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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. Line 4, "While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring," contains examples of which techniques?
(a) Simie and alliteration.
(b) Synecdoche and personification.
(c) Alliteration and synecdoche.
(d) Personification and simile.

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

3. Which details in the second stanza evoke a patriotic occasion?
(a) The bouquets and wreaths.
(b) The flag and bugle.
(c) The crowd and the shore.
(d) The captain and the bells.

4. What feature of the Captain's face does line 17 focus on?
(a) His eyes.
(b) His mouth.
(c) His chin.
(d) His brow.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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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