To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

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

The American civil war

The Irish potato famine

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

Bones

Walls

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

Scottish English

Indian English

Australian 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

It's important to learn from ways of beings different from your own

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 dimeter, the short ones in monometer

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

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 rural code of conduct

A type of mist

A Scottish cookie
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

A blend of pity and envy

Uncontrollable fury

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?
Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!

Till crash! the cruel coulter past

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
10 How many lines are in a Burns stanza?
Four

Three

Six

Eight
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?
O

K

N

E
13 What is the definition of the word "icker"?
A mouse nest

An ear of corn

A small child

A late fall harvest
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

Dactyls

Spondees
16 Define the word "laith"
An old-fashioned washing machien

Tired

Unwilling

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 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

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

Damp

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

Number of lines per stanza

Rhyme scheme
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 old and will die before running out of food

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

He is too depressed to eat
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 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"?
Constraint

Rattle

A type of plough

Spoiled
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?
Eight

Three

Ten

Five

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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