An Irish Airman foresees his Death Quizzes

An Irish Airman foresees his Death Quiz

1 What does the word "bade" mean?
Surveilled

Feared and dreaded

Killed

Instructed or ordered
2 Who is the poem's speaker?
A commercial pilot flying through a storm

A young boy imagining his future life and death

A pilot during the Irish war of independence

A member of the British air force
3 Why is the speaker unafraid of death?
He feels that his life would be wasted anyway

He believes that he will go to heaven after he dies

He has already been wounded so badly that death does not frighten him

He is happy to die for the sake of his country
4 What does the speaker believe about the war?
That, if Irish soldiers contribute, they will be granted new rights

That his countrymen will not benefit from either victory or loss

That war is an exciting rite of passage for young men, regardless of nationality

That it is his duty to defend Britain against its enemies
5 What does the word "impulse" mean?
Instinct

Sudden event

Wartime draft

Battle
6 Which is an instance of antimetabole?
The years to come seemed waste of breath, / A waste of breath the years behind

I know that I shall meet my fate / Somewhere among the clouds above;

Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, / Nor public man, nor cheering crowds,

My country is Kiltartan Cross, / My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
7 What is the poem's meter?
Trochaic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter

Iambic hexameter

Iambic pentameter
8 Which best describes the poem's diction?
Words with Celtic origins serve as a reminder of the speaker's Irishness

Childlike vocabulary hints at the speaker's longing for youth

Short, simple words convey directness and disillusionment

Jargon lets readers know that the speaker has specialized knowledge
9 During which historical event is this poem set?
World War II

World War I

The Hundred Years War

The English Civil War
10 What is Kiltartan?
An army rank used in Ireland

A small airplane used in combat

A region of Ireland

A type of traditional fabric
11 Which historical conflict does this poem discuss?
British imperial rule in Ireland

The battle for women's suffrage

The Industrial Revolution

The use of chemical weapons in the First World War
12 Which best describes the poem's approach to figurative language?
It uses figurative language to compare military battle to internal conflict

It uses figurative language sparingly, creating a feeling that reality is unrelenting

It uses metaphor over simile, which creates more immediacy and vividness

It uses a single extended metaphor to orient the poem
13 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
ABBACDDCEFFEGHHG

ABACDCEFEGHG

ABACABAD

ABABCDCDEFEFGHGH
14 What is the "fate" referenced in the poem's first line?
Death

Being sent to war

Love

Defending Ireland
15 On which real-life person is the poem's speaker based?
Charles Stewart Parnell

T.S. Eliot

W.B. Yeats

Robert Gregory
16 What type of poem is this?
An aubade

An ekphrastic poem

An elegy

An acrostic
17 What do "public men" and "cheering crowds" symbolize?
Widespread support for Irish independence

The desire for fame and acclaim

The love of the speaker's community

Societal pressure to fight in the war
18 Which best describes the poem?
It consists of a series of questions

It is entirely made up of one long sentence

It is composed of sentence fragments

It is made up of two sentences of equal length
19 Which sound creates alliteration in the line ""My country is Kiltartan Cross"?
M

T

S

K
20 Which best describes this poem's tone?
Infuriated

Musing

Blunt

Effusive
21 Who was Lady Augusta Gregory?
A British aristocrat who enacted harsh colonial policy in Ireland

A female military pilot

A writer, member of the Irish cultural revival, and patron of Yeats

An actress and activist with whom Yeats had a romantic relationship
22 Which phrase includes alliteration?
"A waste of breath the years behind"

"Somewhere among the clouds above"

"A lonely impulse of delight"

"I balanced all, brought all to mind"
23 What does the word "tumult" mean?
Treaty

Imperialism

Indecision

Chaos
24 When did Yeats write this poem?
1789

1894

1945

1918
25 Which is an example of irony?
The speaker sarcastically claims to love fighting, but actually detests it

The speaker enjoys fighting, despite the danger it puts him in

The speaker finds dignity and agency even within his subjugation

The speaker believes that he will die, not knowing that he will survive

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On the Power of the Death Instinct in "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"