Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1965

1970

1969

1980
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?

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

"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

ABBABB

ABABCC

ABCABC

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

The barn

The gun

Waking up early before her parents

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

The speaker's mother

The owl

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

Personification

Metaphor

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

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

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

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

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

Its eyes

Its tail

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?

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, present tense

Third-person limited, past tense

First-person, present 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 child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"a lonely child"

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

Stanza Five

Stanza Four

Stanza Two

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

Australian

American

Canadian

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

Let him dream of a child

My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

child who believed death clean
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?

That is was messy and obscene

That it only applied to humans

That it was clean and final

She had never heard of death
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"

"Quadrant"
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 the afternoon

At night

In early morning

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

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The injured owl

The urine-scented hay

The fallen gun
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?

A couplet

A quartet

Free-form

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

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"Let him dream of a child"

"home at this hour"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?

A red door

Hay on the floor

A beam

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

"gave me the fallen gun."

"those eyes that did not see"

"blessed by the sun"

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

Sunlight

Nightfall

The owl

Vision

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