Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1969

1965

1970

1980
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"I am the owl" (line 8)

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

ABCABC

ABBABB

AABBCC
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?
The barn

Waking up early before her parents

The owl

The gun
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?
The speaker's father

The speaker

The speaker's mother

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?
Personification

Metaphor

Antonym

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

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual
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?
Once

Three times

Twice

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

Third-person limited, present 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 lonely child"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"master of life and death"

"a horny fiend"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza Two

Stanza One

Stanza Four

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

Canadian

Australian

British
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 is was messy and obscene

That it only applied to humans

That it was clean and final

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

"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.'"
19 When does the poem take place?
At dusk

In the afternoon

In early morning

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

The urine-scented hay

The objects that the speaker is carrying

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

A couplet

A sestet

Free-form
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?
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?
"blessed by the sun"

"gave me the fallen gun."

"those eyes that did not see"

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

Vision

The owl

Nightfall

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