Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1969

1980

1965

1970
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"I am the owl" (line 8)

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

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

"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
AABBCC

ABCABC

ABBABB

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

The barn

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 mother

The speaker

The owl

The speaker's father
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?
Antonym

Metaphor

Personification

Simile
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful
8 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanzas 5 and 6?
Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

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

Its tail

Its wings

Its eyes
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?
First-person, present tense

Third-person limited, past tense

Third-person limited, 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?
"master of life and death"

"a lonely child"

"a horny fiend"

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

Stanza Four

Stanza One

Stanza Five
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,

child who believed death clean

Let him dream of a child
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene

She had never heard of death

That it was clean and final
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?
"A Child's Rebellion"

"Quadrant"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?
"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-"

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

The fallen gun

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The urine-scented hay
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?
"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?
A beam

A red door

Loose straw on the floor

Hay 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"

"blessed by the sun"

"dribbled through the loose straw"
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?
The owl

Nightfall

Sunlight

Vision

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.

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Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

Barn Owl Quiz

Barn Owl Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Lesson Plan for Barn Owl