An Irish Airman foresees his Death Quizzes

An Irish Airman foresees his Death Quiz

By Eleanor Stern · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed February 02, 2023

1 What does the word "bade" mean?

Surveilled

Killed

Instructed or ordered

Feared and dreaded
2 Who is the poem's speaker?

A pilot during the Irish war of independence

A member of the British air force

A commercial pilot flying through a storm

A young boy imagining his future life and death
3 Why is the speaker unafraid of death?

He feels that his life would be wasted anyway

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

He believes that he will go to heaven after he dies

He is happy to die for the sake of his country
4 What does the speaker believe about the war?

That his countrymen will not benefit from either victory or loss

That it is his duty to defend Britain against its enemies

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

That, if Irish soldiers contribute, they will be granted new rights
5 What does the word "impulse" mean?

Battle

Wartime draft

Sudden event

Instinct
6 Which is an instance of antimetabole?

My country is Kiltartan Cross, / My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,

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,
7 What is the poem's meter?

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic pentameter

Iambic hexameter

Iambic tetrameter
8 Which best describes the poem's diction?

Childlike vocabulary hints at the speaker's longing for youth

Jargon lets readers know that the speaker has specialized knowledge

Words with Celtic origins serve as a reminder of the speaker's Irishness

Short, simple words convey directness and disillusionment
9 During which historical event is this poem set?

The Hundred Years War

The English Civil War

World War II

World War I
10 What is Kiltartan?

A small airplane used in combat

An army rank used in Ireland

A type of traditional fabric

A region of Ireland
11 Which historical conflict does this poem discuss?

The battle for women's suffrage

British imperial rule in Ireland

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 a single extended metaphor to orient the poem

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

It uses figurative language sparingly, creating a feeling that reality is unrelenting
13 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

ABABCDCDEFEFGHGH

ABACABAD

ABACDCEFEGHG

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

Death

Being sent to war

Defending Ireland

Love
15 On which real-life person is the poem's speaker based?

T.S. Eliot

Charles Stewart Parnell

W.B. Yeats

Robert Gregory
16 What type of poem is this?

An elegy

An aubade

An acrostic

An ekphrastic poem
17 What do "public men" and "cheering crowds" symbolize?

Societal pressure to fight in the war

The love of the speaker's community

Widespread support for Irish independence

The desire for fame and acclaim
18 Which best describes the poem?

It is entirely made up of one long sentence

It is made up of two sentences of equal length

It is composed of sentence fragments

It consists of a series of questions
19 Which sound creates alliteration in the line ""My country is Kiltartan Cross"?

M

S

T

K
20 Which best describes this poem's tone?

Infuriated

Blunt

Musing

Effusive
21 Who was Lady Augusta Gregory?

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

A female military pilot

A British aristocrat who enacted harsh colonial policy in Ireland

An actress and activist with whom Yeats had a romantic relationship
22 Which phrase includes alliteration?

"I balanced all, brought all to mind"

"A lonely impulse of delight"

"A waste of breath the years behind"

"Somewhere among the clouds above"
23 What does the word "tumult" mean?

Chaos

Imperialism

Indecision

Treaty
24 When did Yeats write this poem?

1894

1789

1945

1918
25 Which is an example of irony?

The speaker sarcastically claims to love fighting, but actually detests it

The speaker finds dignity and agency even within his subjugation

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

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

Essays for An Irish Airman foresees his Death

An Irish Airman foresees his Death essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of An Irish Airman foresees his Death by William Butler Yeats.

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