Storm on the Island Quizzes

Storm on the Island Quiz Storm on the Island

By Eleanor Stern · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed May 02, 2021

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 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 lizard

A wolf

A cat

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

Sarcastic

Confident

Furious

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

Comic

Thoughtful

Brash

Protective
6 What is this poem's meter?

Dactylic pentameter

Iambic pentameter

Iambic hexameter

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

"blast"

"salvo"

"fear"

"wizened"
8 Which real event may the poem's storm refer to?

The American invasion of Iraq

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The Troubles in Ireland

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy
9 What best describes the poem's central contradiction or paradox?

The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm

The islanders build low houses, even though they flood with every storm

The islanders choose to remain on a dangerous island

The islanders fear the storm, though it is made of air
10 What does the speaker articulate about the relationship between the sea and the storm?

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

The storm turns the sea into a dangerous force

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?

Clocks

Tourism

The theater

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

A discharge of gunfire

A large ceramic bowl

A type of medicine used for burns

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

An arrangement of grain

A bird of prey

A test taken by Irish schoolchildren

A leather belt
14 Who is the poem's speaker?

An anthropologist studying the island

A visitor to the island

A resident, or group of residents, on the island

A child who likes to pretend to live on an island
15 The "ai" sounds in the phrase "raise a tragic refrain" create which of the following?

Assonance

Anaphora

Alliteration

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

Rhyme

Hyperbole

Enjambment

Onomatopoeia
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?

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

"the empty air, / strange"

"We are prepared"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?

Sonnet

Villanelle

Heroic couplet

None
19 Which word best describes the island residents?

Tasteful

Creative

Silly

Stoic
20 How many lines are in this poem?

20

15

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

Showing the speaker's practical, efficient attitude

Mimicking the sound of falling rain
22 The phrase "the wizened earth has never troubled us" is an example of which device?

Understatement

Metonymy

Simile

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

18-19

1-2

14-15

11-12
24 Which theme is NOT extensively explored in this poem?

Nature

Community and Solidarity

Fear

Science and technology
25 What does the word "strafe" implicitly compare the wind to?

A small sailboat

A military aircraft

A carriage pulled by four horses

A canoe used in Ireland

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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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