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"

"can raise a tragic refrain"

"the wizened earth has never"

"listen to the thing"
2 What do the poem's houses symbolize?

The strength of the storm

The talent and artistry of Irish people

The oppressiveness of education

The culture of the people who live in them
3 To which animal does Heaney compare the storm?

A cat

A lizard

A wolf

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

Furious

Confident

Imploring

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

Protective

Thoughtful

Comic

Brash
6 What is this poem's meter?

Iambic hexameter

The poem lacks a consistent meter

Iambic pentameter

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

"blast"

"fear"

"salvo"

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

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The American invasion of Iraq

The Troubles in Ireland

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 build low houses, even though they flood with every storm

The islanders choose to remain on a dangerous island

The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm
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 sea helps slow the storm's winds as they approach the island

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
11 Which of the following is a motif in this poem?

Tourism

War

The theater

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

A type of medicine used for burns

A discharge of gunfire

A large ceramic bowl

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?

A child who likes to pretend to live on an island

A visitor to the island

An anthropologist studying 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?

Alliteration

Rhyme

Anaphora

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

Onomatopoeia

Enjambment

Rhyme

Hyperbole
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?

"We are prepared"

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

"there are no stacks / or stooks"

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

Villanelle

None

Heroic couplet

Sonnet
19 Which word best describes the island residents?

Creative

Silly

Stoic

Tasteful
20 How many lines are in this poem?

15

12

19

20
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?

Metonymy

Personification

Understatement

Simile
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?

Science and technology

Nature

Fear

Community and Solidarity
25 What does the word "strafe" implicitly compare the wind to?

A military aircraft

A canoe used in Ireland

A small sailboat

A carriage pulled by four horses

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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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