Storm on the Island Quizzes

Storm on the Island Quiz Storm on the Island

1 Which phrase is an example of alliteration?

"the wizened earth has never"

"space is a salvo"

"can raise a tragic refrain"

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

The culture of the people who live in them

The strength of the storm

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 cat

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

Furious

Sarcastic

Confident

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

Protective

Brash

Comic

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"

"blast"

"wizened"

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

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The American invasion of Iraq

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy

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 choose to remain on a dangerous island

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

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

The storm whips up the sea and scares the fish

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

Tourism

Clocks

The theater

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

A large ceramic bowl

A discharge of gunfire

A Catholic ceremony

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 bird of prey

A test taken by Irish schoolchildren

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

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

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

Rhyme

Alliteration

Anaphora

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

Hyperbole

Rhyme

Enjambment

Onomatopoeia
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?

"We are prepared"

"the empty air, / strange"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"

"the very windows, / spits like a tame cat"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?

Heroic couplet

Sonnet

Villanelle

None
19 Which word best describes the island residents?

Silly

Stoic

Tasteful

Creative
20 How many lines are in this poem?

19

15

20

12
21 What is the primary effect of the "K" and "T" sounds in the poem's first lines?

Revealing that the speaker is a young child

Showing the speaker's practical, efficient attitude

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?

Simile

Personification

Understatement

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

14-15

18-19

1-2

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

Fear

Science and technology

Nature

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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