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 French revolution

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

Furniture

Stones

Walls

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

Indian English

Australian English

Irish English

Scottish 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

Humans and animals will forever be at war

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

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 dimeter, 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 pentameter, 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

Demonic

Cute

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

Gruff admiration

Uncontrollable fury

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

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

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

Till crash! the cruel coulter past

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

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

Four

Six

Three

Eight
11 What does the mouse symbolize?

Theft and dishonesty

The innocence of the natural world

The value of hard work

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

N

O

K

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

A mouse nest

A small child

An ear of corn

A late fall harvest
14 At what time of year does this poem take place?

Late fall

Early summer

Midsummer

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

Dactyls

Spondees

Iambs

Trochees
16 Define the word "laith"

Tired

Unwilling

An old-fashioned washing machien

Stream
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?

ABABABAB

AAABAB

AABABAB

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

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

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

Sleek

A small mammal

Damp

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

Number of lines per stanza

Number of feet in a line

Rhyme scheme

Number of stanzas
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 small child

A mouse

A cat

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

By letting his dog dig it up

By stepping on it

By using it as timber

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

Rattle

Spoiled

A type of plough

Constraint
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?

Eight

Ten

Three

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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