Poppies in October Quizzes

Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

1 The word "ignite" means:

To set on fire

To stay up late

To abolish or stamp out

To stir
2 How does this poem's speaker portray urban life?

As crowded and impoverished

As overwhelming and competitive

As monotonous and corrupted

As vibrant and diverse
3 Fill in the blank: "Utterly ____ for"

Unasked

Insulted

Longed

Ignored
4 Which sound creates alliteration in the phrase "forest of frosts"?

T

S

F

O
5 Fill in the blank: "Dulled to a _____ under bowlers"

Blankness

Halt

Rot

Sleep
6 What best describes this speaker's criteria for beauty?

Intensity and immediacy

Prettiness and subtlety

Multisensory appeal

Usefulness and helpfulness
7 Fill in the blank: "Nor the woman in the _____"

Florist's

Office

Library

Ambulance
8 What did poppies come to signify following World War I?

Chemical weapons

Patriotic volunteerism

Pacifism

Remembrace of dead soldiers
9 The "S" sounds in the phrase ""sun-clouds this morning cannot manage such skirts" are an example of which of the following?

Alliteration

Anaphora

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole
10 What is carbon monoxide?

A medicinal substance

A component of oxygen that we breathe

A particle used in perfumes

A dangerous invisible gas
11 What did poppies generally signify in Ancient Greek culture?

Rusticity and simplicity

Sleep, death, and rest

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance

Desire, sex, and compulsiveness
12 How does the speaker view the relationship between death and beauty?

They consider death and beauty to be intertwined

They believe that death is merely a gateway to a beautiful afterlife

They view beauty as a doomed fight against death

They consider death to be the opposite of beauty
13 What do poppies symbolize in this poem?

Unexpected natural beauty

Doomed romance

Sleep

The tragedy of war
14 What do bowler hats metonymically represent in this poem?

The academic world

The culture of the business class

An older, Victorian worldview

Socialist politics
15 Which of the following statements is true regarding Victorian floral symbolism?

Floral symbolism was considered occult and immoral

Flower types, but never colors, were considered symbolically loaded

Flowers were ascribed both positive and negative emotional symbolism

Tropical flowers were generally associated with feeling and instinct
16 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme

ABBA ABBA ABBA

ABCC ACBB ABCC

ABB ABB ABB ABB
17 What type of stanzas does "Poppies in October" consist of?

Couplets

Tercets

Sextets

Quatrains
18 Fill in the blank: "That these late _____ should open"

Doors

Mouths

Hands

Windows
19 Who is the speaker of this poem?

A businessman raised on a farm

A young woman from the city

No identifying information about the speaker is provided

A small child
20 How are clouds personified in this poem?

The speaker addresses the clouds, implying they have consciousness

The clouds briefly narrate the poem in their own voice

The clouds are described as looking like chubby children

The speaker suggests that the clouds are attempting to outshine the poppies
21 The description of a woman's heart "blooming" is most explicitly a metaphor for which of the following?

Obsession

Hunger

Kindness

Blood
22 Which of the following statements regarding the symbolism of the lily is correct?

Lilies were often used to symbolize childhood innocence

Lilies were often used to symbolize the non-Christian world

Lilies were often used to symbolize the Virgin Mary and purity

Lilies were often used to symbolize the souls of the unbaptised
23 What does Plath use as a metaphor to describe flowers?

Spiders

Shoes

Mouths

Books
24 Which word best describes the poem's speaker?

Ambitious

Righteous

Perceptive

Impulsive
25 Why is the image of a bleeding woman ironic?

It is unexpectedly linked to beautiful natural images

The speaker sarcastically suggests that the woman will survive

The woman does not know she is bleeding, in an instance of dramatic irony

The image is unexpectedly frightening despite the poem's peaceful setting

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