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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. What technique is used in line 29, "Out of the huts of history’s shame"?
(a) Allusion.
(b) Juxtaposition.
(c) Oxymoron.
(d) Allegory.

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

5. Which is the most logical description of who "You" is in line 1?
(a) A romantic partner.
(b) An unnamed oppressor.
(c) Scholars and critics.
(d) People of the past.

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

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

8. Which is the best definition of "beset" in line 6?
(a) Cradled.
(b) Decorated.
(c) Inspired.
(d) Troubled.

9. What precious stones does the speaker use to evoke beauty and value in the simile in line 27?
(a) Emeralds.
(b) Rubies.
(c) Sapphires.
(d) Diamonds.

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

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

12. What is the rhyme scheme of the first seven stanzas?
(a) ABCB.
(b) ABAC.
(c) ABAB.
(d) ABBA.

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

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

15. What techniques are used in line 19, "’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines"?
(a) Assonance and sibilance.
(b) Onomatopoeia and alliteration.
(c) Alliteration and assonance.
(d) Sibilance and onomatopoeia.

Short Answer Questions

1. What words create a refrain in the final two stanzas of the poem?

2. Which technique is used in line 9, "Just like moons and like suns"?

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

4. Which two things does the final stanza use to represent the past and present?

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

(see the answer keys)

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