Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1980

1965

1970

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)

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

ABCABC

ABBABB

AABBCC

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?

Metaphor

Simile

Antonym

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

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

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

Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?

Its wings

Its tail

Its eyes

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

Twice

Many times

Three times

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

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, past tense

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, present tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?

"a horny fiend"

"a lonely child"

"master of life and death"

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

Stanza Four

Stanza Five

Stanza One

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

Canadian

British

Australian

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

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean

My first shot struck. He swayed,

My father reached my side,
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 it was clean and final

That is was messy and obscene
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?

"Quadrant"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"

"A Child's Rebellion"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?

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

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

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

"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 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?

Free-form

A sestet

A quartet

A couplet
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

Hay on the floor

Loose straw on the floor

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

"blessed by the sun"

"those eyes that did not see"

"dribbled through the loose straw"

"gave me the fallen gun."
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?

Sunlight

Nightfall

The owl

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.

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