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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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.

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

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

4. 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.

5. What technique is used in line 21, "You may shoot me with your words"?
(a) Innuendo.
(b) Metaphor.
(c) Simile.
(d) Kenning.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. What technique is used in line 29, "Out of the huts of history’s shame"?

4. What precious stones does the speaker use to evoke beauty and value in the simile in line 27?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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