Mrs Midas Quizzes

1 Where is the speaker in the first stanza?

The kitchen

The garden

The caravan

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

His idiocy

His lack of forethought

His greed

His selfishness
3 Which foods are referenced in the poem?

Apples, trout, bread, hamburgers, and chocolate.

Hamburgers, french fries, apples, and salmon.

Pears, corn, cod, steak, and buttermilk.

Pears, corn, fast food, trout, and apples.
4 Which of the following is an example of personification in the poem?

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)

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)
5 "Mrs Midas" appears in which of Carol Ann Duffy's collections?

The World's Wife (1999)

Rapture (2003)

Selling Manhattan (1987)

Standing Female Nude (1985)
6 What does Mrs Midas dream about the night after her husband's wish comes true?

The music of Pan

A bowl of apples

Her husband's embrace

Giving birth to a golden child
7 Which best describes Mrs Midas's attitude toward her husband?

Loving and supportive

Cold and uncaring

Angry and mournful

Exasperated but accepting
8 What does "halcyon" mean in Line 41?

Chaotically passionate

A type of gold

A golden, glowing light

A past time that was idyllic and peaceful
9 How many lines does each stanza have?

5

7

6

4
10 Which is an example of simile in the poem?

We’d a caravan in the wilds, in a glade of its own (Lines 49-50)

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

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)
11 Which perspective is the poem told from?

Second person

Omniscient third-person

First person

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

Yellow tinged with green or brown

Solid gold

A faint glow

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

Midas's footprints

The hare that Midas attempted to touch

The golden table after Midas touched it

The golden trout in the river
14 In which month is the poem set?

June

August

October

September
15 What does Midas do after making his wish?

Enter the house

Laugh

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)

then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow (Line 5)

a hare hung from a larch (Line 58)

its perfect ore limbs, its little tongue (Line 50)
17 Which Greek god is EXPLICITLY referenced in the poem?

Demeter

Pan

Zeus

Dionysus
18 What is an allegory?

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.

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

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

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 an ironic commentary on the myth.

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

Mrs Midas is a translation of the myth.
21 What does Mrs Midas NOT do in response to Midas's ability to turn everything he touches into gold?

Put a chair in front of her bedroom door.

Demand that he move out.

Wear protective gloves before touching him.

Lock the cat in the cellar.
22 Which of the following animals is NOT referenced in the poem?

Flies

Deer

Trout

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

the Bible

Miss Macready

the Field of the Cloth of Gold

the Greek god Pan
24 What "stopped" Mrs Midas "dead" due to memories of her husband (Line 65)?

Golden trout

Hearing the music of Pan

A bowl of apples

A dream about their baby
25 Which of the following is NOT a theme in the poem?

greed and masculinity

mortality

the trauma of war

marriage and relationships

Mrs Midas

by Carol Ann Duffy

Mrs Midas Quiz

Mrs Midas Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Mrs Midas