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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In lines 2-3, "in his riding/ Of the rolling level underneath him steady air," which word tells what the bird is "riding"?
(a) "Him."
(b) "Rolling."
(c) "Level."
(d) "Air."

2. Where is the volta of "The Windhover"?
(a) Between lines 12 and 13.
(b) Between lines 11 and 12.
(c) Between lines 8 and 9.
(d) Between lines 4 and 5.

3. What device is evident in line 10's "the fire that breaks from thee then"?
(a) Hyperbole.
(b) Verbal irony.
(c) Personification.
(d) Apostrophe.

4. What type of rhyme is seen in the poem's "B" lines"?
(a) Slant.
(b) Masculine.
(c) Feminine.
(d) Eye.

5. What techniques are evident in the phrase "Rebuffed the big wind" (line 7)?
(a) Assonance and euphony.
(b) Consonance and assonance.
(c) Personification and consonance.
(d) Euphony and personification.

6. What is the common name of the titular bird?
(a) Kite.
(b) Hawk.
(c) Osprey.
(d) Kestrel.

7. In lines 10 and 11, the speaker says that the fire "that breaks from thee" is a billion times "lovelier" and more what?
(a) Dangerous.
(b) Hypnotic.
(c) Rapturous.
(d) Sanctified.

8. In line 5, what does the speaker claim the bird is feeling?
(a) Pride.
(b) Ecstasy.
(c) Awe.
(d) Anticipation.

9. Who is being referred to in line 10's "thee"?
(a) The air.
(b) Christ.
(c) The speaker.
(d) The windhover.

10. What technique is employed in the poem's final two lines, "blue-bleak embers, ah my dear/ Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion"?
(a) Metaphor.
(b) Oxymoron.
(c) Euphemism.
(d) Imagery.

11. To whom is the poem dedicated?
(a) Matthew Arnold.
(b) A Victorian minister.
(c) The poet's spouse.
(d) Christ.

12. What is a "chevalier" (line 11)?
(a) A knight.
(b) A falconer.
(c) A bird.
(d) A horse.

13. Between which lines does the poem use "light rhyme"?
(a) B and C.
(b) A and B.
(c) A and C.
(d) B and D.

14. What does "shéer plód" mean (line 12)?
(a) Slow, boring, repetitive work.
(b) Clumsy and random movement.
(c) A heavy feeling of apathy.
(d) Keen and attentive determination.

15. What does the word "wimpling" literally mean in the context of line 4?
(a) Rippling.
(b) Muffling.
(c) Covering.
(d) Like a nun's habit.

Short Answer Questions

1. What would it mean to have "Rebuffed the big wind" (line 7)?

2. Who is the author of "The Windhover"?

3. In lines 5 and 6, what is the bird's motion compared to?

4. What is "sillion" (line 12)?

5. Which word is enjambed at the end of line 1 and the beginning of line 2?

(see the answer keys)

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