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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Solitary Reaper.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the young woman doing in the field?
(a) Harvesting a grain crop.
(b) Watching over grazing sheep.
(c) Pushing a cart down a path.
(d) Watching the speaker from the hillside.

2. Besides that the reaper may be singing about some terrible moment in history, what else does the speaker guess she might be singing about?
(a) Ordinary, everyday troubles.
(b) The beauty of the Highlands.
(c) Love and romance.
(d) Modern political events.

3. From context, what is is likely meaning of "single" in line 1, "Behold her, single in the field"?
(a) Unmarried.
(b) Simple.
(c) Alone.
(d) Honest.

4. Which line uses deliberate redundancy for emphasis?
(a) "Behold her, single in the field" (line 1).
(b) "Stop here, or gently pass" (line 4).
(c) "For old, unhappy, far-off things" (line 19).
(d) "I listened, motionless and still" (line 29).

5. In the fourth stanza, when the speaker finally places himself in the scene, what is it clear he is there to do?
(a) He is delivering supplies.
(b) He is there to confess his love for the woman.
(c) He is working on a farm.
(d) He is out walking.

Short Answer Questions

1. In line 4, "Stop here, or gently pass!" what is the grammatical mood of the words "stop" and "pass"?

2. Who is the author of "The Solitary Reaper"?

3. What is subtly appropriate about the meter in lines 25 and 26, "Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang / As if her song could have no ending"?

4. In the lines "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things," what does "plaintive numbers" refer to (lines 18-19)?

5. What do all three sentences in the third stanza have in common?

(see the answer key)

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