Amends Quizzes

1 How does Rich characterize the moon?

Cold, cunning

Gentle, caring

Indifferent, uninterested

Angry, frustrated
2 Which of the following quotes most supports the theme of ineffectuality?

"as it unavailing pours into the gash"

"nights like this: on the cold apple-bough a white star"

"as it picks at greater stones, as it rises with the surf"

"as it soaks through cracks into the trailers tremulous with sleep"
3 What does "fuselage" mean?

a wrecked aircraft

the main body of an aircraft

a large building with an extensive floor area, typically for housing aircraft

the wings of an aircraft
4 What does hangared mean?

deserted

stored in a large building

technologically advanced

rusted
5 What does tremulous mean?

Desperate

Quivering

Vulnerable

Forgetful
6 Which of the following quotes most assists Rich in personifying the moon?

"as it soaks through cracks into the trailers"

"as it flicks across the tracks"

"laying its cheek for moments on the sand"

"on the cold apple-bough a white star, then another"
7 Re-read the first stanza. What does Rich leave ambiguous?

Whether the light comes from the stars or the moon

Whether the white star is a star, or a metaphor for a flower

Whether this night is unique, or typical

Whether its really night, or the apple bough just looks like a starry constellation
8 Which stanza most differs from the form of the rest of the poem?

2

3

1

4
9 The syntax of stanza 2 is an example of what literary device?

Alliteration

Parallelism

Irony

Assonance
10 What does the repetition of the phrase "as it" emphasize?

The power of the moonlight to change the whole world

The moonlight is moving quickly over the ground

That each thing in the poem has the same significance

All of the things in the poem coexist in the same world
11 Which of the following quotes does NOT use metaphor to suggest the implicit presence of violence?

"as it licks the broken ledge"

"a white star, then another exploding out of the bark"

"as it unavailing pours into the gash of the sand-and-gravel quarry"

"as it leans across the hangared fuselage of the crop-dusting plane"
12 Which of the following best describes the speaker in "Amends"?

The speaker is passionate about the beauty of nature, but uninterested in people

The speaker is addressing the moon as a lover, while ignoring the rest of the landscape

The speaker is close to the action, and its hard to see beyond her

The speaker is distant and absent, looking at the world from a distance
13 "Amends" is written in free verse. Which stanza employs internal rhyme, or the use of words which rhyme which each other in the middle or beginning of the lines?

3

1

2

4
14 Which of the following best describes Rich's politics?

Romantic environmentalism

Lesbian feminism

Rich wasn't political

Pro-business conservative
15 How is most of "Amends" structured?

As a parable

As an argument

As a list

As a sonnet
16 What does the ineffectuality of the moon suggest?

Beauty doesn't matter

The personified moon doesn't care about the world

Injustice is inevitable, and its not worth fighting against

Beauty is not enough to make the world a more just place
17 What does "Amends" suggest about the relationship between nature and culture?

Industry has been destructive to nature, but humans and nature still share the same world

Industry improves upon nature and makes it better for humans

Nature is eternal and beautiful, while humans are ugly and temporary

Because humans have been destructive to nature, nature will strike back and get rid of humans
18 Which of the following most strongly suggests eroticism between the moon and the earth?

"as it licks the broken ledge"

"as it unavailing pours into the gash"

"as if to make amends"

"as it picks at greater stones"
19 Which of the following is NOT a convincing explanation for why Rich eroticizes the relationship between the moon and the earth, based on the rest of the poem?

The eroticism is another way of conveying the care the moon feels towards the earth

The eroticism emphasizes the beauty of both the moon and the world

Rich is aligning the moon with lesbian femininity, and the modes of care associated with women

The eroticism suggests that the moon is not a reliable source of care for the earth
20 Which of the following is NOT an example of parallelism?

"Nights like this: on the cold apple-bough...exploding out of the bark: on the ground"

"as it licks the broken ledge, as it flows up the cliffs, as it flicks across the tracks"

"moonlight picking at small stones as it picks at greater stones"

"as it dwells upon the eyelids of the sleepers as if to make amends."
21 Which of the following is NOT a typical criticism of industrial agriculture?

Mistreatment of animals

Mistreatment of workers

Inefficiency

Loss of biodiversity
22 Which of the following does NOT suggest that the sleepers are likely impoverished?

Their exhaustion

The trailers

The cracks in their trailers

Their forms of work
23 What does the moon's care towards the sleepers suggest?

They have experienced harm, just as the land has

The moon wants to persuade them to change their behavior

The moon has been duped by human beings

The moon is attracted to them
24 Which of the following is NOT something the moon is likely trying to make amends for?

The expense of crop-dusting

The harm done to the land

The harm done to workers

The injustice of the world
25 What is the role of beauty in "Amends"?

Beauty is able to lessen the impact of violence

Beauty coexists with harm, but cannot undo it

Beauty isn't important in "Amends"

Beauty is a tool the powerful use to distract from violence

Amends

by Adrienne Rich

Amends "Amends"

Amends Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Amends