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 oppressiveness of education

The strength of the storm
3 To which animal does Heaney compare the storm?

A lizard

A lion

A wolf

A cat
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?

Brash

Protective

Comic

Thoughtful
6 What is this poem's meter?

Dactylic pentameter

Iambic hexameter

The poem lacks a consistent meter

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

"wizened"

"fear"

"salvo"

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

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy

The American invasion of Iraq

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The Troubles in Ireland
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 helps slow the storm's winds as they approach the island

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

War

Clocks

The theater

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

A Catholic ceremony

A type of medicine used for burns

A discharge of gunfire

A large ceramic bowl
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?

An anthropologist studying the island

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
15 The "ai" sounds in the phrase "raise a tragic refrain" create which of the following?

Alliteration

Anaphora

Assonance

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

Hyperbole

Onomatopoeia

Enjambment

Rhyme
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?

"there are no stacks / or stooks"

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

"We are prepared"

"the empty air, / strange"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?

Heroic couplet

None

Villanelle

Sonnet
19 Which word best describes the island residents?

Silly

Tasteful

Stoic

Creative
20 How many lines are in this poem?

12

15

20

19
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?

Simile

Understatement

Metonymy

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

11-12

14-15

1-2

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

Fear

Community and Solidarity

Nature

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

A carriage pulled by four horses

A military aircraft

A canoe used in Ireland

A small sailboat

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…