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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 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)?
(a) Refrain.
(b) Verse.
(c) Chorus.
(d) Conceit.

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Which technique is evident in the phrase "for you the flag is flung" (line 10)?

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

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

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

5. In context, the word "fearful" in line 1 indicates that the trip was which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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