View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the author of "The Solitary Reaper"?
(a) William Wordsworth.
(b) William Blake.
(c) Percy Shelley.
(d) John Keats.

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

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. In the fourth stanza, when the speaker finally places himself in the scene, what is it clear he is there to do?
(a) He is there to confess his love for the woman.
(b) He is delivering supplies.
(c) He is working on a farm.
(d) He is out walking.

5. What technique is employed in lines 7 and 8, "O listen! for the Vale profound / Is overflowing with the sound"?
(a) Hyperbole.
(b) Antanaclasis.
(c) Cacophony.
(d) Metonymy.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

4. Which stanza could be reasonably called the most positive in tone?

5. Which is the best interpretation of line 6's reference to "a melancholy strain"?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 298 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample