Storm on the Island Quizzes

Storm on the Island Quiz Storm on the Island

1 Which phrase is an example of alliteration?
"listen to the thing"

"space is a salvo"

"can raise a tragic refrain"

"the wizened earth has never"
2 What do the poem's houses symbolize?
The culture of the people who live in them

The oppressiveness of education

The strength of the storm

The talent and artistry of Irish people
3 To which animal does Heaney compare the storm?
A wolf

A cat

A lion

A lizard
4 Which best describes the speaker's tone at the beginning of the poem?
Confident

Imploring

Furious

Sarcastic
5 Which best describes the speaker's tone at the end of the poem?
Thoughtful

Brash

Comic

Protective
6 What is this poem's meter?
Iambic pentameter

Iambic hexameter

The poem lacks a consistent meter

Dactylic pentameter
7 Which word from "Storm on the Island" is the clearest instance of onomatpoeia?
"wizened"

"salvo"

"fear"

"blast"
8 Which real event may the poem's storm refer to?
The 1918 Russian Revolution

The Troubles in Ireland

The American invasion of Iraq

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy
9 What best describes the poem's central contradiction or paradox?
The islanders choose to remain on a dangerous island

The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm

The islanders fear the storm, though it is made of air

The islanders build low houses, even though they flood with every storm
10 What does the speaker articulate about the relationship between the sea and the storm?
The storm whips up the sea and scares the fish

The storm turns the sea into a dangerous force

The sea is a frightening place to be in the storm, more so than on land

The sea helps slow the storm's winds as they approach the island
11 Which of the following is a motif in this poem?
Clocks

War

Tourism

The theater
12 What does the word "salvo," as used in line 17, refer to?
A discharge of gunfire

A type of medicine used for burns

A large ceramic bowl

A Catholic ceremony
13 What does the word "stooks," as used in line 5, refer to?
A bird of prey

A test taken by Irish schoolchildren

A leather belt

An arrangement of grain
14 Who is the poem's speaker?
A visitor to the island

An anthropologist studying the island

A child who likes to pretend to live on an island

A resident, or group of residents, on the island
15 The "ai" sounds in the phrase "raise a tragic refrain" create which of the following?
Assonance

Rhyme

Alliteration

Anaphora
16 The phrase "spits like a tamed cat / Turned savage" makes use of:
Hyperbole

Enjambment

Rhyme

Onomatopoeia
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?
"the empty air, / strange"

"the very windows, / spits like a tame cat"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"

"We are prepared"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?
Villanelle

Sonnet

Heroic couplet

None
19 Which word best describes the island residents?
Silly

Tasteful

Creative

Stoic
20 How many lines are in this poem?
15

20

19

12
21 What is the primary effect of the "K" and "T" sounds in the poem's first lines?
Making the islanders' language sound foreign and strange

Revealing that the speaker is a young child

Mimicking the sound of falling rain

Showing the speaker's practical, efficient attitude
22 The phrase "the wizened earth has never troubled us" is an example of which device?
Personification

Simile

Understatement

Metonymy
23 In which lines does the poem's only use of end-rhyme occur?
18-19

11-12

1-2

14-15
24 Which theme is NOT extensively explored in this poem?
Community and Solidarity

Science and technology

Fear

Nature
25 What does the word "strafe" implicitly compare the wind to?
A carriage pulled by four horses

A small sailboat

A canoe used in Ireland

A military aircraft

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Storm on the Island study guide contains a biography of Seamus Heaney, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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