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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "O Captain! My Captain!" lines 1-24.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In context, the literal meaning of the word "rack" in line two is which of the following?
(a) A thorough sorting or sifting.
(b) A metal rod used for hanging things.
(c) Battle or confrontation.
(d) Storm or upheaval.

2. Who is the author of "O Captain! my Captain!"?
(a) William Cullen Bryant.
(b) Walt Whitman.
(c) Ralph Waldo Emerson.
(d) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

3. Which details in the second stanza evoke a patriotic occasion?
(a) The bouquets and wreaths.
(b) The crowd and the shore.
(c) The flag and bugle.
(d) The captain and the bells.

4. What does the phrase "swaying mass" refer to (line 12)?
(a) The ship.
(b) The captain.
(c) The flag.
(d) The crowd.

5. Which term describes the poem's repeated use of the phrases "O Captain! My Captain!" (lines 1 and 9) and "fallen cold and dead" (lines 8, 16, and 24)?
(a) Conceit.
(b) Chorus.
(c) Refrain.
(d) Verse.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which technique is evident in line 10, "Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills"?

2. Who is the speaker of the poem?

3. Which is the best interpretation of line 9, when the speaker urges "O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells"?

4. What is the most accurate way to describe the poem's stanza form?

5. What type of rhyme is employed in line 20, "From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won"?

(see the answer key)

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