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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What is the rhyme scheme of the first seven stanzas?

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

4. How does the speaker characterize herself in line 4?

5. In line 17, what kind of a person is described by the word "haughtiness"?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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