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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. Which is the best definition for "trod" in the context of line 3?
(a) Drag along the floor or earth.
(b) Press down with the foot.
(c) The sound of footsteps.
(d) Throw or hurl downward.

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What techniques are used in line 19, "’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines"?

3. Why is the speaker's past "rooted in pain" (line 32)?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. 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?

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

(see the answer keys)

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