Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

By Katrina Spencer · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed December 14, 2022

1 In what year was the poem published?

1980

1970

1965

1969
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?

"I am the owl" (line 8)

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

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

"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

ABABCC

AABBCC

ABCABC

ABBABB
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's mother

The speaker

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?

Metaphor

Simile

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?

Straightforward and intellectual

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful
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?

Many times

Once

Three times

Twice
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?

Third-person limited, present tense

Third-person limited, past 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"

"a horny fiend"

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

Stanza Four

Stanza Five

Stanza One

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

American

British

Canadian

Australian
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?

My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean
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"

"The Fallen Gun"

"Nightfall"

"A Child's Rebellion"
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"

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

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

"Let him dream of a child / obedient, angel-mind-"
19 When does the poem take place?

In the afternoon

In early morning

At dusk

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

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The urine-scented hay

The fallen gun

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

A quartet

A sestet

Free-form

A couplet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"home at this hour"

"Let him dream of a child"

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

Hay on the floor

A beam

Loose straw on the floor

A red door
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?

"gave me the fallen gun."

"blessed by the sun"

"those eyes that did not see"

"dribbled through the loose straw"
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