Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1980

1970

1969

1965
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?

"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)

"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

ABABCC

AABBCC

ABBABB

ABCABC
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?

The barn

The gun

The owl

Waking up early before her parents
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?

The speaker's father

The owl

The speaker

The speaker's mother
6 As used in lines 17-18, "a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw" is an example of which literary device?

Simile

Personification

Antonym

Metaphor
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful

Excited and condescending
8 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanzas 5 and 6?

Somber but hopeful

Excited and condescending

Horrified and remorseful

Straightforward and intellectual
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?

Its tail

Its eyes

Its bowels

Its wings
10 How many times does the speaker shoot the owl?

Many times

Once

Twice

Three times
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, present tense

Third-person limited, past tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"master of life and death"

"a horny fiend"

"a lonely child"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?

Stanza Five

Stanza Two

Stanza Four

Stanza One
14 Gwen Harwood is a(n) ____ poet.

Australian

Canadian

British

American
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?

My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

child who believed death clean

Let him dream of a child
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?

She had never heard of death

That is was messy and obscene

That it only applied to humans

That it was clean and final
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?

"The Fallen Gun"

"Nightfall"

"Quadrant"

"A Child's Rebellion"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?

"a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw"

"gave me the fallen gun. / 'End what you have begun.'"

"Let him dream of a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"to his place on a high beam / in our old stables, to dream"
19 When does the poem take place?

In early morning

At dusk

In the afternoon

At night
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means

The urine-scented hay

The fallen gun

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The injured owl
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?

A couplet

Free-form

A quartet

A sestet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"home at this hour"

"Let him dream of a child"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?

Hay on the floor

A beam

A red door

Loose straw on the floor
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?

"those eyes that did not see"

"gave me the fallen gun."

"blessed by the sun"

"dribbled through the loose straw"
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?

Vision

Sunlight

The owl

Nightfall

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Barn Owl study guide contains a biography of Gwen Harwood, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for Barn Owl…

Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

Barn Owl Quiz

Barn Owl Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Lesson Plan for Barn Owl