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

2. 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) Antimetabole.
(d) Anaphora.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

4. Line 6, "O the bleeding drops of red," is an example of which technique?

5. What type of rhyme is employed in line 20, "From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won"?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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