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

The speaker attends Sunday service, where she witnesses the corrupt practices of the church.

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

The speaker appreciates the beauty of the moon.
2 In what year was this poem published?

1962

1965

1964

1963
3 In what year was this poem written?

1965

1966

1967

1961
4 Which of the following best describes the form of this poem?

Iambic pentameter, heroic couplets

Free verse, unrhymed and unmetered

Free verse, with some rhymes and lines in pentameter

Iambic pentameter, ABAB rhyme scheme
5 Which of the following is NOT a major theme of this poem?

War

Death

Religion

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

“face of the effigy”

“The moon is my mother”

“blue garments unloose”

“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.

No one should be discriminated against for their religious beliefs.

Religion is a major source of familial conflict and trauma.

Institutionalized religion can lend itself to performative rather than genuine acts of worship.
8 Which of the following literary elements is NOT featured in this poem?

Consonance

Asyndeton

Allusion

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

The yew tree is cut down.

The yew tree points up.

The yew tree delivers its message: blackness and silence.

The yew tree is discovered by the speaker.
10 How many lines does this poem contain?

28

35

21

25
11 Which of the following might be read as an understatement in this poem?

"Fumy, spiritous mists inhabit this place"

"Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection."

"She is not sweet like Mary."

"It has a Gothic shape."
12 How many syllables does each line in this poem have?

5

7

8

6
13 Which of the following best describes the setting of the poem?

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

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

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 mother of the speaker vs. the father of the speaker

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

The moon vs. the sea it drags like a dark crime

Feelings of disorientation felt in the moonlit graveyard vs. the speaker’s desire for affection and a sense of direction
15 Which of the following best describes the tone of the poem?

Solemn, cryptic, contemplative, grim

Disparaging, critical, scathing, accusatory

Nostalgic, affectionate, celebratory, ebullient

Grateful, loving, pious, sentimental
16 Which line might be the climax of the poem?

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

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

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

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

The Colossus

The Bell Jar

Ariel

Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams
18 Which of the following INCORRECTLY describes this poem?

It has an unnamed first-person speaker.

It makes extensive use of Biblical imagery.

It has four stanzas.

It is set in a specific historical period.
19 Which of the following best describes the author?

A poet and playwright from the Elizabethan era

A confessional poet of the mid-twentieth century

A Romantic poet of the late nineteenth 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?

“Eight great tongues”

“spiritous mists inhabit this”

“The moon is my mother”

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

Alliteration

The color motif in this poem

Reference to an idiom

Simile
22 What is the moon doing when it is "quiet / With the O-gape of complete despair"?

It makes a loud, yelling sound.

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.
23 "Her blue garments unloose small bats and owls" is NOT an example of which of the following?

Metonymy

Simile

Personification

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

The yew tree

The moon

The color blue

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

It was written before Sylvia Plath married Ted Hughes.

It is Sylvia Plath's first poetry collection.

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

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

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