View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "Harlem Shadows," Lines 1-18.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In line 1, "footsteps of a lass" is an example of which technique?
(a) Alliteration.
(b) Sibilance.
(c) Onomatopoeia.
(d) Synesthesia.

2. Whose presence is implied in "To bend and barter at desire's call" (line 4)?
(a) Bystanders.
(b) Clients.
(c) Police officers.
(d) Pimps.

3. What is being referred to with the expression "silver break" (line 7)?
(a) Headlights.
(b) Streetlights.
(c) Dawn.
(d) Reflections.

4. Which two lines of each stanza create a kind of refrain in this poem?
(a) The second and fourth.
(b) The fifth and sixth.
(c) The first and third.
(d) The first and sixth.

5. What does the expression "feet of clay" in line 15 refer to?
(a) A hidden character flaw.
(b) A delicate, easily-fractured nature.
(c) Stubbornness and selfishness.
(d) Cowardice and fear.

Short Answer Questions

1. In lines 2 and 3, the expression "when the night lets fall/ Its veil" is an example of which technique?

2. What ideas are associated with the snow in this poem?

3. In line 16, what word does the speaker use to describe the feet of his own race?

4. What are the sex workers wearing on their feet?

5. Which line most clearly echoes the tension between "little girls" (line 5) and "prowling" (line 6)?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 258 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample