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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. Who is the author of "O Captain! my Captain!"?
(a) Walt Whitman.
(b) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
(c) Ralph Waldo Emerson.
(d) William Cullen Bryant.

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

3. Line 6, "O the bleeding drops of red," is an example of which technique?
(a) Conceit.
(b) Metonymy.
(c) Oxymoron.
(d) Imagery.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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