In Mrs Tilscher’s Class Quizzes

In Mrs Tilscher's Class Quiz

By Eleanor Stern · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed April 17, 2022

1 Which is NOT a major theme of this poem?

Security and Safety

Sexual Awakening

Innocence

Nature
2 What is the poem's overarching conflict?

The split between an older teacher and a younger one

The disagreements over educational policy in Britain

The endless fights between a teacher and student

The battle between innocence and experience
3 What is this poem's setting?

A 1990s high school

A twentieth-century elementary school

A Victorian boarding school

An eighteenth-century all-girls school
4 What can the "thunderstorm" of the final lines be said to represent?

Impending adulthood

War and violence

Nature's power

Children's cruelty
5 Which historical event is alluded to in this poem?

The French Revolution

The publication of Johnson's Dictionary

The founding of the BBC

The Moors Murders
6 Which of the following lessons is described in detail?

A lesson about African geography

A lesson about the days of the week

A lesson about playing the recorder

A lesson about multiplying fractions
7 The sound of a bell is compared metaphorically to what?

Laughter

Birdsong

An orchestra

A dog's bark
8 Which of the following does NOT describe the poem's tone?

Rueful

Nostalgic

Fond

Crusading
9 What do the frogs and tadpoles symbolize?

The wildness of childhood

The city's separation from nature

The transition to maturity

The joys of outdoor play
10 Which facet of adult life surprises and horrifies the speaker?

Labor

Inequality

Sex

Violence
11 Which best describes Mrs. Tilscher's attitude?

Affectionate and engaging

Zany and hilarious

Strict but fair

Emotional and probing
12 Which best describes the poem's speaker?

They are a parent

They are a grandparent

They are a teacher

They are a schoolchild
13 What is the meaning of the word "enthralling"?

Unraveling

Fascinating

Intricate

Overwhelming
14 What do gold stars symbolize?

Mrs. Tilscher's love

Moral development

Educational inequity

Material wealth
15 What is the meaning of the word "fractious"?

Red in color

Agitated

Inconsiderate

Fast
16 What meter does the poem use?

Iambic pentameter

It is written in free verse

Iambic tetrameter

Anapestic tetrameter
17 What is this poem's point of view?

First-person singular

Second person

First-person plural

The poem contains several point-of-view shifts
18 What is the meaning of the word "skittle" in this poem?

A type of candy

A small amount

A prop in a particular game, also called skittles

To loiter or waste time
19 How does the speaker first respond to the "rough boy"?

By following him

By attacking him

By ignoring him

By telling on him
20 What rhyme scheme does the poem use?

No consistent rhyme scheme

ABBAABBA

ABA ABA ABA

ABABCDCD
21 Duffy uses a metaphor to compare tadpoles to which of the following?

Commas

Seeds

Insects

Eyes
22 Which of the poem's stanzas heavily features alliterative T sounds?

The second

The first

The third

The fourth
23 "The classroom glowed like a sweet shop" is an instance of what?

Metaphor

Metonymy

Synecdoche

Simile
24 Which types of stanzas does this poem include?

Tercets and quatrains

Octaves and couplets

Sestets and tercets

Septets and octaves
25 What is the meaning of the word "tangible"?

Delicious

Underneath or hidden by something

Capable of being touched

Controversial

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In Mrs Tilscher's Class study guide contains a biography of Carol Ann Duffy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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