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

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) The beauty of the Highlands.
(b) Modern political events.
(c) Love and romance.
(d) Ordinary, everyday troubles.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Where are "the farthest Hebrides" (line 16)?

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

4. What technique is used in phrases like "the Vale profound" (line 7) and "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?

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

(see the answer key)

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