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 American civil war

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

Furniture

Walls

Stones

Bones
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"?

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

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 pentameter, the short ones in monometer

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

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

The long lines are written in octameter, the short ones in tetrameter
6 What is the meaning of the word "cranreuch"?

A rural code of conduct

A type of mist

A Scottish cookie

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

Occasional

Cute

Underground

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

Gruff admiration

A blend of pity and envy

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

Uncontrollable fury
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

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

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

Six

Three

Eight

Four
11 What does the mouse symbolize?

The innocence of the natural world

Miserable subsistence

Theft and dishonesty

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

E

O

K

N
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?

Midsummer

Late fall

Early summer

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

Dactyls

Trochees

Spondees

Iambs
16 Define the word "laith"

Stream

Unwilling

Tired

An old-fashioned washing machien
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?

ABABABAB

AABABAB

ABCA

AAABAB
18 Why does the speaker express a longing to be like the mouse?

The mouse has a family, while the speaker is alone

The speaker is slow and tired, while the mouse is quick and nimble

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"?

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 stanzas

Rhyme scheme

Number of feet in a line

Number of lines per stanza
21 Why is the speaker unconcerned about the mouse stealing food?

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

He is too depressed to eat

He is old and will die before running out of food

He believes that the life of a mouse is worth more than the life of a human
22 Who is the speaker of this poem?

A farmer

A cat

A mouse

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

By stepping on it

By using it as timber

By letting his dog dig it up

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

Rattle

A type of plough

Spoiled

Constraint
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?

Ten

Five

Three

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

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