 } ]; // State variables let currentQuestion = 0; let score = 0; let userName = ''; const userAnswers = new Array(quizData.length).fill(null); // DOM Elements const startScreen = document.getElementById('start-screen'); const quizScreen = document.getElementById('quiz-screen'); const resultsScreen = document.getElementById('results-screen'); const nameInput = document.getElementById('name'); const nameError = document.getElementById('name-error'); const startBtn = document.getElementById('start-btn'); const questionTitle = document.getElementById('question-title'); const questionCounter = document.getElementById('question-counter'); const questionText = document.getElementById('question-text'); const optionsContainer = document.getElementById('options-container'); const prevBtn = document.getElementById('prev-btn'); const nextBtn = document.getElementById('next-btn'); const submitBtn = document.getElementById('submit-btn'); const resultGreeting = document.getElementById('result-greeting'); const scoreText = document.getElementById('score-text'); const answersReviewContainer = document.getElementById('answers-review-container'); const restartBtn = document.getElementById('restart-btn'); // Functions function startQuiz() { userName = nameInput.value.trim(); if (userName) { startScreen.classList.add('hidden'); quizScreen.classList.remove('hidden'); loadQuestion(); } else { nameError.classList.remove('hidden'); } } function loadQuestion() { const q = quizData[currentQuestion]; questionTitle.innerText = `Question ${currentQuestion + 1}`; questionCounter.innerText = `${currentQuestion + 1} / ${quizData.length}`; questionText.innerText = q.question; optionsContainer.innerHTML = ''; q.options.forEach((option, index) => { const isSelected = userAnswers[currentQuestion] === index; optionsContainer.innerHTML += ` <div class="quiz-option p-4 border-2 border-slate-200 rounded-lg cursor-pointer ${isSelected ? 'selected' : ''}" onclick="selectOption(${index})" > ${option} </div> `; }); updateNavButtons(); } function selectOption(index) { userAnswers[currentQuestion] = index; // Re-load to update styles visually loadQuestion(); } function updateNavButtons() { prevBtn.classList.toggle('hidden', currentQuestion === 0); nextBtn.classList.toggle('hidden', currentQuestion === quizData.length - 1); submitBtn.classList.toggle('hidden', currentQuestion !== quizData.length - 1); } function nextQuestion() { if (currentQuestion < quizData.length - 1) { currentQuestion++; loadQuestion(); } } function prevQuestion() { if (currentQuestion > 0) { currentQuestion--; loadQuestion(); } } function submitQuiz() { score = 0; userAnswers.forEach((answer, index) => { if (answer === quizData[index].correct) { score++; } }); quizScreen.classList.add('hidden'); resultsScreen.classList.remove('hidden'); showResults(); } function showResults() { resultGreeting.innerText = `Well done, ${userName}!`; scoreText.innerText = `${score} / ${quizData.length}`; answersReviewContainer.innerHTML = ''; quizData.forEach((q, index) => { const userAnswerIndex = userAnswers[index]; const isCorrect = userAnswerIndex === q.correct; const statusClass = isCorrect ? 'correct' : 'incorrect'; let reviewHTML = ` <div class="p-4 border-l-4 rounded-r-lg ${statusClass}"> <p class="font-bold mb-2">${index + 1}. ${q.question}</p> `; if (userAnswerIndex !== null) { reviewHTML += `<p class="text-sm text-slate-600"><strong>Your answer:</strong> ${q.options[userAnswerIndex]}</p>`; } else { reviewHTML += `<p class="text-sm text-slate-600"><strong>Your answer:</strong> Not answered</p>`; } if (!isCorrect) { reviewHTML += `<p class="text-sm text-slate-800 mt-1"><strong>Correct answer:</strong> ${q.options[q.correct]}</p>`; } reviewHTML += `</div>`; answersReviewContainer.innerHTML += reviewHTML; }); } function restartQuiz() { // A simple reload is the easiest way to reset the state location.reload(); } // Event Listeners startBtn.addEventListener('click', startQuiz); nameInput.addEventListener('keyup', (event) => { if (event.key === 'Enter') { startQuiz(); } }); prevBtn.addEventListener('click', prevQuestion); nextBtn.addEventListener('click', nextQuestion); submitBtn.addEventListener('click', submitQuiz); restartBtn.addEventListener('click', restartQuiz);

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