Suburban Sonnet Quizzes

Suburban Sonnet Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?
A park

A restaurant

A concert hall

A woman's house
2 Which of the following is NOT a major theme or motif in the poem?
Music

Religion

Domesticity

Motherhood
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?
100 delicious recipes for the holidays

Piano concert tomorrow night

Zest and love

Tasty dishes from stale bread
5 Which of the following best describes the tone of the speaker?
Resigned, exhausted, overwhelmed

Calm, ebullient, observant

Nostalgic, affectionate, contemplative

Anxious, excited, curious
6 What frightens the children?
The pot boiling over

A howling wind outside

A dead mouse in a moustrap

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

The woman's veins

The woman's heart

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

Simile

Metaphor

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

Boredom

Enthusiasm

Disgust
10 As used in Line 10, what does the word "caper" mean?
scream and fight, with a sense of anger

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

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 cleaning burned milk from a pot

A woman practicing music

A woman pushing a stroller
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

The mother

The children

Rubinstein
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

clean or brighten the surface of (something) by rubbing it hard, typically with an abrasive or detergent

do a thorough search in order to locate something
15 The poem is predominantly written in the ____ tense.
Past perfect

Future

Past

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

17

10

14
17 How many lines does this poem contain?
10

17

12

14
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"

"a wave of nausea overpowers / ... as she scours"

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

A pot boiling over

Children screaming

Music being played
20 Which of the following is an example of enjambment?
"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"

"they seem afraid. / She comforts them"
21 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
"When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid."

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

"Beside her on the floor two children chatter,"

"featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread."
22 The poem was published in the ___.
1950s

1960s

1980s

1970s
23 Which of the following do the children NOT do in the poem?
Fight

Practice piano

Caper

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

then scream and fight

a wave of nausea overpowers

the soft corpse won't move
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.

Women should have the freedom to pursue their creative passions.

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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