The Paper Nautilus Quizzes

The Paper Nautilus Quiz 1

1 Authorities' hopes are shaped by
poets

nautili

mercenaries

devils
2 Who is entrapped by teatime fame?
Poets

Mercenaries

Authorities

Writers
3 Commuters are described as
comfortable

authoritative

friendly

dull
4 The shell is
heavy

opulent

thin

broken
5 The souvenir of hope is
comfortable

authoritative

perishable

raw
6 The outside is
glossy white

dull white

gray

pink
7 The inner surface is
glossy

dull

matte

ragged
8 When does the nautilus guard her eggs?
Day

Night

Day and night

Never
9 What does she not do until the eggs hatch?
Speak

Eat

Sleep

Move
10 How many arms does she have?
4

2

10

8
11 What fish is she compared to?
A clownfish

A devilfish

A catfish

A piranha
12 What does she do for the eggs?
Ignores them

Hides them

Separates them

Crushes them
13 She refers to her eggs as
babies

spheres

freight

packages
14 What Greek hero does the poet mention?
Hercules

Paris

Achilles

Ajax
15 What does the crab do to Hercules?
Kills him

Hinders him

Devours him

Inspires him
16 When the eggs are freed,
they break the shell

they die

they leave the shell intact

they make their own shells
17 What creature's nest does the poet mention?
Bee

Rat

Bird

Wasp
18 The chiton-folds are compared to
the wasp nest

the glossy sea

the Parthenon horse

Hercules and his labor
19 What is "the only fortress / strong enough to trust to"?
Mother

The sea

Love

Family
20 The mother's love is
intense

nurturing

obsessive

all of these
21 The nautilus makes her shell for
the authorities

the eggs

the crab

the commuters
22 What best describes the nautilus?
Dedicated

Morose

Reserved

Indifferent
23 The shell is depicted as
capacious

ragged

heavy

fragile
24 The following are themes of the poem except
endurance

the sea

religion

maternal love
25 The eggs
resist against their mother's love

never hatch

are watched intensively

do not break the shell

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Study Guide for The Paper Nautilus

The Paper Nautilus study guide contains a biography of Marianne Moore, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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