Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1970

1965

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)

"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?

ABBABB

AABBCC

ABABCC

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

Waking up early before her parents

The gun

The owl

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

The speaker

The speaker's mother

The speaker's father

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?

Metaphor

Simile

Personification

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

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

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

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

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

Its bowels

Its eyes

Its tail

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

Twice

Once

Many times

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

Third-person limited, past tense

First-person, present tense

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, present 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 lonely child"

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

Stanza Two

Stanza Four

Stanza Five

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

American

British

Canadian

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

My first shot struck. He swayed,

child who believed death clean

Let him dream of a child

My father reached my side,
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?

That it was clean and final

That it only applied to humans

She had never heard of death

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

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"

"Nightfall"

"A Child's Rebellion"
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"

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

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

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

A couplet

A sestet

Free-form
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"home at this hour"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

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

Loose straw on the floor

Hay on the floor

A red door

A beam
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."

"dribbled through the loose straw"

"blessed by the sun"
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?

The owl

Nightfall

Sunlight

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