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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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. 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 of the following most clearly communicates the speaker's admiration for the reaper's singing ability?

4. In the second stanza, to whom is the nightingale depicted singing?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the rhyme scheme of "The Solitary Reaper."

2. Explain how the mention of "spring-time" in line 14's description of the cuckoo enhances the contrast between this image and the image of the nightingale.

3. Summarize the action of "The Solitary Reaper."

4. What question does the speaker ask in the third stanza, and what two contrasting answers does he speculate about?

5. How does the speaker's line 26 description of the reaper singing "As if her song could have no ending" reinforce the meaning of the poem's ending?

6. What are the names of the two forms of poetry that are combined in this poem, and how are they combined?

7. In what way do the places associated with the two birds create a dramatic contrast with one another?

8. Describe the tense shift in "The Solitary Reaper" and explain what it reveals about the poem's narrative present.

9. Describe the meter of "The Solitary Reaper."

10. To which two birds does the speaker compare the reaper, and what area of the world does the speaker associate with each?

(see the answer keys)

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