Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1969

1970

1980

1965
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?
AABBCC

ABBABB

ABCABC

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

The gun

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 speaker's father

The speaker's mother

The speaker

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

Personification

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

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

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

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful

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

Its wings

Its tail

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

Many times

Once

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, 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 Two

Stanza Four

Stanza Five

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

American

British

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

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean

My father reached my side,
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it only applied to humans

She had never heard of death

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?
"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"

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

At dusk

In early morning

At night
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The objects that the speaker is carrying

The fallen gun

The urine-scented hay

The injured owl
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?
"Let him dream of a child"

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"home at this hour"

"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

Hay on the floor

A beam

A red door
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?
Sunlight

Vision

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