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

2. What is the rhyme scheme of the first seven stanzas?
(a) ABBA.
(b) ABAC.
(c) ABAB.
(d) ABCB.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What is the primary quality that the speaker's stanza eight description of a body of water is intended to convey?

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

4. What technique does the first line of the poem, "You may write me down in history," introduce?

5. Which is the best definition of "beset" in line 6?

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

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

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

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

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

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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