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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. What words create a refrain in the final two stanzas of the poem?
(a) "Again I rise."
(b) "I rise and rise."
(c) "I rise."
(d) "Still I rise."

2. Why is the speaker's past "rooted in pain" (line 32)?
(a) Because of bigotry and discrimination.
(b) Because no one appreciates her value.
(c) Because she has been abandoned by someone she loves.
(d) Because of the death of a loved one.

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

4. Who is the author of "Still I Rise"?
(a) Nikki Giovanni.
(b) Maya Angelou.
(c) Alice Walker.
(d) Toni Morrison.

5. Which technique is frequently used at the beginnings of stanzas?
(a) Internal rhyme.
(b) Rhetorical question.
(c) Cacophony.
(d) Onomatopoeia.

Short Answer Questions

1. What body of water does the speaker claim to be in the eighth stanza?

2. Which is the first stanza of the poem that is longer than four lines?

3. What is the rhyme scheme of the first seven stanzas?

4. In the final quatrain, what does the speaker wonder about upsetting "you" with?

5. Which is the most logical description of who "You" is in line 1?

(see the answer key)

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