Suburban Sonnet Quizzes

Suburban Sonnet Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?
A park

A concert hall

A woman's house

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

Religion

Motherhood

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

Bach

Rubinstein

Stravinsky
4 What does the magazine paper that the woman used to wrap the mouse say?
Piano concert tomorrow night

Zest and love

Tasty dishes from stale bread

100 delicious recipes for the holidays
5 Which of the following best describes the tone of the speaker?
Anxious, excited, curious

Calm, ebullient, observant

Nostalgic, affectionate, contemplative

Resigned, exhausted, overwhelmed
6 What frightens the children?
The pot boiling over

A dead mouse in a moustrap

Their mother's solemn piano music

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

The woman's veins

The woman's fingers

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

Allusion

Simile

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

Enthusiasm

Delight

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

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
11 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the poem?
A woman pushing a stroller

A woman cleaning burned milk from a pot

A woman comforting her children

A woman practicing music
12 Which of the following is the clearest example of metaphor used in the poem?
Zest and love / drain out with soapy water as she scours

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

Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.

Beside her on the floor two children chatter
13 Who "yawned" in the poem (line 10)?
The father

Rubinstein

The children

The mother
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

Present

Past perfect
16 How many lines does a traditional sonnet contain?
17

10

14

12
17 How many lines does this poem contain?
17

14

12

10
18 Which of the following is an example of a slant rhyme used in the poem?
"though it can matter / ...two children chatter"

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

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

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

A door slamming

Music being played

Children screaming
20 Which of the following is an example of enjambment?
"if she plays well or not. / Beside her"

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

"As she rushes to the stove / too late"

"they seem afraid. / She comforts them"
21 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
"to no one now if she plays well or not."

"featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread."

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

"Beside her on the floor two children chatter,"
22 The poem was published in the ___.
1980s

1970s

1950s

1960s
23 Which of the following do the children NOT do in the poem?
Practice piano

Fight

Caper

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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