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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In context, the word "fearful" in line 1 indicates that the trip was which of the following?
(a) Full of frightening obstacles.
(b) A metaphor for an internal struggle.
(c) The cause of the captain's death.
(d) A bad idea from the beginning.

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

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

4. Which technique is evident in line 10, "Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills"?
(a) Antistrophe.
(b) Antimetabole.
(c) Antithesis.
(d) Anaphora.

5. Line 5, " But O heart! heart! heart!" is an example of which technique?
(a) Apostrophe.
(b) Euphemism.
(c) Aphorism.
(d) Paradox.

6. The poem's title and first line contain an example of which technique?
(a) Synechdoche.
(b) Simile.
(c) Personification.
(d) Apostrophe.

7. The list of ways the crowd is celebrating the arrival of the ship in lines 9-12 is an example of which technique?
(a) Periphrasis.
(b) Accumulation.
(c) Understatement.
(d) Paraprosdokian.

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

9. Where is the ship in the beginning of the poem?
(a) Just coming into port.
(b) On the open sea.
(c) Docked in the port.
(d) Just leaving the port.

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

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

12. What type of rhyme is employed in line 20, "From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won"?
(a) Internal rhyme.
(b) Near rhyme.
(c) Identical rhyme.
(d) Eye rhyme.

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

14. What feature of the Captain's face does line 17 focus on?
(a) His chin.
(b) His eyes.
(c) His brow.
(d) His mouth.

15. In the second quatrain of the second stanza, what becomes clear about the speaker's state of mind?
(a) He is actually asleep and only dreaming of the captain's death.
(b) He has not fully accepted the captain's death.
(c) He is afraid that he is in some way responsible for the captain's death.
(d) He hopes to hide the captain's death from the crowd.

Short Answer Questions

1. In context, the literal meaning of the word "rack" in line two is which of the following?

2. Who is the author of "O Captain! my Captain!"?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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