Refugee Blues Quizzes

Refugee Blues Quiz

By Eleanor Stern · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed May 01, 2021

1 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?

ABA

ABC

AAB

ABB
2 What can the yew tree best be said to symbolize?

Strength

Agriculture

Rebirth

Simplicity
3 To which historical figure does "Refugee Blues" allude directly?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Josef Stalin

Adolf Hitler

Winston Churchill
4 Which device does Auden make use of in the phrase "walked through a wood"?

synechdoche

alliteration

slant rhyme

dramatic irony
5 When was "Refugee Blues" published?

1995

1914

1939

1842
6 Which sound creates assonance in the phrase "rumbling like thunder"?

The "I" sound

The "R" sound

The "U" sound

The "L" sound
7 Which attitude towards refugees does W.H. Auden seem to espouse in this poem?

Admiration

Avoidance

Sympathy

Suspicion
8 Which best describes the poem's meter?

Trochaic trimeter

Iambic sextameter

Iambic pentameter

This poem has no set meter
9 What kind of stanzas make up "Refugee Blues"?

Couplets

Sextets

Tercets

Quatrains
10 Which is NOT an example of irony in this poem?

That the speaker cannot even visit their native country

That the speaker is legally dead, despite being alive

That animals are treated like humans, while certain humans are treated like animals

That many people fear refugees, who have no power
11 Which adjective best describes the imagery of soldiers in the poem's final stanza?

Heroic

Pastoral

Menacing

Humorous
12 Which image symbolizes the dehumanization of refugees?

The consul banging on a table

The birds singing

Hitler's voice rumbling like thunder

The poodle in a jacket
13 Which word best describes this poem's tone?

Amused

Dreamlike

Resigned

Furious
14 Where does the speaker of this poem come from?

Rwanda

England

Germany

Guatemala
15 What form does this poem most closely follow?

Limerick

Ghazal

Villanelle

Blues poem
16 Which statement is most accurate regarding the structure of "Refugee Blues"?

It begins with vague, universal language that later grows more historically specific

It is split into separate ruminations focusing on each member of the speaker's family

It begins with an account of the speaker's current house, expanding with each line to a larger geographical area

It is divided equally into descriptions of each country the speaker has tried to find refuge in
17 What does the speaker's dream most explicitly express?

A feeling of alienation and exclusion

A desire to get to know the addressee

Anger at the owner of the poodle

A wish to personally go to war against Hitler
18 What country has the speaker moved to?

The name of the country is never given

England

Argentina

The U.S.
19 Which of the following cannot be considered a theme of "Refugee Blues"?

Antisemitism

Work and Labor

Social Exclusion

Bureaucracy
20 What can the image of birds best be said to symbolize?

Fragility

Beauty

Freedom

Deprivation
21 Which word best describes the relationship between the poem's speaker and addressee?

Professional

Tense

Timid

Caring
22 Which best describes the poem's structure?

Each stanza is narrated by a different speaker

The first word of each stanza can be combined into a poem of its own

The first and last lines of every stanza are identical, while the middle lines differ

Each stanza contains two similar lines followed by a third dissimilar one
23 Which historical reality does the poem's "public meeting" scene reference?

The widespread fear that welcoming refugees would cause economic problems

An informal volunteer network devoted to feeding refugees

The fact that a very small but passionate minority of Americans opposed allowing refugees

The high number of thefts attributed to Jewish German refugees
24 How does the speaker address their companion in this poem?

"My friend"

"My dear"

"My child"

"My darling"
25 What does the passport in "Refugee Blues" most clearly symbolize?

German national identity

International cooperation and diplomacy

Man-made systems and structures

The joy and freedom of traveling

The line “Went down Harbour and stood upon the quay” serves as a symbol of the speaker's journey. The harbor symbolizes safety and refuge, but it also serves as a place where people leave their belongings behind and undertake dangerous journeys to...

Asked by Mantja N #1318651

Answered by jill d #170087 on 9/4/2023 11:16 PM

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Poetic Devices

Symbols: The passport symbolizes the arbitrariness of human-made systems. Here, it grants its owners the status of personhood within society at large. This means that the speaker's lack of a passport robs them of their personhood. Though they are...

Asked by Phumla Z #1249082

Answered by jill d #170087 on 8/3/2022 8:14 PM

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Literary devices

That would be an example of aliteration.

Asked by Majwale H #1168847

Answered by Aslan on 8/21/2021 5:42 PM

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Refugee Blues

by W. H. Auden

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