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 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.
2 In what year was this poem published?
1963

1965

1962

1964
3 In what year was this poem written?
1966

1961

1967

1965
4 Which of the following best describes the form of this poem?
Iambic pentameter, heroic couplets

Free verse, with some rhymes and lines in pentameter

Iambic pentameter, ABAB rhyme scheme

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

Religion

Parenthood

War
6 Which of the following does NOT contain an example of alliteration or consonance?
“grasses unload their griefs”

“face of the effigy”

“The moon is my mother”

“blue garments unloose”
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?
Asyndeton

Allusion

Consonance

Personification
9 Which of the following takes place in the final line of the poem?
The yew tree is discovered by the speaker.

The yew tree delivers its message: blackness and silence.

The yew tree points up.

The yew tree is cut down.
10 How many lines does this poem contain?
21

35

28

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."

"It has a Gothic shape."

"She is not sweet like Mary."
12 How many syllables does each line in this poem have?
5

6

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 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
14 Which of the following best describes the conflict taking place in the poem?
The speaker's desire for religious freedom vs. institutionalized religion

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

The mother of the speaker vs. the father of the speaker
15 Which of the following best describes the tone of the poem?
Nostalgic, affectionate, celebratory, ebullient

Solemn, cryptic, contemplative, grim

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."

"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."
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 makes extensive use of Biblical imagery.

It has four stanzas.

It is set in a specific historical period.

It has an unnamed first-person speaker.
19 Which of the following best describes the author?
A modernist who was most active in the early twentieth century

A confessional poet of the mid-twentieth century

A Romantic poet of the late nineteenth century

A poet and playwright from the Elizabethan era
20 Which of the following is NOT an example of rhyme or assonance from this poem?
“blue [...] pews”

“The moon is my mother”

“spiritous mists inhabit this”

“Eight great tongues”
21 "White as a knuckle and terribly upset" is NOT an example of which of the following?
Reference to an idiom

Simile

Alliteration

The color motif in this poem
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?
Metonymy

Religious allusion

Simile

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

The yew tree

The moon

The color red
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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