My Papa’s Waltz Quizzes

My Papa's Waltz Quiz

1 Of what kind of stanzas is this poem composed?

Couplets

Quatrains

Quintains

Tercets
2 The word "romp" means:

To play rowdily

To beat or attack someone

A country harvest festival

A type of lunchbox
3 Fill in the blank: "We romped until the _____/Slid from the kitchen shelf"

Dishes

Pots

Pans

Spoons
4 What is a waltz?

A type of formal party

A uniform worn by coal miners

A popular European ballroom dance

A team sport similar to basketball
5 Why is the image of the scent of whiskey significant?

It lets us know that the speaker is old enough to drink

It suggests an Irish setting

It hints that the father has a drinking problem

It hints that the speaker's family is wealthy
6 Which of the following best describes the poem's message about masculinity?

That fathers must pass masculine skills on to sons

That children are often more attached to gender roles than adults

That women can also be masculine

That masculinity and violence are too often conflated
7 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

ABAB

ABA

ABABB

ABBA
8 Which of the following is a simile?

"My right ear scraped a buckle"

"the pans/Slid from the kitchen shelf"

"You beat time on my head"

"I hung on like death"
9 Which sounds produce assonance in the phrase "At every step you missed"?

M sounds

V sounds

S sounds

E sounds
10 Fill in the blank "Then waltzed me off to bed/Still _____ _____ your shirt."

Snatching at

Fussing with

Clinging to

Hanging on
11 What is the poem's meter?

Anapestic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic trimeter
12 The H sounds in the phrase "the hand that held my wrist" are an example of which?

Alliteration

Assonance

Metaphor

Hyperbole
13 Which is a central irony in the poem?

The way it suggests that abuse and love can look unexpectedly similar from the outside

The way that the mother is supposed to protect her child, but actually harms him

The speaker's conviction that he is being abused, though he is not

The fact that the speaker wants to be with his family, even though they mistreat him
14 Fill in the blank: "At every step you missed/My right ear scraped a _____"

Buckle

Shoulder

Pocket

Button
15 What is one effect of the poem's rhyme scheme?

The simple rhyme scheme shows that the speaker is unintelligent

The simple rhyme scheme creates an ironically innocent, childlike tone

The poem has no rhyme scheme: it imitates the chaos of the events being described

The intricate rhyme scheme mimics the intricate complexity of the father's character
16 Who can most closely be considered the poem's antagonist?

The father

The mother

The sister

The teacher
17 How many stanzas are in "My Papa's Waltz"?

5

4

2

3
18 Who is the poem's speaker?

A small boy

A teenage girl

A young man

A mother
19 Define the word "countenance"

Plan

Face

Attitude or mood

The facade of a house
20 Fill in the blank: "The whiskey on your breath/Could make a small boy _____"

Vomit

Frightened

Drunk

Dizzy
21 Which part of the mother's body is personified?

Her hands

Her face

Her stomach

Her ear
22 What does the waltz symbolize?

The dynamic between father and son

The American dream

The performance of spirituality

The value of art and culture
23 Where is the poem set?

The woods outside the speaker's house

The speaker's school

The speaker's family car

The speaker's home
24 Which aspect of the parent-child relationship does this poem explore most deeply?

The uncanniness of biological and genetic similarity

The inevitable disappointment of parenting

The unbreakable affection between parent and child despite differences

The power differential between its members
25 What are the two primary possible ways to understand the poem's "waltz"?

As cultural heritage or aristocratic norm

As hard work or frivolous play

As artistic expression or rote repetition

As play or abuse

Study Guide for My Papa’s Waltz

My Papa's Waltz study guide contains a biography of Theodore Roethke, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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My Papa's Waltz

by Theodore Roethke

My Papa's Waltz Quiz

My Papa’s Waltz Questions and Answers

Study Guide for My Papa’s Waltz

Lesson Plan for My Papa’s Waltz