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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 addressing the captain's spirit or ghost.
(b) The speaker is not yet aware that the captain has died.
(c) The speaker realizes that the captain is not actually dead yet.
(d) The speaker is having trouble accepting what has happened.

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

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

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

5. What is the rhyme pattern of the first four lines of each stanza?
(a) ABBA.
(b) ABCB.
(c) AABB.
(d) ABAC.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. The poem's title and first line contain an example of which technique?

4. Line 5, " But O heart! heart! heart!" is an example of which technique?

5. Who is the speaker of the poem?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the form of "O Captain! My Captain!"

2. What elements of the poem's diction establish a warm and personal relationship between the speaker and the captain?

3. What ironic contrast do the poem's images highlight?

4. What evidence is there that the speaker is struggling to understand and process the captain's death?

5. Explain the allegorical nature of the poem's central conceit.

(see the answer keys)

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