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"

"listen to the thing"

"the wizened earth has never"

"can raise a tragic refrain"
2 What do the poem's houses symbolize?
The culture of the people who live in them

The talent and artistry of Irish people

The strength of the storm

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

A lion

A cat

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

Imploring

Confident

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

Comic

Protective

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

Dactylic pentameter

The poem lacks a consistent meter

Iambic hexameter
7 Which word from "Storm on the Island" is the clearest instance of onomatpoeia?
"fear"

"salvo"

"wizened"

"blast"
8 Which real event may the poem's storm refer to?
The American invasion of Iraq

The Troubles in Ireland

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy
9 What best describes the poem's central contradiction or paradox?
The islanders fear the storm, though it is made of air

The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm

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

The storm whips up the sea and scares the fish

The sea helps slow the storm's winds as they approach the island

The storm turns the sea into a dangerous force
11 Which of the following is a motif in this poem?
War

The theater

Tourism

Clocks
12 What does the word "salvo," as used in line 17, refer to?
A Catholic ceremony

A discharge of gunfire

A large ceramic bowl

A type of medicine used for burns
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 resident, or group of residents, on the island

A child who likes to pretend to live on an island

A visitor to the island

An anthropologist studying the island
15 The "ai" sounds in the phrase "raise a tragic refrain" create which of the following?
Rhyme

Assonance

Alliteration

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

Rhyme

Hyperbole

Onomatopoeia
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?
"We are prepared"

"the empty air, / strange"

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

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

None

Villanelle

Heroic couplet
19 Which word best describes the island residents?
Silly

Stoic

Tasteful

Creative
20 How many lines are in this poem?
19

12

20

15
21 What is the primary effect of the "K" and "T" sounds in the poem's first lines?
Showing the speaker's practical, efficient attitude

Revealing that the speaker is a young child

Mimicking the sound of falling rain

Making the islanders' language sound foreign and strange
22 The phrase "the wizened earth has never troubled us" is an example of which device?
Metonymy

Simile

Understatement

Personification
23 In which lines does the poem's only use of end-rhyme occur?
14-15

11-12

1-2

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

Science and technology

Community and Solidarity

Nature
25 What does the word "strafe" implicitly compare the wind to?
A military aircraft

A small sailboat

A carriage pulled by four horses

A canoe used in Ireland

Storm on the Island Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Storm on the Island is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for Storm on the Island

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.

Read the Study Guide for Storm on the Island…