Storm on the Island Quizzes

Storm on the Island Quiz Storm on the Island

1 Which phrase is an example of alliteration?
"space is a salvo"

"the wizened earth has never"

"listen to the thing"

"can raise a tragic refrain"
2 What do the poem's houses symbolize?
The strength of the storm

The culture of the people who live in them

The talent and artistry of Irish people

The oppressiveness of education
3 To which animal does Heaney compare the storm?
A lion

A lizard

A wolf

A cat
4 Which best describes the speaker's tone at the beginning of the poem?
Imploring

Sarcastic

Furious

Confident
5 Which best describes the speaker's tone at the end of the poem?
Brash

Thoughtful

Comic

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

Iambic pentameter

Dactylic pentameter

The poem lacks a consistent meter
7 Which word from "Storm on the Island" is the clearest instance of onomatpoeia?
"salvo"

"wizened"

"fear"

"blast"
8 Which real event may the poem's storm refer to?
The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The American invasion of Iraq

The Troubles in Ireland
9 What best describes the poem's central contradiction or paradox?
The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm

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

The islanders choose to remain on a dangerous island

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 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

The storm whips up the sea and scares the fish
11 Which of the following is a motif in this poem?
The theater

Clocks

Tourism

War
12 What does the word "salvo," as used in line 17, refer to?
A large ceramic bowl

A type of medicine used for burns

A discharge of gunfire

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

A test taken by Irish schoolchildren

A leather belt

A bird of prey
14 Who is the poem's speaker?
A child who likes to pretend to live on an island

An anthropologist studying the island

A visitor to the 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?
Anaphora

Rhyme

Assonance

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

Onomatopoeia

Rhyme

Hyperbole
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?
"the very windows, / spits like a tame cat"

"the empty air, / strange"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"

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

Sonnet

Villanelle

None
19 Which word best describes the island residents?
Tasteful

Silly

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?
Mimicking the sound of falling rain

Making the islanders' language sound foreign and strange

Revealing that the speaker is a young child

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

Understatement

Personification

Simile
23 In which lines does the poem's only use of end-rhyme occur?
11-12

1-2

14-15

18-19
24 Which theme is NOT extensively explored in this poem?
Nature

Fear

Science and technology

Community and Solidarity
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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