Poppies in October Quizzes

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Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

1 The word "ignite" means:

To abolish or stamp out

To stay up late

To stir

To set on fire
2 How does this poem's speaker portray urban life?

As overwhelming and competitive

As vibrant and diverse

As crowded and impoverished

As monotonous and corrupted
3 Fill in the blank: "Utterly ____ for"

Ignored

Longed

Insulted

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

T

F

S

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

Sleep

Halt

Rot

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

Multisensory appeal

Usefulness and helpfulness

Prettiness and subtlety

Intensity and immediacy
7 Fill in the blank: "Nor the woman in the _____"

Office

Library

Florist's

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

Remembrace of dead soldiers

Patriotic volunteerism

Chemical weapons

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

Hyperbole

Alliteration

Onomatopoeia

Anaphora
10 What is carbon monoxide?

A component of oxygen that we breathe

A particle used in perfumes

A dangerous invisible gas

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

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance

Sleep, death, and rest

Rusticity and simplicity

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

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

They consider death and beauty to be intertwined

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

Sleep

Doomed romance

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

The culture of the business class

An older, Victorian worldview

The academic world

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?

ABB ABB ABB ABB

ABBA ABBA ABBA

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme

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

Tercets

Sextets

Couplets

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

Mouths

Windows

Doors

Hands
19 Who is the speaker of this poem?

A young woman from the city

A businessman raised on a farm

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 speaker suggests that the clouds are attempting to outshine the poppies

The clouds are described as looking like chubby children
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 Virgin Mary and purity

Lilies were often used to symbolize the non-Christian world

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

Shoes

Books

Spiders

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

Ambitious

Impulsive

Righteous

Perceptive
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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