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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the second stanza, to whom is the nightingale depicted singing?
(a) The reaper.
(b) Shepherds.
(c) Travelers.
(d) The speaker.

2. What technique is used in the line "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?
(a) Verbal irony.
(b) Contraction.
(c) Litotes.
(d) Paradox.

3. The characterization of the woman as a "Highland Lass" indicates that she is a young woman from what area?
(a) Wales.
(b) The Hebrides.
(c) Scotland.
(d) Ireland.

4. 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 personal experience.
(c) The reaper's tears.
(d) Time and history.

5. 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 contraction in line 25 creates a second line of trimeter in this stanza, emphasizing the musicality of the song.
(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 feminine ending of line 26 emphasizes the idea of something that does not end when it is expected to.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the meaning of the word "lay" in the line "Or is it some more humble lay" (line 21)?

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

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

4. What is the stanzaic form of "The Solitary Reaper"?

5. In the fourth stanza, when the speaker finally places himself in the scene, what is it clear he is there to do?

(see the answer key)

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