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MTEL General Curriculum Practice Exam

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Read the excerpt below from "The Raven" (1845), a poem by Edgar Allan Poe; then answer the question that follows.
 
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 
" 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door— 
Only this and nothing more."
In this passage, the repetition of similar word sounds creates a mood of: 
  1. Carefree relaxation.
  2. Mounting tension.
  3. Cheery optimism.
  4. Growing depression.
Explanation
Correct Response: B. In the excerpt, Poe repeats certain word sounds (e.g., "-apping") to create a sense of urgency and mounting tension. The repetition of sounds in the excerpt simulates the insistent "rapping"/"tapping" at the speaker's chamber door. The longer the rapping persists, the greater the anxiety the speaker—and the reader—feels. Because the sounds that Poe chooses to repeat are somewhat menacing, they fail to create a mood of carefree relaxation (A) or cheery optimism (C). Similarly, the insistent nature of the sounds does not create growing depression (D), but growing apprehension.
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