Suburban Sonnet Quizzes

Suburban Sonnet Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?
A restaurant

A woman's house

A park

A concert hall
2 Which of the following is NOT a major theme or motif in the poem?
Domesticity

Music

Motherhood

Religion
3 Who did the woman perform her music for?
Mozart

Stravinsky

Rubinstein

Bach
4 What does the magazine paper that the woman used to wrap the mouse say?
Tasty dishes from stale bread

Piano concert tomorrow night

100 delicious recipes for the holidays

Zest and love
5 Which of the following best describes the tone of the speaker?
Calm, ebullient, observant

Resigned, exhausted, overwhelmed

Anxious, excited, curious

Nostalgic, affectionate, contemplative
6 What frightens the children?
Their mother's solemn piano music

The pot boiling over

A dead mouse in a moustrap

A howling wind outside
7 What does the speaker expressly say "aches" in the poem?
The woman's veins

The woman's fingers

The woman's muscles

The woman's heart
8 Which of the following literary devices is NOT used in the poem?
Allusion

Metaphor

Simile

Enjambment
9 It is implied that Rubenstein reacted to the woman's performance with:
Disgust

Enthusiasm

Boredom

Delight
10 As used in Line 10, what does the word "caper" mean?
skip or dance about in a lively or playful way

a sleeveless cloak, typically a short one

scream and fight, with a sense of anger

the pickled flower bud of a prickly southern European shrub, used to flavor food
11 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the poem?
A woman pushing a stroller

A woman practicing music

A woman cleaning burned milk from a pot

A woman comforting her children
12 Which of the following is the clearest example of metaphor used in the poem?
Beside her on the floor two children chatter

When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid.

Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.

Zest and love / drain out with soapy water as she scours
13 Who "yawned" in the poem (line 10)?
The mother

The children

Rubinstein

The father
14 As used in Line 8, what does the word "scour" mean?
dig through something to obtain what is hidden underneath

move rapidly in a particular direction, especially in search or pursuit of someone or something

do a thorough search in order to locate something

clean or brighten the surface of (something) by rubbing it hard, typically with an abrasive or detergent
15 The poem is predominantly written in the ____ tense.
Future

Past perfect

Past

Present
16 How many lines does a traditional sonnet contain?
12

17

10

14
17 How many lines does this poem contain?
14

17

10

12
18 Which of the following is an example of a slant rhyme used in the poem?
"a wave of nausea overpowers / ... as she scours"

"The children caper / ...They seem afraid"

"though it can matter / ...two children chatter"

"she plays well or not / ...She hushes them. A pot"
19 Which of the following sounds does NOT occur in the poem?
Children screaming

A door slamming

A pot boiling over

Music being played
20 Which of the following is an example of enjambment?
"they seem afraid. / She comforts them"

"where a mouse lies dead. / When the soft corpse won't move"

"if she plays well or not. / Beside her"

"As she rushes to the stove / too late"
21 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
"Beside her on the floor two children chatter,"

"featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread."

"When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid."

"to no one now if she plays well or not."
22 The poem was published in the ___.
1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s
23 Which of the following do the children NOT do in the poem?
Practice piano

Caper

Fight

Chatter
24 Which of the following is an example of alliteration?
children caper

the soft corpse won't move

a wave of nausea overpowers

then scream and fight
25 Which of the following statements would Gwen Harwood be most likely to agree with?
Music is more important than poetry.

All women should be mothers.

Children should be firmly punished for screaming and fighting.

Women should have the freedom to pursue their creative passions.

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Study Guide for Suburban Sonnet

Suburban Sonnet study guide contains a biography of Gwen Harwood, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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