View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the "sickle" in line 28?
(a) A handle used to pull a cart.
(b) A sharp cutting tool.
(c) A mark dyed into wool to track sheep.
(d) A tied sheaf of grain.

2. Which line uses deliberate redundancy for emphasis?
(a) "I listened, motionless and still" (line 29).
(b) "Behold her, single in the field" (line 1).
(c) "Stop here, or gently pass" (line 4).
(d) "For old, unhappy, far-off things" (line 19).

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

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

5. In the lines "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things," what does "plaintive numbers" refer to (lines 18-19)?
(a) Time and history.
(b) The song.
(c) The reaper's tears.
(d) The reaper's personal experience.

Short Answer Questions

1. What technique is employed in lines 7 and 8, "O listen! for the Vale profound / Is overflowing with the sound"?

2. 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"?

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

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

5. What do the metaphors in lines 9-12 and 13-16 have in common?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 344 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample