Poetry Test

Why does the speaker hope that you will turn from the wind "certain that it will love you back" in lines 7-9 of "blessing the boats"?

Because people may look at you from the front and see you, and you turn around. You would hope that people will push you through things (wind loving your back) that you might not be able to do on your own.

Which sound device do you hear in "tingling strings" from line 3 of "Piano"? a. Assonance b. Enjambment c. End rhyme d. Repetition

a. Assonance

What is not love, according to lines 1-4 of Millay's "Sonnet XXX" a. Basic Necessities of life b. Medicines that treat diseases c. Elements of the natural world d. Voyages to other lands

a. Basic Necessities of life

The speaker of "Sonnet 18" says that summer a. Does not last long b. Is not hot enough c. Can be golden-colored d. Is always sunny

a. Does not last long

What does the speaker of "Sonnet XXX" say that men are doing because they do not have love? a. Dying b. Sinking c. Eating d. Sleeping

a. Dying

Which of the following best expresses the speaker's outlook toward love in "Sonnet XXX"? a. Love is more important than any physical or material necessity b. Love is fleeting and should be enjoyed while it lasts c. Love is so strong that it causes people to lose perspective d. Love is difficult to express eloquently unless it is expressed in a poem

a. Love is more important than any physical or material necessity

In "The Fish," the speaker compares the old pieces of line, the wire leader, and the hooks that dangle from the fish's mouth to a. Medals and their ribbons b. The petals of a big peony c. Strips of wallpaper d. A needle and thread

a. Medals and their ribbons

How would you split line 3 of "Sonnet XXX" into iambs? a. Nor yet / a float / ing spar / to men / that sink b. Nor yet / a floating / spar to / men that / sink c. Nor / yet a / floating / spar to / men that / sink d. Nor / yet a lot / ing spar / to men / that sink

a. Nor yet / a float / ing spar / to men / that sink

The lyric poem "I dwell in Possibility--" expresses the speaker's feelings about the a. Power of imagination b. Shortness of life c. Shortcomings of society d. Influence of love

a. Power of imagination (think of with an imagination, anything is possible)

What idea is reinforced by the imagery in line 14 of "Christmas Sparrow"? a. The bird's panicked feeling b. The speaker's annoyance c. The cat's aggression d. The chair's strength

a. The bird's panicked feeling

What is "the eye of heaven" in line 5 of "Sonnet 18"? a. The sun b. The speaker's eye c. The beloved's eye d. Summer

a. The sun

Which of the following causes the speaker in "Piano" to remember the past? a. The dusk b. A woman singing c. A piano's notes d. A small child

b. A woman singing

Reread lines 1-4 of "Sonnet XXX" The speaker compares love to things that a. Have to do with medicine b. Are basic necessities of life c. Are only made by humans d. Make most people sad

b. Are basic necessities of life

What does the speaker most likely mean by the statement "may you open your eyes to water water waving forever" in lines 9-11 of "blessing the boats"? a. Find inspiration in the ocean b. Be open to experiences c. Learn to love the water d. Try to see into the future

b. Be open to experiences

As you read "Sonnet XXX," you note a turning point when the speaker a. Says that love is not food or drink b. Considers being in a desperate situation c. Nags the poem's audience about having wants d. Discusses the memory of a particular night

b. Considers being in a desperate situation

In "Fifteen," the speaker realizes that the motorcycle rider a. Wants to get rid of the motorcycle b. Crashed while riding the motorcycle c. Stole the motorcycle from someone d. Hopes to remain the motorcycle

b. Crashed while riding the motorcycle

The imagery in lines 22-26 of "The Fish" reinforces the idea of the fish's a. Status as an endangered species b. Difficulty breathing air c. Grace and power d. Unusual shape and color

b. Difficulty breathing air

Reread line 28 of "Tonight I can Write..." Which image from the first half of the poem suggests the idea that forgetting takes a long time? a. Blue stars shivering b. Endless night skies c. The pasture d. Dew falling

b. Endless night skies

What does that speaker realize in "Variation on a Theme by Rilke"? a. The ringing bells signify a task b. He or she can accomplish something c. Goals should be met by noon d. He or she should confront each day

b. He or she can accomplish something

What does the speaker think of in line 16 of "Fifteen"? a. He thinks of running away from home b. He wonders where the rider is c. He worries that the motorcycle is damaged d. He thinks that he would be a skilled rider

b. He wonders where the rider is

What is the first stressed syllable of line 1 of "Sonnet 18"? a. Shall b. I c. Com- d. -pare

b. I

How would you split line 11 of "Sonnet 18 into iambs? a. Nor / shall Death / brag thou / wander'st in / his shade b. Nor shall / Death brag / thou wan / der'st in / his shade c. Nor / shall / Death brag / thou wander'st / in his shade d. Nor shall / Death brag / thou wander'st / in / his shade

b. Nor shall / Death brag / thou wan / der'st in / his shade

The speaker in "Piano" feels a. Angry at his mother b. Nostalgic about childhood c. Optimistic about the future d. Indifferent toward the singer

b. Nostalgic about childhood

One similarity between the two sonnets is the a. Way that each speaker finds the beloved beautiful b. Strength that each speaker sees in love c. Power that each speaker finds in the written word d. Fear that each speaker has of death

b. Strength that each speaker sees in love

When you read the last stanza of "The Sloth," you can visualize that sloth a. Sleeping without moving b. Swaying with a knowing look c. Lying on a branch d. Angry and curled in a ball

b. Swaying with a knowing look

In "Christmas Sparrow," what does the speaker hear that explains how the bird got in the house? a. The bird flapping against the window b. The cat growling low in its throat c. The bird rustling in the tree d. The cat clicking its teeth together

b. The cat growling low in its throat

Why is the roof in "I dwell in Possibility--" everlasting? a. It is built to last for years b. The sky goes on forever c. It is stronger than the house d. Cedar is the strongest wood

b. The sky goes on forever (forever is everlasting)

What "gives life" to the speaker's beloved in line 14 of "Sonnet 18"? a. The beloved's face b. The sonnet itself c. The summer sun d. The ability to breathe

b. The sonnet itself

The rhyme scheme of lines 1-8 of "Sonnet 18" is a. abba cddc b. abab cdcd c. aabb ccdd d. aaab cccd

b. abab cdcd

As you read "Sonnet 18," you note a turning point when the speaker says a. "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May" b. "And often is his gold complexion" c. "But thy eternal summer shall not fade" d. "When in eternal lines to time thou growers"

c. "But thy eternal summer shall not fade"

What does the speaker say that he or she becomes in "Variation on a Theme by Rilke"? a. A being confronted b. The flat of a sword c. A bell awakened d. A certain day

c. A bell awakened

Reread lines 11-14 of "Sonnet 18." Which of the following best describes the meaning of lines 11? a. The speaker will never die b. There is no shade in summer c. Death cannot brag that he is in love d. The memory of the beloved will not die

c. Death cannot brag that he is in love

The poems "Variation on a Theme by Rilke" and "blessing the boats" both use personification to a. Bring your attention to the importance of bells b. Show a link between humans and nature c. Describe the power of possibility d. Stop you from having dreams that are too big

c. Describe the power of possibility

In lines 65-67 of "The Fish," the speaker says that victory filled the boat because the speaker has caught a fish that a. Put up no strong fight b. Is big enough to win an award c. Has escaped from many others d. Is rainbow colored

c. Has escaped from many others

The imagery in lines 4-6 of "The Sloth" reinforces the idea that the sloth a. Gets dizzy upside down b. Speaks without thinking c. Is not in a hurry to answer d. Considers others' feelings

c. Is not in a hurry to answer

In "Tonight I Can Write..." you know that the speaker has uncertain feelings about the woman because the speaker a. Wonders whether the woman has ever felt b. Claims that the verse falls to the soul c. Says that his soul is not satisfied d. Believed that the woman is another's

c. Says that his souls is not satisfied

"Variation on a Theme by Rilke" uses figurative language to show that the day is like a person when the day a. Sings what it knows b. Rings out metallically c. Strikes a blow d. Wakes the bells

c. Strikes a blow

In "Fifteen," the enjambment of line 14 helps create tension as the speaker feels a. Frightened about riding the motorcycle b. Guilty about the motorcycle rider c. Tempted to take the motorcycle d. Overwhelmed by the motorcycle's weight

c. Tempted to take the motorcycle

Why does the speaker in "The Sloth" call the sloth exasperating? a. The sloth sleeps too much b. The speaker does not like sloths c. The sloth is slow in all that it does d. The speaker cannot hear the sloth's sounds

c. The sloth is slow in all that it does

How does the speaker in "Sonnet 18" keep his or her beloved alive? a. Prolonging summer b. Painting a portrait c. Writing a sonnet d. Helping the beloved breathe

c. Writing a sonnet

All three of the poems discuss a. Idealistic values b. Confident opinions c. Ongoing disappointments d. Bittersweet feelings

d. Bittersweet feelings

What sound device do you hear in "like my kisses" from line 25 of "Tonight I Can Write..."? a. Assonance b. Consonance c. Rhyme d. Repetition

d. Consonance

The speaker's occupation in "I dwell in Possibility--" is to a. Dwell in the house b. Watch the cedars c. Help visitors d. Gather paradise

d. Gather paradise

The two free verse poems differ from "The Sloth" because both a. Have regular patterns of rhyme b. Incorporate several stanzas c. Have a strict meter d. Sound like natural speech

d. Sound like natural speech

In Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18," the speaker compares the beloved to a summer day to show that a. The beloved loves summer days b. Summer is beginning to fade c. Summer lasts for only three months d. The beloved's beauty will last longer

d. The beloved's beauty will last longer

Why do you think the speaker in "Christmas Sparrow" feels the bird for the rest of the day? a. The speaker hopes that the bird will not return to the house b. The bird has left a deep scratch on the speaker's hand c. The speaker is repairing damage that the bird caused in the house d. The bird has made an impact on the speaker's imagination

d. The bird has made an impact on the speaker's imagination

Reread lines 7-8 of "Sonnet XXX." Why are men making friends with death? a. The men want to die b. Death is deceitful c. Love is deadly d. The men do not have love

d. The men do not have love

In lines 6-9 of "blessing the boats," the speaker wants you to a. Find love and then turn away from it b. Sail on a boat that is pushed by the wind c. Understand the movements of wind currents d. Trust that life will take you in the right direction

d. Trust that life will take you in the right direction

All three of the speakers in these lyric poems express feelings about a. Honor b. Potential c. Pride d. Understanding

d. Understanding