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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. Who is the speaker of the poem?
(a) A soldier.
(b) A doctor.
(c) A writer.
(d) A sailor.

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

3. What is a "keel" (line 4)?
(a) A flat structure at the bottom of a ship, designed to add stability.
(b) A measurement of the speed a ship is traveling.
(c) The central and largest sail on a three-masted ship.
(d) A part of a ship's steering mechanism, found at the back of the ship.

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

5. Which is the best interpretation of line 9, when the speaker urges "O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells"?
(a) The speaker is not yet aware that the captain has died.
(b) The speaker is addressing the captain's spirit or ghost.
(c) The speaker is having trouble accepting what has happened.
(d) The speaker realizes that the captain is not actually dead yet.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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)?

4. What feature of the Captain's face does line 17 focus on?

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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