Unlock hundreds more features
Save your Quiz to the Dashboard
View and Export Results
Use AI to Create Quizzes and Analyse Results

OR
Sign inSign in with Facebook
Sign inSign in with Google
Quizzes > Literature & Language > Books & Literature

How Well Do You Know Samuel Taylor Coleridge? Start the Quiz!

Dive into Coleridge trivia and test your Romantic poets knowledge

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for a quiz on Samuel Taylor Coleridges life and poetry on a coral background

Calling all classic verse aficionados! Ready to challenge yourself with the ultimate Samuel Taylor Coleridge quiz? From the dreamlike realms of "Kubla Khan" to the haunting lines of "Christabel," this free Coleridge trivia journey tests your grasp of his signature imagery. Dive into our Coleridge poetry quiz to spot thematic twists, then unlock intriguing Samuel Taylor Coleridge facts quiz details about his life, inspirations, and little-known trivia that shaped his work. Whether you're gearing up for a Romantic poets quiz or simply love 19th-century verse, our questions for poets warm-up and companion English Literature Quiz invite you to explore more. Dive in now and prove your poetic prowess!

When was Samuel Taylor Coleridge born?
1782
1792
1762
1772
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born on October 21, 1772, in Ottery St Mary, Devon. His birth date is well documented in biographies and historical records. He went on to become one of the founders of the English Romantic movement. Wikipedia
Which poem begins with the famous line In Xanadu did Kubla Khan?
The Nightingale
Frost at Midnight
Kubla Khan
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The poem Kubla Khan opens with the line In Xanadu did Kubla Khan and describes a vision of the Mongol rulers pleasure dome. It was composed in 1797 and published in 1816. The poem is famous for its vivid imagery and fragmentary nature. Wikipedia
Who was Coleridges close collaborator on the 1798 collection Lyrical Ballads?
Percy Shelley
William Blake
William Wordsworth
John Keats
Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth jointly published Lyrical Ballads in 1798, a work often cited as the starting point of English Romantic poetry. Wordsworth wrote the preface and several poems, while Coleridge contributed key works including Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. Their collaboration had a profound impact on subsequent generations. Wikipedia
Which substance did Coleridge famously use and become addicted to?
Cocaine
Opium
Tobacco
Alcohol
Coleridges addiction to laudanum, an opium tincture, is well documented and influenced both his life and his writing. His struggles with addiction are reflected in poems like The Pains of Sleep. Modern scholarship often discusses how opium shaped his creativity as well as his health. Wikipedia
What is the title of Coleridges major critical work published in 1817?
Poesy Explained
Biographia Literaria
Imaginative Philosophy
Romantic Treatises
Biographia Literaria, published in 1817, is Coleridges seminal work of literary theory and critique. It combines autobiography, philosophy, and literary criticism, introducing key concepts like the willing suspension of disbelief. It remains a foundational text in Romantic studies. Wikipedia
What was Samuel Taylor Coleridges nationality?
Welsh
English
Irish
Scottish
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in England and is considered one of the foremost English poets. Although Romanticism was a European-wide phenomenon, his language, themes, and cultural milieu were distinctly English. Wikipedia
Which poem features a mariner who shoots an albatross?
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Christabel
Kubla Khan
Frost at Midnight
In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the mariner kills an albatross, bringing a curse upon himself and his ship. This central incident establishes the poems themes of guilt, nature, and redemption. It first appeared in the 1798 edition of Lyrical Ballads. Wikipedia
Which college did Coleridge attend at the University of Cambridge?
Trinity College, Dublin
Oriel College, Oxford
Kings College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Coleridge matriculated at Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1791 and studied there until 1794. Although he did not complete a degree, his time at Cambridge helped shape his early intellectual development. Wikipedia
In what year were Lyrical Ballads first published?
1798
1802
1789
1817
The first edition of Lyrical Ballads, co-authored by Coleridge and Wordsworth, was published in 1798. This landmark collection helped define the Romantic era in English literature. Wikipedia
The phrase willing suspension of disbelief appears in which of Coleridges works?
Biographia Literaria
Dejection: An Ode
Kubla Khan
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Coleridge coined the term willing suspension of disbelief in his critical work Biographia Literaria (1817). The concept describes an audiences choice to accept the premises of a fantasy in order to enjoy the narrative. Wikipedia
Coleridge first defined the concept of primary imagination in which text?
Christabel
Frost at Midnight
Biographia Literaria
Lyrical Ballads
In Biographia Literaria, Coleridge distinguishes between primary and secondary imagination. The primary imagination is the living power of the human mind to perceive the unity of things. Wikipedia
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner first appeared in which collection?
Lyrical Ballads
Sibylline Leaves
Poems of Coleridge
Christabel
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was included in the 1798 edition of Lyrical Ballads by Coleridge and Wordsworth. It was revised in later editions but its first appearance was in that pivotal collection. Wikipedia
In which English county was Coleridge born?
Devon
Somerset
Cornwall
Dorset
Coleridge was born in the town of Ottery St Mary in Devon, England. His Devon childhood had a lasting impact on his sensibilities and early education. Wikipedia
Which personal event inspired Coleridges poem Dejection: An Ode?
Separation from Sara Hutchinson
Loss of a child
Recurring illness
Death of his wife
Dejection: An Ode was written in response to Coleridges separation from his friend Sara Hutchinson, to whom the poem is addressed. It reflects themes of loss, creativity, and emotional turmoil. Wikipedia
Which philosophical movement most influenced Coleridges thought?
German Idealism
Existentialism
Classicism
Empiricism
Coleridge was deeply influenced by German Idealist philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and Fichte. Their ideas about the nature of perception and imagination shaped his literary and critical theories. Wikipedia
Which literary technique is Coleridge credited with popularizing in English poetry?
Epic simile
Colloquial language
Heroic couplet
Alexandrine verse
Coleridge and Wordsworth aimed to use everyday speech in their poems, a departure from the ornate diction of 18th-century verse. This colloquial style is evident in many of Coleridges conversation poems. Wikipedia
The unfinished poem Christabel is primarily characterized by which theme?
Supernatural and gothic
Political revolution
Pastoral and rural life
Philosophical meditation
Christabel explores supernatural and gothic elements, including mysterious visions and eerie atmosphere. Its fragmentary form and spectral events set it apart from Coleridges other works. Wikipedia
Which German philosopher had the greatest influence on Coleridges intellectual development?
Immanuel Kant
Friedrich Nietzsche
Georg Hegel
Arthur Schopenhauer
Coleridge was profoundly influenced by Immanuel Kants theories of perception and the categories of understanding. Kants Critique of Pure Reason provided a foundation for Coleridges own reflections on imagination and knowledge. Wikipedia
What primary subject does the poem The Pains of Sleep address?
Opium-induced nightmares
Winter landscape
Political turmoil
Unrequited love
The Pains of Sleep describes Coleridges distressing nightmares during his laudanum addiction. It vividly conveys the psychological and physical effects of addiction on sleep. Wikipedia
Which term did Coleridge coin to describe the minds unifying power in art?
Suspension of disbelief
Sublimation
Esemplastic
Negative capability
Coleridge introduced esemplastic power in Biographia Literaria to denote the imaginations ability to shape disparate elements into a unified whole. The word combines Greek roots meaning to shape into one. Wikipedia
Where did Coleridge deliver his famous literary and philosophical lectures?
University of Oxford
British Museum
Trinity College
Royal Institution
Coleridge gave a series of lectures on literature, metaphysics, and theology at the Royal Institution in London during the 1810s. These lectures drew large audiences and enhanced his reputation as a critic and thinker. Wikipedia
Which of Coleridges poems employs the Ottava Rima stanza form?
Love
Kubla Khan
Frost at Midnight
Christabel
Coleridges poem Love is written in Ottava Rima, an eight-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhyming abababcc, borrowed from Italian epic poetry. It showcases his experimentation with form. Wikipedia
In Biographia Literaria, Coleridge distinguishes between primary imagination and which lesser faculty?
Memory
Fancy
Emotion
Reason
In Biographia Literaria Coleridge contrasts the primary imagination, a living and creative power, with fancy, which he views as a mechanical and associative faculty. This distinction is central to his literary theory. Wikipedia
Which essay by Coleridge provides a detailed analysis of Shakespeares characters and works?
Conciones ad Populum
On Poesy or Art
Friendship
Lectures on Shakespeare
Coleridges Lectures on Shakespeare, delivered in 181112 and later published, offer extensive commentary on Shakespeares dramaturgy, characters, and language. They are considered a milestone in Shakespearean criticism. Wikipedia
Who edited the standard scholarly edition of Samuel Taylor Coleridges Notebooks?
Thomas De Quincey
Ernest Hartley Coleridge
Kathleen Coburn
Mary Shelley
Kathleen Coburns eight-volume edition, published between 1957 and 1990, remains the authoritative scholarly edition of Coleridges Notebooks. Her meticulous work brought these important manuscripts to wider academic attention. Wikipedia
0
{"name":"When was Samuel Taylor Coleridge born?", "url":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/QPREVIEW","txt":"When was Samuel Taylor Coleridge born?, Which poem begins with the famous line In Xanadu did Kubla Khan?, Who was Coleridges close collaborator on the 1798 collection Lyrical Ballads?","img":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/3012/images/ogquiz.png"}

Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Coleridge's Biography -

    Gain a clear overview of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's life events, influences, and contributions to Romantic literature through targeted quiz questions.

  2. Analyze Key Poems -

    Examine the structure, imagery, and poetic techniques in Coleridge's major works, including his famed sonnets and narrative poems.

  3. Identify Central Themes -

    Recognize and interpret recurring themes such as nature, supernatural elements, and morality in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and other Coleridge poetry quiz items.

  4. Recall Essential Trivia -

    Test your grasp of Coleridge trivia by recalling important dates, personal anecdotes, and lesser-known facts highlighted in the Samuel Taylor Coleridge facts quiz.

  5. Compare Romantic Poets -

    Contrast Coleridge's style and thematic concerns with those of his contemporaries to deepen your understanding of the broader Romantic poets quiz context.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Early Life and Cambridge Years -

    Born in 1772, Coleridge entered Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1791, where he began penning his first poems. Remember the mnemonic "SC at JC" (Samuel Coleridge at Jesus College) to recall his formative academic years (source: Cambridge University Archives).

  2. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner -

    This epic ballad uses an ABAB rhyme scheme and vivid supernatural imagery - "water, water, every where" is one of its most famous refrains. For quick Coleridge trivia recall that the albatross symbolizes guilt and redemption, a central theme in Romantic poetry studies (source: Harvard Romanticism Research).

  3. Kubla Khan: Dream vs. Reality -

    Composed in 1797 after an opium-induced vision, "Kubla Khan" blends rich exotic imagery with abrupt fragmentation, illustrating Romantic fascination with the sublime. Use the memory phrase "Kaleidoscopic Khan" to trigger recall of its vivid palace and sacred river Xanadu (source: Oxford Academic Journals).

  4. Collaboration on Lyrical Ballads -

    Partnering with Wordsworth in 1798, Coleridge co-authored this landmark collection that launched the Romantic movement. Note the acronym "LB1798" to remember Lyrical Ballads and its revolutionary emphasis on ordinary language and emotion (source: British Library).

  5. Biographia Literaria and Poetic Theory -

    In his critical work Biographia Literaria (1817), Coleridge introduces the concept of the "willing suspension of disbelief," a cornerstone of literary theory. For your Coleridge poetry quiz, recall that this theory underpins modern narrative criticism and imaginative engagement (source: Cambridge University Press).

Make a Quiz (FREE) Copy & Edit This Quiz Create a Quiz with AI

Books & Literature Quizzes

Powered by: Quiz Maker