Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1965

1969

1980

1970
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"I am the owl" (line 8)

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

"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)

"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?
ABBABB

AABBCC

ABCABC

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

The barn

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 owl

The speaker's father

The speaker

The speaker's mother
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

Simile

Metaphor

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?
Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful
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?
Once

Twice

Many times

Three times
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, present tense

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, past 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-"

"a horny fiend"

"master of life and death"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza One

Stanza Five

Stanza Two

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

American

Canadian

Australian
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
My first shot struck. He swayed,

My father reached my side,

child who believed death clean

Let him dream of a child
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene

She had never heard of death

That it was clean and final
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"

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

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

"to his place on a high beam / in our old stables, to dream"
19 When does the poem take place?
At night

In early morning

In the afternoon

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

The fallen gun

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The injured owl
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
Free-form

A couplet

A quartet

A sestet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"home at this hour"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"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

A red door

Hay on the floor

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

"dribbled through the loose straw"

"those eyes that did not see"

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

Nightfall

The owl

Sunlight

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