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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 of "beset" in line 6?
(a) Troubled.
(b) Cradled.
(c) Decorated.
(d) Inspired.

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

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

4. Which is the first stanza of the poem that is longer than four lines?
(a) 7.
(b) 6.
(c) 9.
(d) 8.

5. In line 17, what kind of a person is described by the word "haughtiness"?
(a) Arrogant and proud.
(b) Mean-spirited and petty.
(c) Sneaky and dishonest.
(d) Strange and eccentric.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What kind of "certainty" does the speaker claim to have in line 10?

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

4. Where does the speaker say she obtained her gifts?

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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