To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?
The American civil war

The industrial revolution

The Irish potato famine

The French revolution
2 Burns metaphorically compares the components of the mouse's nest to which of the following?
Stones

Walls

Bones

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

Scottish English

Irish English

Indian 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

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

Humans and animals will forever be at war
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 type of mist

A Scottish cookie

A rural code of conduct

A bag used by farmers
7 What is the meaning of the word "daimen"?
Cute

Occasional

Underground

Demonic
8 What is the speaker's attitude towards the mouse?
Uncontrollable fury

A blend of pity and envy

Gruff admiration

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!

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

Eight

Four

Six
11 What does the mouse symbolize?
The value of hard work

The innocence of the natural world

Theft and dishonesty

Miserable subsistence
12 What sounds in the phrase "broken nature's social union" produce assonance?
K

N

O

E
13 What is the definition of the word "icker"?
A late fall harvest

A small child

A mouse nest

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

Late fall

Early summer

Midsummer
15 What type of poetic foot makes up most of this poem?
Dactyls

Iambs

Trochees

Spondees
16 Define the word "laith"
Stream

An old-fashioned washing machien

Tired

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

AAABAB

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 doesn't have to work and lives off of theft

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
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?
Sharp

Damp

Sleek

A small mammal
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 lines per stanza

Number of stanzas

Rhyme scheme
21 Why is the speaker unconcerned about the mouse stealing food?
He is old and will die before running out of food

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

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

He is too depressed to eat
22 Who is the speaker of this poem?
A mouse

A small child

A cat

A farmer
23 How does the speaker destroy the mouse's nest?
By stepping on it

By letting his dog dig it up

By using it as timber

By running a plow into it
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?
Spoiled

Constraint

Rattle

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

Eight

Ten

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

Study Guide for To a Mouse

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