Dead Stars Quizzes

Dead Stars Quiz

By Rebecca Bedell · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed November 02, 2022

1 What season does this poem take place in?

Summer

Winter

Spring

Fall
2 What constellation do the speaker and her partner notice?

Centaurus

Ursa Major

Orion

Hydra
3 What does the speaker say her mouth is full of?

dust

stars

ash

sea
4 What makes the sound of "thunder" in the poem?

the speaker's voice

the bending trees

the supernova

rolling trash cans
5 "Look, we are not _________ things"

these vulnerable

these terrified

unspectacular

unremarkable
6 "I wish to reclaim _______"

the rising

our skyline

what's forgotten

my birthright
7 "Man, we should really learn _______"

some new constellations

the names of these trees

the needs of those around us

more about Kentucky
8 Which of the following does the speaker NOT say she wants to lean towards/into?

the spotlight of streetlight

our synapses and flesh

what's larger in us

how we were born
9 What does the speaker imagine saying "No" to?

the dust of stars

the arrows we make

the rising tides

winter's icy hand
10 Which of the following best describes the shift in mood during the poem?

betrayed to angry

blissful to frightened

confined to inspiring

mournful to relaxed
11 What does the speaker imagine we can "use our bodies to bargain" for?

the safety of others and earth

recognition and prestige

equal representation

better homes
12 Which of the following does NOT describe the speaker's ideas of a better world?

fearless

loving

defiant

selfish
13 What type of sentence dominates the second half of the poem?

Persuasive

Declarative

Exclamatory

Interrogative
14 What poetic technique does Limón use very rarely at the beginning of the poem, and more towards the end?

Enjambment

Rhyme

Visual imagery

Personification
15 What animal does the speaker compare herself to?

horses

dogs

spiders

raccoons
16 Which of the following causes does the speaker seem to advocate for in the poem?

Education reform

Environmental justice

Religious freedom

Gun control
17 Which of the following boundaries is Ada Limón NOT exploring prominently in this poem?

The mechanical and the organic

The mundane and the transcendent

The terrestrial and the celestial

The domestic and the outside world
18 How many stanzas does this poem have?

28

None

15

1
19 What is this poem's meter?

Trochaic trimeter

Free verse

Iambic pentameter

Dactylic hexameter
20 In what book did this poem appear?

Sharks in the Rivers

Bright Dead Things

Lucky Wreck

The Carrying
21 Where was this poem first published?

Poem-a-day by the Academy of American Poets

Instagram

In a book

The Smithsonian Magazine
22 Who does "you" likely refer to in this poem?

Orion

the poet's dog

the reader

the poet's husband
23 What is Ada Limón's full-time occupation, outside of writing?

None

Politician

Professor

Horse racing
24 Which of the following positions did Ada Limón take up in 2022?

Editor-in-chief of Poetry Magazine

U.S. Poet Laureate

Presidential Poet

Professor Emerita
25 Which of the following is true about stars?

That our bodies will one day all turn into stars

That the stars we see have existed forever

That we are seeing light from the past when we look at stars

That all the stars in our sky are already dead

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Study Guide for Dead Stars

Dead Stars study guide contains a biography of Ada Limón, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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