Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1980

1965

1969

1970
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"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)

"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
ABBABB

AABBCC

ABCABC

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 mother

The speaker

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

Antonym

Simile

Personification
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?
Excited and condescending

Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful

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

Its bowels

Its eyes

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

Three times

Many times

Twice
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
First-person, present tense

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, 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 lonely child"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"master of life and death"

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

Stanza One

Stanza Four

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

American

Australian

British
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
Let him dream of a child

My first shot struck. He swayed,

My father reached my side,

child who believed death clean
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it was clean and final

She had never heard of death

That it only applied to humans

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

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"

"Nightfall"
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-"

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

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

In the afternoon

In early morning

At night
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The urine-scented hay

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

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

A sestet

Free-form

A quartet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"Let him dream of a child"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"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 red door

A beam

Loose straw on the floor

Hay 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?
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.

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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