To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?

The Irish potato famine

The industrial revolution

The American civil war

The French revolution
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?

Scottish English

Indian English

Australian English

Irish English
4 Which best summarizes the sentence "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men/Gang aft agley"?

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

It's important to learn from ways of beings different from your own
5 What is the difference in length between this poem's long and short lines?

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

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 bag used by farmers

A Scottish cookie

A rural code of conduct
7 What is the meaning of the word "daimen"?

Underground

Occasional

Cute

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

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

Gruff admiration

Uncontrollable fury

A blend of pity and envy
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?

Till crash! the cruel coulter past

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

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

Eight

Three

Four

Six
11 What does the mouse symbolize?

Miserable subsistence

The value of hard work

Theft and dishonesty

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

O

E

N

K
13 What is the definition of the word "icker"?

An ear of corn

A small child

A late fall harvest

A mouse nest
14 At what time of year does this poem take place?

Christmas

Late fall

Midsummer

Early summer
15 What type of poetic foot makes up most of this poem?

Trochees

Iambs

Spondees

Dactyls
16 Define the word "laith"

Unwilling

Tired

An old-fashioned washing machien

Stream
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?

ABCA

AABABAB

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"?

Damp

Sleek

A small mammal

Sharp
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 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 mouse

A farmer

A small child

A cat
23 How does the speaker destroy the mouse's nest?

By running a plow into it

By using it as timber

By stepping on it

By letting his dog dig it up
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?

Constraint

Spoiled

A type of plough

Rattle
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?

Three

Five

Ten

Eight

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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