Suburban Sonnet Quizzes

Suburban Sonnet Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?

A concert hall

A woman's house

A park

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

Religion

Motherhood

Music

Domesticity
3 Who did the woman perform her music for?

Stravinsky

Bach

Rubinstein

Mozart
4 What does the magazine paper that the woman used to wrap the mouse say?

100 delicious recipes for the holidays

Tasty dishes from stale bread

Piano concert tomorrow night

Zest and love
5 Which of the following best describes the tone of the speaker?

Resigned, exhausted, overwhelmed

Calm, ebullient, observant

Anxious, excited, curious

Nostalgic, affectionate, contemplative
6 What frightens the children?

The pot boiling over

A dead mouse in a moustrap

A howling wind outside

Their mother's solemn piano music
7 What does the speaker expressly say "aches" in the poem?

The woman's muscles

The woman's heart

The woman's fingers

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

Allusion

Enjambment

Simile

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

Enthusiasm

Delight

Boredom

Disgust
10 As used in Line 10, what does the word "caper" mean?

the pickled flower bud of a prickly southern European shrub, used to flavor food

scream and fight, with a sense of anger

a sleeveless cloak, typically a short one

skip or dance about in a lively or playful way
11 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the poem?

A woman comforting her children

A woman practicing music

A woman cleaning burned milk from a pot

A woman pushing a stroller
12 Which of the following is the clearest example of metaphor used in the poem?

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

Beside her on the floor two children chatter

Zest and love / drain out with soapy water as she scours

Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.
13 Who "yawned" in the poem (line 10)?

Rubinstein

The father

The children

The mother
14 As used in Line 8, what does the word "scour" mean?

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

dig through something to obtain what is hidden underneath

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

Present

Past perfect

Past
16 How many lines does a traditional sonnet contain?

17

12

10

14
17 How many lines does this poem contain?

12

14

17

10
18 Which of the following is an example of a slant rhyme used in the poem?

"she plays well or not / ...She hushes them. A pot"

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

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

"a wave of nausea overpowers / ... as she scours"
19 Which of the following sounds does NOT occur in the poem?

Music being played

A pot boiling over

Children screaming

A door slamming
20 Which of the following is an example of enjambment?

"As she rushes to the stove / too late"

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

"they seem afraid. / She comforts them"

"if she plays well or not. / Beside her"
21 Which of the following is an example of caesura?

"to no one now if she plays well or not."

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

"Beside her on the floor two children chatter,"

"featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread."
22 The poem was published in the ___.

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s
23 Which of the following do the children NOT do in the poem?

Caper

Practice piano

Fight

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

then scream and fight

the soft corpse won't move

children caper

a wave of nausea overpowers
25 Which of the following statements would Gwen Harwood be most likely to agree with?

Music is more important than poetry.

Women should have the freedom to pursue their creative passions.

All women should be mothers.

Children should be firmly punished for screaming and fighting.

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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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