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? Dreaded Imagined Threatened Predicted 3 Who is the speaker? The grandchild The grandmother The almanac An omniscient third person 4 What kind of stanzas are in this poem? Tercets Sestets Sestets and a tercet Quatrains 5 The word "birdlike" is an instance of what? Hyperbole Understatement Metaphor Simile 6 Which is NOT a major theme of this poem? Adventure Care Repression Trauma 7 In what month does the poem take place? November December September October 8 Which best describes the sestina as a form? It contains repeated concluding words in every line, which shift order from one stanza to the next It consists of couplets with identical end words, which are preceded by a rhymed word It contains two repeated, alternating refrains, which appear at the close of every stanza It builds up to a volta, or turn, which takes place after either the eighth or twelfth line 9 Which best describes the two characters' dynamic? 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 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? kettle stove tears grandmother 11 What is an almanac? A type of reference book containing information such as calendars A journal used for recording household expenditures A family photo album A joke book 12 What does "rigid" mean? Ironic Rude Sturdy Inflexible 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? It is unrhymed ABBA CDDC EFFE ABBCDD EFFGEE ABABAB 15 What does the word "inscrutable" mean? Funny Hard Mysterious Painful 16 What does the child draw? The moon A house A stove Herself 17 When was this poem first published? 1956 1979 1928 1953 18 What is the final stanza of a sestina called? A strophe An aubade An envoi A volta 19 Where is the poem set? New Orleans The English countryside Its setting is unstated Boston 20 What does "Marvel" refer to in this poem? An adjective meaning "amazing" A brand of kitchenware A sect of Christianity A media company 21 How many stanzas are in this poem? 6 16 7 5 22 Which of the following contains alliteration? "September rain falls" "the old grandmother" "sings on the stove" "shows it proudly to the grandmother." 23 In which publication did this poem first appear? None—it first appeared in book form The Paris Review The New Yorker Harpers 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 war A house fire 25 What is an equinox? A night on which an eclipse happens The hottest night of the year The longest day of the year A date on which the night and the day are of the same length
