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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Which technique is evident in line 10, "Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills"?

5. What is the most common type of metrical foot in "O Captain! My Captain!"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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