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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. 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.

2. What is a "keel" (line 4)?
(a) A flat structure at the bottom of a ship, designed to add stability.
(b) A part of a ship's steering mechanism, found at the back of the ship.
(c) The central and largest sail on a three-masted ship.
(d) A measurement of the speed a ship is traveling.

3. Which is the best interpretation of line 9, when the speaker urges "O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells"?
(a) The speaker is having trouble accepting what has happened.
(b) The speaker is addressing the captain's spirit or ghost.
(c) The speaker is not yet aware that the captain has died.
(d) The speaker realizes that the captain is not actually dead yet.

4. Which technique is evident in the phrase "for you the flag is flung" (line 10)?
(a) Assonance.
(b) Sibilance.
(c) Cacophony.
(d) Alliteration.

5. What is the most common type of metrical foot in "O Captain! My Captain!"?
(a) The spondee.
(b) The dactyl.
(c) The trochee.
(d) The iamb.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Line 5, " But O heart! heart! heart!" is an example of which technique?

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

4. What does it mean that the people are "exulting"?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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