Poppies in October Quizzes

Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

By Eleanor Stern · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed July 16, 2021

1 The word "ignite" means:

To set on fire

To abolish or stamp out

To stir

To stay up late
2 How does this poem's speaker portray urban life?

As vibrant and diverse

As overwhelming and competitive

As monotonous and corrupted

As crowded and impoverished
3 Fill in the blank: "Utterly ____ for"

Insulted

Unasked

Ignored

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

F

O

S

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

Rot

Sleep

Halt

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

Usefulness and helpfulness

Multisensory appeal

Intensity and immediacy

Prettiness and subtlety
7 Fill in the blank: "Nor the woman in the _____"

Ambulance

Library

Florist's

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

Patriotic volunteerism

Pacifism

Remembrace of dead soldiers

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

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

Alliteration

Anaphora
10 What is carbon monoxide?

A particle used in perfumes

A dangerous invisible gas

A component of oxygen that we breathe

A medicinal substance
11 What did poppies generally signify in Ancient Greek culture?

Sleep, death, and rest

Desire, sex, and compulsiveness

Rusticity and simplicity

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance
12 How does the speaker view the relationship between death and beauty?

They consider death and beauty to be intertwined

They consider death to be the opposite of beauty

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

They view beauty as a doomed fight against death
13 What do poppies symbolize in this poem?

Sleep

The tragedy of war

Unexpected natural beauty

Doomed romance
14 What do bowler hats metonymically represent in this poem?

The culture of the business class

The academic world

An older, Victorian worldview

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

Tropical flowers were generally associated with feeling and instinct

Flower types, but never colors, were considered symbolically loaded

Floral symbolism was considered occult and immoral

Flowers were ascribed both positive and negative emotional symbolism
16 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

ABBA ABBA ABBA

ABB ABB ABB ABB

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme

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

Couplets

Quatrains

Tercets

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

Hands

Doors

Windows

Mouths
19 Who is the speaker of this poem?

A young woman from the city

A small child

No identifying information about the speaker is provided

A businessman raised on a farm
20 How are clouds personified in this poem?

The clouds are described as looking like chubby children

The clouds briefly narrate the poem in their own voice

The speaker suggests that the clouds are attempting to outshine the poppies

The speaker addresses the clouds, implying they have consciousness
21 The description of a woman's heart "blooming" is most explicitly a metaphor for which of the following?

Hunger

Blood

Kindness

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

Lilies were often used to symbolize the souls of the unbaptised

Lilies were often used to symbolize the non-Christian world

Lilies were often used to symbolize childhood innocence

Lilies were often used to symbolize the Virgin Mary and purity
23 What does Plath use as a metaphor to describe flowers?

Shoes

Mouths

Books

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

Perceptive

Impulsive

Righteous

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

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

The speaker sarcastically suggests that the woman will survive

It is unexpectedly linked to beautiful natural images

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

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