1 In what year did McKay write "If We Must Die"? 1919 1918 1917 1921 2 What is most important to the speaker? Personal fame Honor Survival Victory 3 What kind of sonnet is "If We Must Die"? Petrarchan sonnet Victorian sonnet Shakespearean sonnet Spenserian sonnet 4 How does the speaker first characterize his enemy? Like men Like monsters Like wolves Like dogs 5 How many times is the line "If We Must Die" repeated in the poem? 3 times Once 2 times Never 6 What "inglorious" animal does the speaker urge his allies not to imitate? Cattle Cats Rats Hogs 7 Which of the following kinds of words are NOT used in the poem? Archaic words Animal words Colors Numbers 8 What image from the poem's final line conveys the allies' dire situation? Being pressed to the wall Being surrounded Being penned in Being pinned down 9 What word does the speaker use to directly address his compatriots? Kinsmen Fellow men Brothers Allies 10 What famous historical figure reportedly read the poem to the public during World War II? Franklin D. Roosevelt General Douglas MacArthur Winston Churchill Langston Hughes 11 If the speaker fights honorably, what will the "monsters" be forced to do? Let him live Bury him Honor him Forgive him 12 What phrase in the poem potentially refers to Christ? Thousand blows Accursèd lot Precious blood Open grave 13 What events inspired the poem's composition? The Red Summer McKay's trip to Russia Woodrow Wilson's presidency World War I 14 What does the speaker say the enemy will do if his allies surrender? Mock him Honor him Congratulate him Pardon him 15 What figure of speech is "O, kinsmen!"? Acrostic Anaphora Apostrophe Aphorism 16 How does the speaker handle the possibility of death? He refuses to believe it He fears it He willing submits to it He stands firm in the face of it 17 In what magazine was the poem originally published? The Crisis The Atlantic The Liberator The Messenger 18 What vowel sound is repeated throughout the second and third quatrains? O I U E 19 How does the speaker suggest they should die? Nobly Reluctantly Quickly Willingly 20 What is the poem's attitude towards combat? A realistic sense of guerrilla warface Classical notions of heroic conflict A modernist sense of chaos and futility A disavowal in favor of non-violent protest 21 What kind of words drop out at the end of the poem? Words related to gender Conditional words like "if" Animal words like "pack" Words related to death 22 What does the speaker mean when he says "before us lies the open grave"? They will dig graves They will certainly die They might die They will kill the enemy 23 What makes "If We Must Die" different from a typical sonnet? It is has a final rhyming couplet It uses comparisons to animals It does not use the singular "I" It is uses romanticized ideals 24 What sound is repeated many times in the second line of the poem? N sounds P sounds M sounds T sounds 25 What ratio does the speaker use to give a sense of how outnumbered they are? 1000:1 10000:1 100:1 10:1
