1 The phrase "her teacup full of dark brown tears" is an example of which of the following? Personification Verbal irony Simile Metaphor 2 What does "foretold" mean? Threatened Predicted Imagined Dreaded 3 Who is the speaker? An omniscient third person The grandmother The almanac The grandchild 4 What kind of stanzas are in this poem? Quatrains Sestets Sestets and a tercet Tercets 5 The word "birdlike" is an instance of what? Metaphor Hyperbole Understatement Simile 6 Which is NOT a major theme of this poem? Adventure Repression Care Trauma 7 In what month does the poem take place? October November December September 8 Which best describes the sestina as a form? 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 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 9 Which best describes the two characters' dynamic? 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 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 tears grandmother 11 What is an almanac? A joke book A family photo album A type of reference book containing information such as calendars A journal used for recording household expenditures 12 What does "rigid" mean? Inflexible Rude Sturdy Ironic 13 To what does Bishop compare the tea in the grandmother's cup? Milk Tears Blood The ocean 14 What is the poem's rhyme scheme? ABBCDD EFFGEE ABABAB ABBA CDDC EFFE It is unrhymed 15 What does the word "inscrutable" mean? Hard Funny Mysterious Painful 16 What does the child draw? A stove A house The moon Herself 17 When was this poem first published? 1956 1979 1928 1953 18 What is the final stanza of a sestina called? An envoi An aubade A volta A strophe 19 Where is the poem set? Its setting is unstated New Orleans The English countryside Boston 20 What does "Marvel" refer to in this poem? A media company An adjective meaning "amazing" A brand of kitchenware A sect of Christianity 21 How many stanzas are in this poem? 7 5 16 6 22 Which of the following contains alliteration? "shows it proudly to the grandmother." "sings on the stove" "the old grandmother" "September rain falls" 23 In which publication did this poem first appear? None—it first appeared in book form The New Yorker The Paris Review Harpers 24 What has traumatized the characters in this poem? The precise nature of the event is hinted at but never revealed A war The death of the child's mother A house fire 25 What is an equinox? A night on which an eclipse happens The longest day of the year A date on which the night and the day are of the same length The hottest night of the year
