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)

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

"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)

"I am the owl" (line 8)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
ABABCC

ABCABC

ABBABB

AABBCC
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?
The barn

The gun

The owl

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

The speaker's father

The owl

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?
Simile

Metaphor

Antonym

Personification
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Somber but hopeful

Excited and condescending

Horrified and remorseful

Straightforward and intellectual
8 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanzas 5 and 6?
Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

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

Its bowels

Its tail

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

Once

Many times

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

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, past tense

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

"a horny fiend"

"a lonely child"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza Five

Stanza One

Stanza Four

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

British

Canadian

Australian
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
child who believed death clean

My father reached my side,

Let him dream of a child

My first shot struck. He swayed,
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it only applied to humans

That it was clean and final

That is was messy and obscene

She had never heard of death
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?
"A Child's Rebellion"

"Nightfall"

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?
"gave me the fallen gun. / 'End what you have begun.'"

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

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

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

At dusk

At night

In the afternoon
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 sestet

A couplet

A quartet

Free-form
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"home at this hour"

"Let him dream of a child"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

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

A red door

Loose straw 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"

"blessed by the sun"

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

Vision

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