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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 contraction in line 25 creates a second line of trimeter in this stanza, emphasizing the musicality of the song.
(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 feminine ending of line 26 emphasizes the idea of something that does not end when it is expected to.

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

3. Which of the following most clearly communicates the speaker's admiration for the reaper's singing ability?
(a) The repeated use of exclamation points.
(b) The poem's nature imagery.
(c) The metaphors in the second stanza.
(d) The poem's elevated diction.

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

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

6. How does line 3, "Reaping and singing by herself," interrupt the poem's dominant metrical pattern?
(a) It ends with a trochee.
(b) It begins with a spondee.
(c) It begins with a trochee.
(d) It ends with a spondee.

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

8. What is the young woman doing in the field?
(a) Pushing a cart down a path.
(b) Watching over grazing sheep.
(c) Watching the speaker from the hillside.
(d) Harvesting a grain crop.

9. What is the meaning of the word "lay" in the line "Or is it some more humble lay" (line 21)?
(a) A plan or pattern.
(b) A reclining position.
(c) A narrative poem written in couplets.
(d) Tune or song.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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