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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. 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 hopes to hide the captain's death from the crowd.
(d) He is afraid that he is in some way responsible for the captain's death.

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

4. The list of ways the crowd is celebrating the arrival of the ship in lines 9-12 is an example of which technique?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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