The Moon and the Yew Tree Quizzes

The Moon and the Yew Tree Quiz

1 Which of the following best summarizes this poem?

The speaker remembers her dead father as she looks at a yew tree.

The speaker observes the moon and a yew tree in a church graveyard, and feels bewildered and disoriented.

The speaker appreciates the beauty of the moon.

The speaker attends Sunday service, where she witnesses the corrupt practices of the church.
2 In what year was this poem published?

1963

1962

1965

1964
3 In what year was this poem written?

1961

1965

1966

1967
4 Which of the following best describes the form of this poem?

Free verse, with some rhymes and lines in pentameter

Iambic pentameter, ABAB rhyme scheme

Iambic pentameter, heroic couplets

Free verse, unrhymed and unmetered
5 Which of the following is NOT a major theme of this poem?

Death

War

Religion

Parenthood
6 Which of the following does NOT contain an example of alliteration or consonance?

“blue garments unloose”

“face of the effigy”

“The moon is my mother”

“grasses unload their griefs”
7 Which of the following accurately describes the argument this poem makes about religion?

Religion is the solution to familial conflict and trauma.

Religion is a major source of familial conflict and trauma.

Institutionalized religion can lend itself to performative rather than genuine acts of worship.

No one should be discriminated against for their religious beliefs.
8 Which of the following literary elements is NOT featured in this poem?

Allusion

Consonance

Asyndeton

Personification
9 Which of the following takes place in the final line of the poem?

The yew tree points up.

The yew tree delivers its message: blackness and silence.

The yew tree is discovered by the speaker.

The yew tree is cut down.
10 How many lines does this poem contain?

28

35

25

21
11 Which of the following might be read as an understatement in this poem?

"Fumy, spiritous mists inhabit this place"

"She is not sweet like Mary."

"It has a Gothic shape."

"Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection."
12 How many syllables does each line in this poem have?

5

7

6

8
13 Which of the following best describes the setting of the poem?

A church graveyard near the speaker's house in broad daylight

A church graveyard near the speaker's house on the night of a full moon, imagined and perceived from the speaker's perspective

The speaker's imagination of a certain planet

The house in which the speaker lives with her parents
14 Which of the following best describes the conflict taking place in the poem?

The speaker's desire for religious freedom vs. institutionalized religion

The mother of the speaker vs. the father of the speaker

Feelings of disorientation felt in the moonlit graveyard vs. the speaker’s desire for affection and a sense of direction

The moon vs. the sea it drags like a dark crime
15 Which of the following best describes the tone of the poem?

Solemn, cryptic, contemplative, grim

Nostalgic, affectionate, celebratory, ebullient

Grateful, loving, pious, sentimental

Disparaging, critical, scathing, accusatory
16 Which line might be the climax of the poem?

"Separated from my house by a row of headstones."

"The moon sees nothing of this. She is bald and wild."

"The eyes lift after it and find the moon."

"Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection."
17 In which collection was this poem published?

Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams

The Bell Jar

Ariel

The Colossus
18 Which of the following INCORRECTLY describes this poem?

It is set in a specific historical period.

It has an unnamed first-person speaker.

It has four stanzas.

It makes extensive use of Biblical imagery.
19 Which of the following best describes the author?

A poet and playwright from the Elizabethan era

A Romantic poet of the late nineteenth century

A confessional poet of the mid-twentieth century

A modernist who was most active in the early twentieth century
20 Which of the following is NOT an example of rhyme or assonance from this poem?

“The moon is my mother”

“spiritous mists inhabit this”

“Eight great tongues”

“blue [...] pews”
21 "White as a knuckle and terribly upset" is NOT an example of which of the following?

The color motif in this poem

Alliteration

Simile

Reference to an idiom
22 What is the moon doing when it is "quiet / With the O-gape of complete despair"?

It resembles a human mouth that silently gapes in the shape of the letter "O."

It resembles a human face that is white with grief.

A giant, gaping hole is drilled through it.

It makes a loud, yelling sound.
23 "Her blue garments unloose small bats and owls" is NOT an example of which of the following?

Metonymy

Simile

Religious allusion

Personification
24 Which of the following is NOT a motif or symbol found in this poem?

The color red

The moon

The yew tree

The color blue
25 Which of the following accurately describes the book in which this poem was published?

It is Sylvia Plath's second and posthumous poetry collection.

It is Sylvia Plath's first poetry collection.

It was written before Sylvia Plath married Ted Hughes.

It is Sylvia Plath's collection of poems, essays, and short stories.

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