Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1965

1970

1980

1969
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)

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

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)
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

Waking up early before her parents

The gun

The owl
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?
The owl

The speaker's mother

The speaker

The speaker's father
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

Metaphor

Antonym

Personification
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful
8 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanzas 5 and 6?
Straightforward and intellectual

Somber but hopeful

Excited and condescending

Horrified and remorseful
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?
Once

Many times

Twice

Three times
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, present tense

Third-person limited, past tense

First-person, past tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?
"master of life and death"

"a lonely child"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"a horny fiend"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza Two

Stanza Four

Stanza One

Stanza Five
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,

child who believed death clean

My first shot struck. He swayed,

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 it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene

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

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"

"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"

"to his place on a high beam / in our old stables, to dream"

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

"Let him dream of a child / obedient, angel-mind-"
19 When does the poem take place?
In early morning

At dusk

At night

In the afternoon
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The fallen gun

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The urine-scented hay
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?
"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"Let him dream of a child"

"home at this hour"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?
A red door

A beam

Hay on the floor

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

"gave me the fallen gun."

"blessed by the sun"

"those eyes that did not see"
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?
The owl

Nightfall

Vision

Sunlight

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.

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Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

Barn Owl Quiz

Barn Owl Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Lesson Plan for Barn Owl