To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?
The French revolution

The industrial revolution

The American civil war

The Irish potato famine
2 Burns metaphorically compares the components of the mouse's nest to which of the following?
Furniture

Bones

Stones

Walls
3 Which dialect of English does this poem's speaker use?
Indian English

Irish English

Australian English

Scottish English
4 Which best summarizes the sentence "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men/Gang aft agley"?
It's important to learn from ways of beings different from your own

Having a map is necessary when you're out in the wilderness

Humans and animals will forever be at war

It's impossible for anybody to perfectly plan out their life
5 What is the difference in length between this poem's long and short lines?
The long lines are written in dimeter, the short ones in monometer

The long lines are written in pentameter, the short ones in monometer

The long lines are written in octameter, the short ones in tetrameter

The long lines are written in tetrameter, the short ones in dimeter
6 What is the meaning of the word "cranreuch"?
A bag used by farmers

A Scottish cookie

A rural code of conduct

A type of mist
7 What is the meaning of the word "daimen"?
Occasional

Underground

Cute

Demonic
8 What is the speaker's attitude towards the mouse?
Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

Gruff admiration

A blend of pity and envy

Uncontrollable fury
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?
Till crash! the cruel coulter past

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
10 How many lines are in a Burns stanza?
Three

Four

Eight

Six
11 What does the mouse symbolize?
Miserable subsistence

Theft and dishonesty

The value of hard work

The innocence of the natural world
12 What sounds in the phrase "broken nature's social union" produce assonance?
K

O

N

E
13 What is the definition of the word "icker"?
A small child

An ear of corn

A mouse nest

A late fall harvest
14 At what time of year does this poem take place?
Early summer

Christmas

Midsummer

Late fall
15 What type of poetic foot makes up most of this poem?
Trochees

Dactyls

Iambs

Spondees
16 Define the word "laith"
Unwilling

An old-fashioned washing machien

Stream

Tired
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?
AAABAB

AABABAB

ABABABAB

ABCA
18 Why does the speaker express a longing to be like the mouse?
The speaker is slow and tired, while the mouse is quick and nimble

The mouse has a family, while the speaker is alone

The mouse doesn't have the emotional burden of thinking about the past or the future

The mouse doesn't have to work and lives off of theft
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?
Damp

Sharp

A small mammal

Sleek
20 What element of a poem is NOT typically dictated by the guidelines of a Burns stanza?
Number of feet in a line

Number of stanzas

Rhyme scheme

Number of lines per stanza
21 Why is the speaker unconcerned about the mouse stealing food?
He believes that the life of a mouse is worth more than the life of a human

He is too depressed to eat

He has so much that he won't notice the theft

He is old and will die before running out of food
22 Who is the speaker of this poem?
A cat

A mouse

A small child

A farmer
23 How does the speaker destroy the mouse's nest?
By running a plow into it

By stepping on it

By letting his dog dig it up

By using it as timber
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?
Spoiled

Rattle

Constraint

A type of plough
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?
Three

Five

Eight

Ten

Study Guide for To a Mouse

To a Mouse study guide contains a biography of Robert Burns, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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To a Mouse

by Robert Burns

To a Mouse Quiz

To a Mouse Questions and Answers

Study Guide for To a Mouse

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