Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1970

1965

1980

1969
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"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 barn

The owl

The gun

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 mother

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?
Simile

Antonym

Personification

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

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

Excited and condescending
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 tail

Its bowels

Its wings

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

Three times

Once

Many times
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
First-person, past tense

First-person, present 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"

"master of life and death"

"a horny fiend"

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

Stanza Five

Stanza Four

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

Canadian

British

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

child who believed death clean

My first shot struck. He swayed,

Let him dream of a child
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it was clean and final

That it only applied to humans

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"?
"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Quadrant"
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?
In the afternoon

At dusk

In early morning

At night
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The fallen gun

The urine-scented hay
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?
"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"home at this hour"

"Let him dream of a child"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?
A red door

A beam

Hay on the floor

Loose straw on the floor
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?
"gave me the fallen gun."

"blessed by the sun"

"dribbled through the loose straw"

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

Sunlight

Nightfall

The owl

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