Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1970

1969

1965

1980
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)

"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)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
AABBCC

ABBABB

ABABCC

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

The gun

The barn

Waking up early before her parents
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?
The speaker's father

The owl

The speaker's mother

The speaker
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

Personification

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

Somber but hopeful

Excited and condescending

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

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?
Its bowels

Its tail

Its wings

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

Many times

Three times

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

First-person, present tense

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, past 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-"

"a lonely child"

"master of life and death"

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

Stanza Two

Stanza One

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

British

Canadian

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

My first shot struck. He swayed,

child who believed death clean

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"?
"Quadrant"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"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"

"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?
At dusk

In the afternoon

At night

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

The fallen gun

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
A quartet

Free-form

A couplet

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

"home at this hour"

"dropped, / and dribbled"

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

A red door

A beam

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

"blessed by the sun"

"gave me the fallen gun."

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

Sunlight

The owl

Nightfall

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