Modern Poetry Study Questions
Modern Poetry Study Questions
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____1.Read these lines from “Acquainted with the Night.” What do you infer is the author’s purpose in writing this?
“I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.”
a. / information / c. / explanationb. / description / d. / persuasion
____2.Which of these concepts is a principle of Imagist poetry?
a. / All poetry must be rational, concrete, and clearly defined.b. / Poetic themes must be derived from social or political problems.
c. / The image is the essence, the raw material, of poetry.
d. / Simple, everyday subjects are not worth considering as topics.
____3.Read the following passage from “The Death of the Hired Man”: “Poor Silas, so concerned for other folk,/And nothing to look backward to with pride,/And nothing to look forward to with hope,/So now and never any different.” Regarding Silas, the speaker seems to feel
a. / sympathetic. / c. / distressed.b. / annoyed. / d. / proud.
____4.A reader can determine the reason’s for a character’s actions by
a. / analyzing the author’s word choices. / c. / identifying the author’s purpose.b. / analyzing the setting of the selection. / d. / exploring a character’s motivations.
Recall and Interpret (A Pact and In a Station of the Metro)
____5.What is the pact that the speaker makes?
a. / an arrangement with his fatherb. / a contract with a publisher
c. / an agreement with Walt Whitman
d. / an agreement not to write more poetry
____6.Who is Walt Whitman?
a. / a famous poet who wrote during the Civil Warb. / a talented novelist who wrote stories about the Wild West
c. / a little-known poet with ties to European artists
d. / a well-known poet who wrote when New York was still a colony
____7.What extended metaphor appears in “A Pact”?
a. / childhood from birth to adolescenceb. / a father-son relationship from youth to old age
c. / poetry from the Civil War to World War II
d. / wood from harvest to carving
____8.What is the speaker saying about Whitman and his father?
a. / He will follow his father’s dislike of Whitman.b. / He will make his own decisions as an adult.
c. / He never agreed with his father, even as a young child.
d. / He knew his father and Whitman were close friends.
____9.In which of these lines does the speaker imply Whitman’s role in modern poetry?
a. / “It was you that broke the new wood”b. / “We have on sap and one root”
c. / “I come to you as a grown child”
d. / “Now is a time for carving”
____10.In the poem “In a Station of the Metro,” the speaker uses the word apparitions to mean
a. / the white arsenic makeup worn by women of the time.b. / ghosts of people who once used the metro but have died.
c. / blank stares and whites of eyes.
d. / the white-faced, ghost-like commuters.
____11.The line “Petals on a wet, black bough” creates an impression of
a. / light against dark. / c. / dry and wet.b. / soft and hard. / d. / cold and hot.
____12.The Metro is a
a. / public park. / c. / subway station.b. / city square. / d. / shopping mall.
Vocabulary (A Pact and In a Station of the Metro)
____13.To be detested is to be
a. / hated. / c. / tired.b. / offended.
____14.When an apparition appears in a haunted house, it is
a. / a ghost-life figure. / c. / a devilish elf.b. / a common appearance.
____15.A hanging bough is
a. / a flowering vine. / c. / a basket of ivy.b. / a tree branch.
____16.To have commerce between two people means to have
a. / an aggressive, insulting relationship. / c. / an exchange of thoughts and ideas.b. / a contract for labor.
Recall and Interpret (Acquainted with the Night)
____17.When the speaker says, “acquainted with the night,” he means that he
a. / works mostly at night. / c. / spends time outdoors at night.b. / knows night from day. / d. / is uncomfortable at night.
____18.What is the atmosphere implied by walking “out in rain—and back in rain”?
a. / dreary / c. / courageousb. / uplifting / d. / determined
____19.In the first stanza, we learn all these facts about the speaker EXCEPT that he
a. / spends a good deal of time alone.b. / likes to be out at night.
c. / walks a great deal.
d. / is afraid of spending time with other people.
____20.When the speaker claims to have “outwalked the furthest city light,” he implies that he
a. / knows the exact distance to the city border.b. / travels to a place few others go.
c. / likes walking long distances.
d. / walks without any sense of direction.
____21.The speaker is unwilling to explain
a. / what he is doing out so late at night.b. / why he dislikes walking with other people.
c. / where he is going at that hour.
d. / who he has visited in the neighborhood.
____22.“I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet”means that
a. / there was no sound in the silent night.b. / the person following the speaker stopped when he did.
c. / the speaker was the only one on the streets.
d. / the speaker moved from pavement to grass, thus producing no sound.
____23.Which of these phrases conveys the mood of the poem?
a. / “One luminary clock” / c. / “neither wrong nor right”b. / “the saddest city lane” / d. / “the watchman on his beat”
____24.The last two lines of the poem are an example of
a. / an epigram. / c. / a sonnet.b. / a quatrain. / d. / an heroic couplet.
____25.Why is the clock at an unearthly height?
a. / Against the dark sky, the clock seems to be floating in the air.b. / The city planners built the clock tower too tall.
c. / The clock tower is the tallest building in the city.
d. / There is no real clock, just a cloud shaped like a clock.
____26.The clock is “luminary” because it
a. / tells the correct time. / c. / is very old.b. / is lit up. / d. / represents the passage of time.
____27.The rhyme scheme of the first two stanzas of this poem is
a. / aab bcc. / c. / aba bcb.b. / abb acc. / d. / abc abc.
Recall and Interpret (anyone lived in a pretty how town)
____28.What does the line “spring summer autumn winter” represent?
a. / simplicity / c. / changing fashionsb. / growth of the town / d. / continuing time
____29.When the speaker talks about people who are both “little and small,” he may be discussing
a. / the age of men. / c. / the commonness of the townsfolk.b. / size and pettiness. / d. / the uniqueness of small children.
____30.The speaker mentions “sun moon stars rain,” then later says “stars rain sun moon,” and this change represents
a. / the constant cycle of passing time.b. / the importance of weather in a small community.
c. / symbols on a calendar.
d. / a connection to anyone’s existence.
____31.The children guess that
a. / “anyone” loved “no one.” / c. / “no one” loved “anyone.”b. / “no one” did not care for “anyone.” / d. / “someone” loved “everyone.”
____32.The speaker does not give the characters names because
a. / they represent universal stereotypes.b. / he believes character is more important than a label.
c. / he wants the reader to give them names.
d. / they represent people the speaker dislikes.
____33.The speaker says that “no one” was emotionally tied to “anyone” in this line:
a. / “when by now and tree by leaf.”b. / “she laughed his joy she cried his grief.”
c. / “someones married their everyones.”
d. / “they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same.”
____34.What does “tree by leaf” or “bird by snow” imply?
a. / nature in small bits / c. / a dreamb. / the town park / d. / the passing of seasons
____35.In the poem, the reader learns that children
a. / are likely to forget things they should remember.b. / are like a town, growing and stretching.
c. / and nature are parallel entities in the universe.
d. / are everyone and someone.
____36.What happens to “anyone”?
a. / He becomes everyone. / c. / He dies.b. / He moves away. / d. / He loses “no one.”
____37.What is the sleep the speaker refers to in the phrase “they dream their sleep”?
a. / fantasies / c. / restb. / illness / d. / death
Vocabulary (anyone lived in a pretty how town)
____38.If people are apt to lie about something, they are
a. / opposed to doing it. / c. / disinterested in doing it.b. / likely to do it.
____39.To reap is to
a. / harvest a crop. / c. / move slowly.b. / beat or thrash.
Recall and Interpret (Birches)
____40.What is the meter used in “Birches”?
a. / free verse / c. / dactylic trimeterb. / anapestic heptameter / d. / blank verse
____41.The line “As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel” appeals to the sense of
a. / sight. / c. / smell.b. / taste. / d. / touch.
____42.When the speaker says “such heaps of broken glass” he is referring to
a. / actual glass. / c. / fallen ice.b. / leaves. / d. / birch bark.
____43.The speaker describes the shape of the bent trees as being like
a. / girls on hands and knees. / c. / sprawled legs.b. / silver arches. / d. / twisted metal.
____44.The boy subdues the trees when he
a. / chops them down with his father’s axe.b. / rides and bends them over until they cannot stand straight.
c. / attaches them to anchors until they are deformed.
d. / ties them together with stiff rope to make a fortress.
____45.The reader understands that the farm boy
a. / plays on sports teams. / c. / works all the time.b. / spends his time idly. / d. / is alone during his free time.
____46.When the boy is climbing trees, he
a. / hoots and howls, and pretends he’s in a jungle.b. / moves up the trees without a second thought.
c. / takes great care, particularly toward the top.
d. / is filled with fear and dreads each step he takes.
____47.What is the speaker’s idea of getting away from his problems?
a. / climbing a birch tree / c. / watching the snow cover the treesb. / walking in the woods / d. / admiring the beauty of the woods
Vocabulary (Birches)
____48.If a park bench is painted with red enamel, it is
a. / bright and wet. / c. / glossy and shiny.b. / dull and dark.
____49.On the cool, damp forest floor grows bracken, which is
a. / a mushroom or toadstool. / c. / a small yellow wildflower.b. / a type of fern.
____50.For a dancer to have grace and poise, she must achieve
a. / a state of balance.b. / a state of exhaustion.
c. / an important position in a dance company.
Recall and Interpret (Eating Poetry and beware: do not read this poem)
____51.What does the speaker claim to feel?
a. / the greatest joy / c. / the deepest betrayalb. / the ultimate boredom / d. / the worst anger
____52.What is the speaker doing that brings on such emotion?
a. / joining a pack of dogs / c. / working in the libraryb. / following the librarian / d. / reading poetry
____53.What does “eating poetry” mean?
a. / The speaker is so enchanted with poetry that he literally “devours” it.b. / The speaker wants to understand poetry’s deepest concepts.
c. / The speaker consumes poetry in order to write it.
d. / The speaker is actually a dog who has eaten pages of a book.
____54.In “beware: do not read this poem,” the speaker compares the poem to
a. / a mirror in an old home. / c. / the reflection of a past life.b. / an old woman in a horror show. / d. / personal fears.
Recall and Interpret (Mending Wall)
____55.Over time, a stone wall
a. / disintegrates. / c. / becomes more solid.b. / loses stones. / d. / increases in height.
____56.According to the speaker, what human actions affect the wall?
a. / Hunters knock the stones down looking for rabbits.b. / Hunters encourage their dogs to search for foxes among the stones.
c. / Farmers knock over the stones to make room for their plows.
d. / Young boys knock over the stones as a joke.
____57.When is the best time for repairing the stone wall?
a. / summer / c. / winterb. / fall / d. / spring
____58.The speaker walks along the wall with
a. / a farm worker. / c. / his next-door neighbor.b. / his partner. / d. / his spouse.
____59.The reader gets the impression that the speaker and his neighbor inspect the wall
a. / every spring. / c. / once a week.b. / every month. / d. / every few years.
____60.The line “Some are loaves and some so nearly balls” is an example of
a. / allusion. / c. / metaphor.b. / simile. / d. / personification.
____61.When the speaker says his apple trees will never eat the cones of the pines, he means
a. / the wall will prevent the spread of one plant type into the area of the other.b. / this is abstract language that describes apples and the evolution of orchards.
c. / apples are not herbivorous and will not be interested in pine cones.
d. / both farmers have crops that they do not wish to share.
____62.Initially, the person who thought the wall was a good idea was the
a. / speaker. / c. / neighbor’s father.b. / neighbor. / d. / speaker’s father.
____63.The wall seems odd to the speaker because neither
a. / farmer grows wheat. / c. / person has an active farm.b. / farmer has cows. / d. / man likes the other.
____64.The speaker wants to know
a. / how fast the wall can be repaired.b. / how much work it will take to rebuild it.
c. / what his share of the wall will cost.
d. / whether he is keeping something inside the wall.
____65.When the speaker says “I am apple orchard,” he means that
a. / he wishes he could grow apples but has no success so far.b. / apples are the crop he grows on his side of the fence.
c. / apples stand for productivity.
d. / he is committed to planting an orchard.
____66.The outdoor game to which the speaker refers is
a. / mending the wall. / c. / a form of baseball.b. / collecting rocks. / d. / rock climbing.
Recall and Interpret (somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond)
____67.“In your most frail gesture are things which enclose me” means that the speaker
a. / feels overwhelmed by the woman.b. / is annoyed by the woman’s tiny gestures.
c. / wants to break free from the relationship.
d. / is drawn into and held tight by the relationship.
____68.What distinctive features categorize Cummings’s poetry?
a. / traditional theme and innovative styleb. / classical themes and traditional style
c. / unique themes and classical style
d. / innovative themes and unfamiliar styles
____69.What is the set rhyme scheme in the last stanza of this poem?
a. / aabb / c. / ababb. / abba / d. / abaa
____70.What is unusual about the use of commas in this poem?
a. / The commas represent places the speaker has travelled.b. / The commas sometimes replace the spaces between words.
c. / Commas replace the end punctuation in this poem.
d. / Commas take the place of parentheses.
____71.In the line “your slightest look easily will unclose me,” the term “unclose” means that the speaker will
a. / be embarrassed. / c. / lose control.b. / feel loose and relaxed. / d. / be heartbroken.
____72.What does the reader notice about Cummings’s use of capitalization in this poem?
a. / Cummings does not want to follow in the footsteps of other poets and capitalize the beginning of each line.b. / The only word capitalized in the poem is Spring.
c. / Cummings thinks capital letters should not be used in poetry.
d. / Cummings always follows standard rules of capitalization.
____73.To what item does the speaker compare his relationship with a woman?
a. / a glancing look / c. / the mystery of loveb. / a heartbeat / d. / spring opening her first rose
____74.When the speaker says “the voice of your eyes,” he means that
a. / he understands unspoken words.b. / facial expressions are significant.
c. / the woman is screaming through her eyes.
d. / the woman’s eyes speak to him.
____75.The term “small hands” is used to imply
a. / a delicate touch. / c. / something inhuman.b. / a child’s hands. / d. / raindrops.
____76.What is the general tone of the poem?
a. / angry and accusing / c. / soft and romanticb. / light and happy / d. / selfish and egocentric
____77.The speaker says the most powerful thing in the world is the
a. / woman’s intense fragility. / c. / depth of a woman’s eyes.b. / texture of a woman’s hair. / d. / petal-like skin of a woman.
Vocabulary (somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond)
____78.When a person renders a picture of a flower, he
a. / cuts out the picture. / c. / reproduces the flower faithfully.b. / destroys the picture.
Recall and Interpret (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening)
____79.What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza in the poem?
a. / aaba / c. / ababb. / abba / d. / abaa
____80.During which time of year does the poem take place?
a. / spring / c. / fallb. / summer / d. / winter
____81.The reader may infer that the horse is impatient because of its
a. / heavy snorting. / c. / stamping of hooves.b. / shaking of the harness bells. / d. / neighing and whinnying.
____82.The phrase “only other sound’s the sweep” is an example of
a. / allusion. / c. / metaphor.b. / parable. / d. / alliteration.
____83.The man stops because he
a. / used to own the woods near where he stopped.b. / wants to watch the woods fill up with snow.
c. / is having trouble with the horse.
d. / is tired of traveling and needs to rest.
____84.What is a theme of this poem?
a. / a person’s need for quiet / c. / the beauty of natureb. / the fury of a snowstorm / d. / the sadness of a bleak winter
____85.How does the speaker describe the woods?
a. / dark and deep / c. / cold and isolatedb. / quiet and shadowy / d. / distant and queer
____86.The speaker decides to move along because he
a. / is too cold to stay longer.b. / has prior commitments.
c. / doesn’t want the horse to be out longer.
d. / has an early day the next day.
____87.The speaker repeats the last line because he
a. / lives far from the woods.b. / promised he would be home early.
c. / has too much to do.
d. / has many miles to travel on life’s journey.
Recall and Interpret (The Death of the Hired Man)
____88.Mary is waiting for Warren because she
a. / wants to remind him of the shopping.b. / wants to talk to him before he comes inside.
c. / is afraid of Warren’s anger.
d. / is planning on going with Warren into town.
____89.Mary expect’s Warren to be angry because she
a. / allowed Silas to come back at the farm.b. / hired Silas against Warren’s advice.
c. / did not do her farm chores for the day.
d. / forgot to add certain items to the grocery list.
____90. Warren thinks that Silas is
a. / lazy. / c. / dishonest.b. / stupid. / d. / unreliable.
____91.Each winter, Silas chooses to
a. / return to the farm. / c. / get a new job in the east.b. / move south. / d. / take a long vacation.
____92.When Mary found Silas on the doorstep, she did all of the following EXCEPT
a. / make him tea. / c. / tried to make him talk.b. / drag him into the house. / d. / put him to work.
____93.Mary is concerned when she talks with Silas because he
a. / falls off the chair. / c. / jumbles his words.b. / seems angry. / d. / goes to sleep during their chat.
____94.Who was on Silas’s mind while he talked to Mary?