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 appreciates the beauty of the moon.

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 observes the moon and a yew tree in a church graveyard, and feels bewildered and disoriented.
2 In what year was this poem published?
1965

1964

1963

1962
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

Iambic pentameter, ABAB rhyme scheme

Free verse, with some rhymes and lines in pentameter

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

War

Death

Religion
6 Which of the following does NOT contain an example of alliteration or consonance?
“blue garments unloose”

“grasses unload their griefs”

“face of the effigy”

“The moon is my mother”
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?
Consonance

Asyndeton

Allusion

Personification
9 Which of the following takes place in the final line of the poem?
The yew tree points up.

The yew tree is discovered by the speaker.

The yew tree is cut down.

The yew tree delivers its message: blackness and silence.
10 How many lines does this poem contain?
28

25

35

21
11 Which of the following might be read as an understatement in this poem?
"She is not sweet like Mary."

"Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection."

"Fumy, spiritous mists inhabit this place"

"It has a Gothic shape."
12 How many syllables does each line in this poem have?
6

7

8

5
13 Which of the following best describes the setting of the poem?
The speaker's imagination of a certain planet

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

The house in which the speaker lives with her parents

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

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?
Grateful, loving, pious, sentimental

Disparaging, critical, scathing, accusatory

Solemn, cryptic, contemplative, grim

Nostalgic, affectionate, celebratory, ebullient
16 Which line might be the climax of the poem?
"Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection."

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

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

"Separated from my house by a row of headstones."
17 In which collection was this poem published?
The Bell Jar

Ariel

The Colossus

Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams
18 Which of the following INCORRECTLY describes this poem?
It has four stanzas.

It makes extensive use of Biblical imagery.

It has an unnamed first-person speaker.

It is set in a specific historical period.
19 Which of the following best describes the author?
A confessional poet of the mid-twentieth century

A poet and playwright from the Elizabethan era

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?
“spiritous mists inhabit this”

“The moon is my mother”

“Eight great tongues”

“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.

A giant, gaping hole is drilled through it.

It resembles a human face that is white with grief.

It resembles a human mouth that silently gapes in the shape of the letter "O."
23 "Her blue garments unloose small bats and owls" is NOT an example of which of the following?
Personification

Religious allusion

Simile

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

The color blue

The color red

The yew tree
25 Which of the following accurately describes the book in which this poem was published?
It is Sylvia Plath's first poetry collection.

It was written before Sylvia Plath married Ted Hughes.

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

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

The Moon and the Yew Tree Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Moon and the Yew Tree is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for The Moon and the Yew Tree

The Moon and the Yew Tree study guide contains a biography of Sylvia Plath, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Moon and the Yew Tree…