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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. What is the most common type of metrical foot in "O Captain! My Captain!"?
(a) The trochee.
(b) The dactyl.
(c) The spondee.
(d) The iamb.

2. What does it mean that the people are "exulting"?
(a) They are drinking and celebrating.
(b) They are cheering excitedly.
(c) They are crying out in grief.
(d) They are quietly watchful.

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

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

5. By which other term, besides "Captain," does the speaker address the captain of the ship?
(a) Father.
(b) Brother.
(c) Leader.
(d) Master.

Short Answer Questions

1. Line 4, "While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring," contains examples of which techniques?

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

3. What does the phrase "swaying mass" refer to (line 12)?

4. What is a "keel" (line 4)?

5. Who is the speaker of the poem?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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