1 The phrase "her teacup full of dark brown tears" is an example of which of the following? Verbal irony Metaphor Simile Personification 2 What does "foretold" mean? Dreaded Imagined Threatened Predicted 3 Who is the speaker? An omniscient third person The grandmother The grandchild The almanac 4 What kind of stanzas are in this poem? Tercets Sestets and a tercet Quatrains Sestets 5 The word "birdlike" is an instance of what? Hyperbole Simile Metaphor Understatement 6 Which is NOT a major theme of this poem? Repression Adventure Trauma Care 7 In what month does the poem take place? November December September October 8 Which best describes the sestina as a form? It contains two repeated, alternating refrains, which appear at the close of every stanza It contains repeated concluding words in every line, which shift order from one stanza to the next It builds up to a volta, or turn, which takes place after either the eighth or twelfth line It consists of couplets with identical end words, which are preceded by a rhymed word 9 Which best describes the two characters' dynamic? They are haunted by a recent tragedy, but discuss that event at length to comfort each other They are hostile with one another, blaming each other for their shared past They are both haunted by the same event, but do no openly discuss that event They are blissfully happy, as-yet unaware of the tragedy in their family 10 Which is NOT one of the repeated words in this poem? stove kettle grandmother tears 11 What is an almanac? A type of reference book containing information such as calendars A joke book A family photo album A journal used for recording household expenditures 12 What does "rigid" mean? Inflexible Sturdy Rude Ironic 13 To what does Bishop compare the tea in the grandmother's cup? Milk The ocean Blood Tears 14 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? ABBA CDDC EFFE ABBCDD EFFGEE It is unrhymed ABABAB 15 What does the word "inscrutable" mean? Mysterious Hard Painful Funny 16 What does the child draw? A stove A house Herself The moon 17 When was this poem first published? 1979 1953 1928 1956 18 What is the final stanza of a sestina called? A strophe A volta An envoi An aubade 19 Where is the poem set? Boston Its setting is unstated New Orleans The English countryside 20 What does "Marvel" refer to in this poem? A media company A brand of kitchenware A sect of Christianity An adjective meaning "amazing" 21 How many stanzas are in this poem? 16 5 7 6 22 Which of the following contains alliteration? "September rain falls" "sings on the stove" "the old grandmother" "shows it proudly to the grandmother." 23 In which publication did this poem first appear? The New Yorker Harpers The Paris Review None—it first appeared in book form 24 What has traumatized the characters in this poem? A war The death of the child's mother A house fire The precise nature of the event is hinted at but never revealed 25 What is an equinox? The longest day of the year A night on which an eclipse happens A date on which the night and the day are of the same length The hottest night of the year
