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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "Still I Rise," Lines 1 - 43 .

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does the speaker say she obtained her gifts?
(a) From well-chosen friends.
(b) From her ancestors.
(c) From the passage of time.
(d) From effort and hard work.

2. What kind of "certainty" does the speaker claim to have in line 10?
(a) The "certainty of history."
(b) The "certainty of springtime."
(c) The "certainty of tides."
(d) The "certainty of air."

3. How does the speaker characterize herself in line 4?
(a) Lively and confident.
(b) Lighthearted and silly.
(c) Brave and perseverent.
(d) Intelligent and curious.

4. In the final quatrain, what does the speaker wonder about upsetting "you" with?
(a) Kindness.
(b) Beauty.
(c) Sexiness.
(d) Intelligence.

5. What body of water does the speaker claim to be in the eighth stanza?
(a) A river.
(b) An ocean.
(c) A stream.
(d) A lake.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which is the best definition of "beset" in line 6?

2. Why is the speaker's past "rooted in pain" (line 32)?

3. What precious stones does the speaker use to evoke beauty and value in the simile in line 27?

4. What technique is used in line 21, "You may shoot me with your words"?

5. What technique is used in lines 7 and 8, "’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells/ Pumping in my living room"?

(see the answer key)

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