Prayer Before Birth Quizzes

Prayer Before Birth Quiz 1

1 Where was Louis MacNeice from?

England

United States

Germany

Ireland
2 What other genre of writing did MacNeice pursue in his lifetime?

Speeches

Drama

Novels

Journalism
3 In what collection was "Prayer Before Birth" published?

Springboard

Holes in the Sky

The Last Ditch

Collected Poems
4 What year was the poem published?

1944

1912

1932

1920
5 What major conflict was happening at the time MacNeice wrote the poem?

The Great Depression

World War II

World War I

The Cold War
6 How old was MacNeice when he died?

55

24

89

38
7 Who is the speaker of the poem?

An unborn entity

A soldier

God

A child
8 Which of these does the speaker not mention in the first stanza of the poem?

Rats

Bats

Vampires

Ghouls
9 What is the speaker afraid of?

Torture

Imprisonment

Drugs

All of these
10 The line, "with strong drugs dope me, with wise lies lure me" contains examples of what poetic device (6)?

Synecdoche

Apostrophe

Alliteration

Personfiication
11 What, according to the speaker, can nurture their growth?

A mother

Nature

God

Love
12 For what does the speaker ask forgiveness?

Their request for death

The sins they are yet to commit

The thoughts they currently express

The mistakes they have made
13 What metaphor does the speaker use to ask for preparation for life on earth?

Learning a language

Rehearsing a play

Taking a class

Reading a pamphlet
14 According to the speaker, what will old men do to them?

Ridicule them

Lecture them

Inspire them

Laugh at them
15 According to the speaker, what will bureaucrats do to them?

Hector them

Comfort them

Embarrass them

Manipulate them
16 According to the speaker, what will lovers do to them?

Prepare them

Emasculate them

Save them

Laugh at them
17 Which of these scenarios does the speaker not imagine encountering on earth?

Falling from a tree

Dying in the desert

Being cursed by their own children

A beggar rejecting their gift
18 According to the speaker, the "man who is beast" also thinks he is what (26)?

Emperor

Love

God

The Savior
19 The term "lethal automaton" (30) is a euphemism for what?

A dictator

A solider

A gun

A machine
20 What is closest in meaning to the word "dragoon" (30)?

Invite

Dragon

Coerce

Lure
21 Which of these images represents manipulation by someone else?

Trees

Blood-baths

Hands

Machines
22 Which two fates does the speaker imagine for people on earth?

Guns and boots

Machines and nature

Robots and books

Stones and water
23 Which of these describes the form of the final lines of the poem?

Tercet

Couplet

Quatrain

Alexandrine
24 What does the speaker ask for as an alternative to being born?

Nurture

God

A song

Death
25 Which of these phrases is repeated throughout the poem?

"Otherwise kill me"

"I am not yet born"

"I fear"

"Spill me"

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Study Guide for Prayer Before Birth

Prayer Before Birth study guide contains a biography of Louis MacNeice, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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