Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1969

1980

1970

1965
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)

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

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

The speaker's father

The owl

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?
Simile

Personification

Metaphor

Antonym
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

Excited and condescending

Horrified and remorseful
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 eyes

Its tail

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

Three times

Many 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 lonely child"

"master of life and death"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

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

Stanza One

Stanza Five

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

Canadian

British

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"?
"The Fallen Gun"

"Nightfall"

"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"

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

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

At dusk

At night

In early morning
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The fallen gun

The urine-scented hay
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
Free-form

A couplet

A quartet

A sestet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"home at this hour"

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"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 red door

A beam

Loose straw on the floor
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?
"those eyes that did not see"

"blessed by the sun"

"gave me the fallen gun."

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

Sunlight

Nightfall

The owl

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