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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. In the second quatrain of the second stanza, what becomes clear about the speaker's state of mind?
(a) He is afraid that he is in some way responsible for the captain's death.
(b) He has not fully accepted the captain's death.
(c) He hopes to hide the captain's death from the crowd.
(d) He is actually asleep and only dreaming of the captain's death.

2. The poem's title and first line contain an example of which technique?
(a) Simile.
(b) Apostrophe.
(c) Synechdoche.
(d) Personification.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In context, the literal meaning of the word "rack" in line two is which of the following?

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

3. What does the phrase "swaying mass" refer to (line 12)?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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