Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1970

1980

1969

1965
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)

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

"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?
AABBCC

ABCABC

ABBABB

ABABCC
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?
The gun

Waking up early before her parents

The owl

The barn
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?
The speaker's father

The speaker

The speaker's mother

The owl
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?
Personification

Antonym

Metaphor

Simile
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

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

Horrified and remorseful

Straightforward and intellectual

Somber but hopeful
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?
Its eyes

Its bowels

Its wings

Its tail
10 How many times does the speaker shoot the owl?
Twice

Many times

Three times

Once
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
Third-person limited, past tense

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, present tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?
"a horny fiend"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"master of life and death"

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

Stanza One

Stanza Five

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

American

Canadian

Australian
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean
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 it was clean and final

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

"The Fallen Gun"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Quadrant"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?
"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-"

"a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw"
19 When does the poem take place?
In early morning

In the afternoon

At night

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

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The injured owl

The urine-scented hay
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
Free-form

A quartet

A couplet

A sestet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"Let him dream of a child"

"home at this hour"

"dropped, / and dribbled"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?
A beam

Hay on the floor

Loose straw on the floor

A red door
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?
"gave me the fallen gun."

"dribbled through the loose straw"

"blessed by the sun"

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

The owl

Nightfall

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