The Thorn Quizzes

The Thorn Quiz

1 The speaker of the poem may be identified as:
a gossip

an unreliable narrator

an old sea captain

all of the above
2 Who is supposedly buried beneath the mossy hill?
Stephen Hill

Martha Ray

Wilfred

Martha Ray's baby
3 Why didn't Martha and Stephen get married?
Martha moved away

Stephen moved away

Their families disapproved of the union

Stephen left Martha for another woman
4 "Cuts like a scythe" is an example of:
a metaphor

onomatopoeia

a simile

personification
5 The thorn is described as:
poor

old

grey

all of the above
6 "O guilty father" most likely refers to:
God

Wilfred

Stephen Hill

Martha Ray's father
7 The description of Martha as "mad" refers to:
neither her anger nor her insanity

both her anger and insanity

her insanity

her anger
8 When Martha is pregnant, her baby seems to:
make her feel sick

bring her senses back again

cause her to have bad dreams

make her upset
9 Wilfred of the glen is most likely:
Martha's former lover

Stephen's friend

an older local man

Martha's brother
10 "A melancholy crop" is an example of:
metaphor

simile

allusion

personification
11 What does the color red most likely represent in the poem?
both blood and adultery

neither blood nor adultery

blood

adultery
12 What is one of the poem's prominent themes?
Beauty and ugliness coexist both in physical nature and in human nature

When one is in despair, family and friends are always there for support

Human beings are happier when they grow up and join society

Love is the most powerful feeling in the world
13 What happened to Martha Ray's baby?
No one knows for certain

The baby was stillborn

The baby was miscarried

The baby was murdered
14 The speaker mistook Martha for:
a tree

a wild animal

a jutting crag

a bush
15 The speaker conveys the tone and style of a ballad through his use of:
metonymy and synecdoche

onomatopoeia and allusion

repetition and imagery

simile and metaphor
16 The overall tone of the poem may be described as:
somber and mysterious

angry and frustrated

confused and afraid

joyful and hopeful
17 Which of the following is not a likely reason why the little pond stirs suddenly?
Nature shudders at the idea of torturing Martha any further

The locals are imagining the event to avoid any action toward Martha

The spirit of Martha's baby is disturbed

The soil surrounding the pond is being replanted
18 Which of the following is not a theory proposed in the poem regarding Martha's baby?
Martha drowned her baby in the pond

Martha gave her baby up for adoption

The baby was stillborn

Martha hanged her baby on the tree
19 When is Martha found by her child's supposed grave?
Night and day

Late at night

During the summer

In the early morning
20 "Sober sad" is an example of:
onomatopoeia

metonymy

assonance

alliteration
21 "Thirsty suns and parching air" is an example of:
personification

synecdoche

metaphor

simile
22 The moss is compared to:
A muddy swamp

The styled hair of a child

A neglected shrub

The handwoven work of a lady
23 "A fire was kindled in her breast" is an example of:
allusion

metaphor

simile

personification
24 While the poem is from the Romantic period, it also has the macabre and superstitious elements found in ________works.
Modern

Pre-Raphaelite

Gothic

Renaissance
25 How might the speaker and the locals best be described?
Scared of Martha

Very worried about Martha

Mildly sympathetic but mostly gossipy

Vengeful and belligerent

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