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