Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1970

1969

1980

1965
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?

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

"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)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

AABBCC

ABCABC

ABABCC

ABBABB
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's father

The owl

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

Antonym

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

Horrified and remorseful

Straightforward and intellectual

Somber but hopeful

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 eyes

Its wings

Its bowels

Its tail
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, present tense

First-person, past tense

First-person, present 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"

"master of life and death"

"a horny fiend"

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

Stanza One

Stanza Four

Stanza Two

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

British

Canadian

Australian

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

My father reached my side,

child who believed death clean

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 was clean and final

That is was messy and obscene

She had never heard of death

That it only applied to humans
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"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.'"

"to his place on a high beam / in our old stables, to dream"

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

"a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw"
19 When does the poem take place?

In early morning

In the afternoon

At night

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?

A quartet

Free-form

A sestet

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

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"Let him dream of a child"

"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?

A red door

Hay on the floor

A beam

Loose straw on the floor
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?

"gave me the fallen gun."

"those eyes that did not see"

"dribbled through the loose straw"

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

Vision

The owl

Nightfall

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