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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Where are "the farthest Hebrides" (line 16)?
(a) Russia.
(b) Scotland.
(c) Chile.
(d) Australia.

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

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

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) Line 25 begins with a dactyl, emphasizing the importance of the content of the reaper's song.
(b) The contraction in line 25 creates a second line of trimeter in this stanza, emphasizing the musicality of the 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. Besides that the reaper may be singing about some terrible moment in history, what else does the speaker guess she might be singing about?

2. From context, what is is likely meaning of "single" in line 1, "Behold her, single in the field"?

3. What is the meaning of the word "Yon" in line 2, "Yon solitary Highland Lass"?

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

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

(see the answer key)

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