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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 line 10, "Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills"?
(a) Antimetabole.
(b) Antistrophe.
(c) Antithesis.
(d) Anaphora.

2. What is the most accurate way to describe the poem's stanza form?
(a) Double tercet.
(b) Octave.
(c) Double quatrain.
(d) Sestet.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

4. Which is the best interpretation of line 9, when the speaker urges "O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells"?

5. 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)?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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