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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. Which technique is evident in the phrase "for you the flag is flung" (line 10)?
(a) Cacophony.
(b) Alliteration.
(c) Sibilance.
(d) Assonance.

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

3. 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.

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

5. Line 6, "O the bleeding drops of red," is an example of which technique?
(a) Conceit.
(b) Imagery.
(c) Oxymoron.
(d) Metonymy.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the rhyme pattern of the first four lines of each stanza?

2. By which other term, besides "Captain," does the speaker address the captain of the ship?

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

4. Where is the ship in the beginning of the poem?

5. In the second quatrain of the second stanza, what becomes clear about the speaker's state of mind?

(see the answer key)

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