A narrow Fellow in the Grass Quizzes

A narrow Fellow in the Grass Quiz

By John Melendez · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed March 02, 2022

1 Who is the "narrow fellow" in the poem's first line?

A snake

Samuel Bowles

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A poet
2 Which of the following lines contains alliteration?

"Unbraiding in the Sun"

"And Zero at the Bone."

"But when a Boy and Barefoot"

"And then it closes at your Feet"
3 What is a major stylistic feature of the poem?

Unconventional use of capitalization

Rhyming couplets

Erasure

Free verse
4 What is the tone of the poem?

Cold and cerebral

A mixture of fear and wonder

Full of dread

Lightly skeptical
5 When was "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" published

1896

1891

1866

1955
6 How many stanzas does the poem have?

Three

One

Seven

Six
7 Which is NOT a feature of the poem?

Blank verse

Use of dashes

Unconventional capitalization

Anaphora
8 Which of the following is the poem's central theme?

The risks of seafaring

The tragedy of war

The relationship between humans and nature

The shifting dynamics of marriage
9 When does the speaker begin his recollection of his early encounters with the snake?

In the middle of the third stanza

At the beginning of the second stanza

In the middle of the fourth stanza

At the beginning of the sixth stanza
10 What effect does capitalization have on the text of this poem?

Makes concepts more elevated and specific

Makes specific reference to historical people and places

Makes the poem more difficult to understand

Completely shifts the meanings of individual words
11 Where does the poem take place?

On a rough ocean

In the woods

In an open field at noon

Undetermined
12 What occurs when the speaker reaches for the snake?

It bites him

It burrows into the ground

It vanishes into the grass

It wraps around his arm
13 What does the speaker mistake the snake for initially?

A wheel

A rope

A hose

A whip
14 What term best describes the effect of the phrase "narrow fellow" in the poem?

Personification

Metaphor

Synecdoche

Pathetic fallacy
15 What does the phrase "boggy acre" mean?

A wheat field

A desert

A eerie forest hollow

A swampy patch of land
16 Which lines underscore the speaker's fear of the snake?

"Without a tighter Breathing / And Zero at the Bone."

"A narrow Fellow in the Grass / Occasionally rides -"

"He likes a Boggy Acre - / A Floor too cool for Corn -"

"The Grass divides as with a Comb, / A spotted Shaft is seen,"
17 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?

Bare feet

Venomous fangs

Grass

Snakes
18 Where was this poem published?

The Worcester Democrat

The Brooklyn Daily

The Springfield Republican

The Concord Monitor
19 What is the "spotted shaft" described in line 6?

The snake

A shovel handle

A molted snakeskin

A whip
20 What does the phrase "occasionaly rides" refer to?

A journey into town

The afternoon walks of the speaker

The slithering of a snake

The progress of a horse-drawn carriage
21 What happens to the speaker's fearful childhood impression of the snake?

It solidifies, remaining constant

It amplifies over time

It goes through waves

It passes
22 What is the snake's primary characteristic?

Cleverness

Meanness

Stealth

Strength
23 When did the speaker first encounter the snake?

As a young man

As a baby

As a boy

As an elderly man
24 What impact does the word "barefoot" have on the speaker's portrayal?

It makes him appear hurried

It makes him appear carefree

It makes him seem more vulnerable

It makes him seem foolish
25 What type of stanzas does Dickinson use in the poem?

Rhyming couplets

Quintains

Quatrains

Octaves