American Literature CLEP Prep Practice Exam

Who wrote the poem "The Raven" in 1845?

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Walt Whitman

3. Edgar Allen Poe

4. Emily Dickinson

The correct answer is: Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allan Poe wrote the poem "The Raven" in 1845. This gothic narrative poem is one of his most famous works and established him as a master of macabre and suspense. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman were both renowned poets during this time period, but they did not write "The Raven." Emily Dickinson, although a renowned poet, did not begin to write until 1850, which was five years after Poe wrote "The Raven." Therefore, the correct answer is C, Edgar Allan Poe.