View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 7 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Which two things does the final stanza use to represent the past and present?
(a) The directions east and west.
(b) A seed and a sprout.
(c) Gathering clouds and rain.
(d) Night and daybreak.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. In the fourth stanza, what kind of person does the speaker ask if "you" want her to be?

3. Who is the author of "Still I Rise"?

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

5. Which is the best definition for "trod" in the context of line 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the pattern that stanzas 2, 4, 5, and 7 have in common.

2. What oppressive actions does the speaker suggest "you" might take, and how does she say she will respond?

3. What do all of the questions the speaker asks have in common?

4. Describe how the final two stanzas of the poem differ from the first seven stazas.

5. What specific historical phenomenon does the speaker talk about rising above in the final two stanzas, and what allusion does she use to introduce the topic?

6. Why is the poem titled "Still I Rise" and not just "I Rise"--what additional idea does the word "Still" convey?

7. In the final stanza, what metaphor does the speaker use, and what does it signify?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 660 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample