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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. Which is the best definition for "trod" in the context of line 3?
(a) Drag along the floor or earth.
(b) Press down with the foot.
(c) Throw or hurl downward.
(d) The sound of footsteps.

2. What technique does the first line of the poem, "You may write me down in history," introduce?
(a) Allegory.
(b) Verbal irony.
(c) Catalog.
(d) Apostrophe.

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

4. In the fourth stanza, what kind of person does the speaker ask if "you" want her to be?
(a) Sad and meek.
(b) Tired and distracted.
(c) Angry and afraid.
(d) Distant and uninvolved.

5. What is the primary quality that the speaker's stanza eight description of a body of water is intended to convey?
(a) Power.
(b) Independence.
(c) Endurance.
(d) Persistence.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which technique is frequently used at the beginnings of stanzas?

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. Where does the speaker say she obtained her gifts?

(see the answer key)

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