To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

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

The French revolution

The Irish potato famine

The American civil war
2 Burns metaphorically compares the components of the mouse's nest to which of the following?
Walls

Stones

Bones

Furniture
3 Which dialect of English does this poem's speaker use?
Irish English

Australian English

Scottish English

Indian English
4 Which best summarizes the sentence "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men/Gang aft agley"?
Humans and animals will forever be at war

It's impossible for anybody to perfectly plan out their life

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
5 What is the difference in length between this poem's long and short lines?
The long lines are written in octameter, the short ones in tetrameter

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

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

The long lines are written in dimeter, the short ones in monometer
6 What is the meaning of the word "cranreuch"?
A Scottish cookie

A bag used by farmers

A rural code of conduct

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

Underground

Demonic

Cute
8 What is the speaker's attitude towards the mouse?
Gruff admiration

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

Uncontrollable fury

A blend of pity and envy
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?
Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

Till crash! the cruel coulter past
10 How many lines are in a Burns stanza?
Six

Eight

Four

Three
11 What does the mouse symbolize?
Miserable subsistence

The innocence of the natural world

Theft and dishonesty

The value of hard work
12 What sounds in the phrase "broken nature's social union" produce assonance?
N

K

O

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

A late fall harvest

A mouse nest

An ear of corn
14 At what time of year does this poem take place?
Midsummer

Early summer

Christmas

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

Dactyls

Spondees

Iambs
16 Define the word "laith"
Unwilling

An old-fashioned washing machien

Tired

Stream
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?
AABABAB

ABCA

ABABABAB

AAABAB
18 Why does the speaker express a longing to be like the mouse?
The mouse doesn't have the emotional burden of thinking about the past or the future

The mouse has a family, while the speaker is alone

The mouse doesn't have to work and lives off of theft

The speaker is slow and tired, while the mouse is quick and nimble
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?
A small mammal

Damp

Sleek

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

Rhyme scheme

Number of stanzas

Number of lines per stanza
21 Why is the speaker unconcerned about the mouse stealing food?
He is too depressed to eat

He believes that the life of a mouse is worth more than the life of a human

He is old and will die before running out of food

He has so much that he won't notice the theft
22 Who is the speaker of this poem?
A cat

A farmer

A small child

A mouse
23 How does the speaker destroy the mouse's nest?
By letting his dog dig it up

By using it as timber

By running a plow into it

By stepping on it
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?
Constraint

Spoiled

Rattle

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

Ten

Five

Three

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

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