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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Which is the first stanza of the poem that is longer than four lines?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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