View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is the best interpretation of line 6's reference to "a melancholy strain"?
(a) Persistent pain.
(b) A difficult burden.
(c) A sad song.
(d) Hard work.

2. What technique is evident in the line "Breaking the silence of the seas" (line 15)?
(a) Synesthesia.
(b) Aphorismus.
(c) Sibilance.
(d) Onomatopoeia.

3. In which stanza does the speaker make it clear that this event happened some time in the past?
(a) The third.
(b) The second.
(c) The fourth.
(d) The first.

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

5. Which stanza could be reasonably called the most positive in tone?
(a) The third.
(b) The fourth.
(c) The second.
(d) The first.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the second stanza, to whom is the nightingale depicted singing?

2. Which of the following most clearly communicates the speaker's admiration for the reaper's singing ability?

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

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

(see the answer key)

This section contains 327 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample