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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. From context, what is is likely meaning of "single" in line 1, "Behold her, single in the field"?
(a) Unmarried.
(b) Simple.
(c) Alone.
(d) Honest.

2. What do the metaphors in lines 9-12 and 13-16 have in common?
(a) They both compare traveling to a specific time of year.
(b) They both compare the speaker to a traveler.
(c) The both compare music to a geographical location.
(d) They both compare the reaper to a bird.

3. 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) Love and romance.
(c) Ordinary, everyday troubles.
(d) Modern political events.

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) The feminine ending of line 26 emphasizes the idea of something that does not end when it is expected to.
(d) Line 25 begins with a dactyl, emphasizing the importance of the content of the reaper's song.

5. The characterization of the woman as a "Highland Lass" indicates that she is a young woman from what area?
(a) Wales.
(b) Scotland.
(c) Ireland.
(d) The Hebrides.

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

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

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

9. 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 out walking.
(b) He is working on a farm.
(c) He is there to confess his love for the woman.
(d) He is delivering supplies.

10. What technique is used in phrases like "the Vale profound" (line 7) and "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?
(a) Symbolism.
(b) Inversion.
(c) Imagery.
(d) Simile.

11. 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.

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

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

14. What technique is used in the line "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?
(a) Contraction.
(b) Paradox.
(c) Litotes.
(d) Verbal irony.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How does line 3, "Reaping and singing by herself," interrupt the poem's dominant metrical pattern?

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

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

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

5. In the lines "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things," what does "plaintive numbers" refer to (lines 18-19)?

(see the answer keys)

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