Mrs Midas Quizzes

1 Where is the speaker in the first stanza?

The garden

The kitchen

The caravan

The bedroom
2 What bothers Mrs Midas the most about her husband's wish?

His idiocy

His greed

His lack of forethought

His selfishness
3 Which foods are referenced in the poem?

Pears, corn, fast food, trout, and apples.

Apples, trout, bread, hamburgers, and chocolate.

Hamburgers, french fries, apples, and salmon.

Pears, corn, cod, steak, and buttermilk.
4 Which of the following is an example of personification in the poem?

The kitchen filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath / gently blanching the windows (Lines 2 - 3)

I gazed, entranced, / as the blue flame played on its luteous stem. (Lines 34-35)

Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich. (Line 20)

we grew Fondante d’Automne – / and it sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. (Lines 10-11)
5 "Mrs Midas" appears in which of Carol Ann Duffy's collections?

Rapture (2003)

Selling Manhattan (1987)

Standing Female Nude (1985)

The World's Wife (1999)
6 What does Mrs Midas dream about the night after her husband's wish comes true?

A bowl of apples

Her husband's embrace

Giving birth to a golden child

The music of Pan
7 Which best describes Mrs Midas's attitude toward her husband?

Exasperated but accepting

Loving and supportive

Angry and mournful

Cold and uncaring
8 What does "halcyon" mean in Line 41?

A golden, glowing light

A type of gold

A past time that was idyllic and peaceful

Chaotically passionate
9 How many lines does each stanza have?

4

7

5

6
10 Which is an example of simile in the poem?

its little tongue / like a precious latch (Lines 45-46)

But now I feared his honeyed embrace, / the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art. (Lines 41-42)

The kitchen filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath / gently blanching the windows (Lines 2 - 3)

We’d a caravan in the wilds, in a glade of its own (Lines 49-50)
11 Which perspective is the poem told from?

Omniscient third-person

First person

Second person

Limited third-person
12 What does the word "luteous" mean in Line 35?

A faint glow

Yellow tinged with green or brown

Solid gold

A flower stem
13 What does "a beautiful lemon mistake" (Line 57) refer to in the poem?

The golden table after Midas touched it

The golden trout in the river

The hare that Midas attempted to touch

Midas's footprints
14 In which month is the poem set?

September

October

August

June
15 What does Midas do after making his wish?

Laugh

Enter the house

Ask for wine

All of the above
16 Which is an example of alliteration used in the poem?

under the cover of dark (Line 53)

its perfect ore limbs, its little tongue (Line 50)

a hare hung from a larch (Line 58)

then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow (Line 5)
17 Which Greek god is EXPLICITLY referenced in the poem?

Pan

Demeter

Dionysus

Zeus
18 What is an allegory?

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
19 What does the word "caravan" mean in Line 49?

Any large group of people, typically with vehicles or animals, traveling together in single file.

A vehicle equipped for living in, typically a trailer towed by a car and used when traveling for recreation.

A group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together across a desert in Asia or North Africa.

A covered horse-drawn wagon.
20 Which of the following describes the relationship between the myth of Midas and the poem "Mrs Midas?"

Mrs Midas alludes to the myth, but is actually about the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Mrs Midas is a creative retelling of the myth through a feminist lens.

Mrs Midas is a translation of the myth.

Mrs Midas is an ironic commentary on the myth.
21 What does Mrs Midas NOT do in response to Midas's ability to turn everything he touches into gold?

Lock the cat in the cellar.

Put a chair in front of her bedroom door.

Wear protective gloves before touching him.

Demand that he move out.
22 Which of the following animals is NOT referenced in the poem?

Deer

Trout

Flies

Hare
23 Which of the following is NOT alluded to in the poem?

the Field of the Cloth of Gold

the Greek god Pan

the Bible

Miss Macready
24 What "stopped" Mrs Midas "dead" due to memories of her husband (Line 65)?

A bowl of apples

A dream about their baby

Golden trout

Hearing the music of Pan
25 Which of the following is NOT a theme in the poem?

the trauma of war

mortality

marriage and relationships

greed and masculinity

Mrs Midas

by Carol Ann Duffy

Mrs Midas Quiz

Mrs Midas Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Mrs Midas