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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where in the Highlands is the field where the woman is standing?
(a) In a valley.
(b) At the top of a mountain.
(c) On the hillside.
(d) By a river in the foothills.

2. In the lines "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things," what does "plaintive numbers" refer to (lines 18-19)?
(a) The song.
(b) The reaper's tears.
(c) The reaper's personal experience.
(d) Time and history.

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"?
(a) The feminine ending of line 26 emphasizes the idea of something that does not end when it is expected to.
(b) Line 25 begins with a dactyl, emphasizing the importance of the content of the reaper's song.
(c) Line 26 has four metrical feet instead of the expected three, creating a feeling of "lingering."
(d) The contraction in line 25 creates a second line of trimeter in this stanza, emphasizing the musicality of the song.

4. What is the meaning of the word "Yon" in line 2, "Yon solitary Highland Lass"?
(a) Nearby, this one.
(b) My.
(c) Over there, that one.
(d) You.

5. In line 4, "Stop here, or gently pass!" what is the grammatical mood of the words "stop" and "pass"?
(a) Subjunctive.
(b) Interrogative.
(c) Indicative.
(d) Imperative.

Short Answer Questions

1. What technique is evident in the poem's opening line, "Behold her, single in the field" (line 1)?

2. What is the young woman doing in the field?

3. What is the "sickle" in line 28?

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

5. Besides that the reaper may be singing about some terrible moment in history, what else does the speaker guess she might be singing about?

(see the answer key)

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