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

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?

1964

1963

1965

1962
3 In what year was this poem written?

1965

1967

1961

1966
4 Which of the following best describes the form of this poem?

Free verse, unrhymed and unmetered

Free verse, with some rhymes and lines in pentameter

Iambic pentameter, heroic couplets

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

Religion

Parenthood

War

Death
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.

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

Religion is a major source of familial conflict and trauma.

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 delivers its message: blackness and silence.

The yew tree points up.

The yew tree is discovered by the speaker.

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

28

21

35

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

"It has a Gothic shape."

"She is not sweet like Mary."

"Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection."

"Fumy, spiritous mists inhabit this place"
12 How many syllables does each line in this poem have?

6

5

7

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

The house in which the speaker lives with her parents

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

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 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

The mother of the speaker vs. the father of the speaker
15 Which of the following best describes the tone of the poem?

Disparaging, critical, scathing, accusatory

Nostalgic, affectionate, celebratory, ebullient

Solemn, cryptic, contemplative, grim

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

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

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

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

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

The Bell Jar

Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams

Ariel

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

It makes extensive use of Biblical imagery.

It is set in a specific historical period.

It has four stanzas.

It has an unnamed first-person speaker.
19 Which of the following best describes the author?

A confessional poet of the mid-twentieth century

A Romantic poet of the late nineteenth century

A poet and playwright from the Elizabethan era

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”

“blue [...] pews”

“The moon is my mother”

“spiritous mists inhabit this”
21 "White as a knuckle and terribly upset" is NOT an example of which of the following?

Alliteration

Simile

The color motif in this poem

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.

It makes a loud, yelling sound.

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?

Personification

Metonymy

Religious allusion

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

The moon

The color red

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 collection of poems, essays, and short stories.

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.

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