Amends Quizzes

1 How does Rich characterize the moon?

Indifferent, uninterested

Angry, frustrated

Gentle, caring

Cold, cunning
2 Which of the following quotes most supports the theme of ineffectuality?

"as it soaks through cracks into the trailers tremulous with sleep"

"as it unavailing pours into the gash"

"nights like this: on the cold apple-bough a white star"

"as it picks at greater stones, as it rises with the surf"
3 What does "fuselage" mean?

a wrecked aircraft

a large building with an extensive floor area, typically for housing aircraft

the main body of an aircraft

the wings of an aircraft
4 What does hangared mean?

deserted

stored in a large building

rusted

technologically advanced
5 What does tremulous mean?

Desperate

Forgetful

Vulnerable

Quivering
6 Which of the following quotes most assists Rich in personifying the moon?

"as it flicks across the tracks"

"laying its cheek for moments on the sand"

"on the cold apple-bough a white star, then another"

"as it soaks through cracks into the trailers"
7 Re-read the first stanza. What does Rich leave ambiguous?

Whether its really night, or the apple bough just looks like a starry constellation

Whether the light comes from the stars or the moon

Whether this night is unique, or typical

Whether the white star is a star, or a metaphor for a flower
8 Which stanza most differs from the form of the rest of the poem?

3

1

4

2
9 The syntax of stanza 2 is an example of what literary device?

Parallelism

Assonance

Alliteration

Irony
10 What does the repetition of the phrase "as it" emphasize?

That each thing in the poem has the same significance

All of the things in the poem coexist in the same world

The power of the moonlight to change the whole world

The moonlight is moving quickly over the ground
11 Which of the following quotes does NOT use metaphor to suggest the implicit presence of violence?

"a white star, then another exploding out of the bark"

"as it licks the broken ledge"

"as it leans across the hangared fuselage of the crop-dusting plane"

"as it unavailing pours into the gash of the sand-and-gravel quarry"
12 Which of the following best describes the speaker in "Amends"?

The speaker is passionate about the beauty of nature, but uninterested in people

The speaker is addressing the moon as a lover, while ignoring the rest of the landscape

The speaker is close to the action, and its hard to see beyond her

The speaker is distant and absent, looking at the world from a distance
13 "Amends" is written in free verse. Which stanza employs internal rhyme, or the use of words which rhyme which each other in the middle or beginning of the lines?

4

2

3

1
14 Which of the following best describes Rich's politics?

Romantic environmentalism

Lesbian feminism

Pro-business conservative

Rich wasn't political
15 How is most of "Amends" structured?

As a sonnet

As an argument

As a list

As a parable
16 What does the ineffectuality of the moon suggest?

Beauty doesn't matter

Injustice is inevitable, and its not worth fighting against

The personified moon doesn't care about the world

Beauty is not enough to make the world a more just place
17 What does "Amends" suggest about the relationship between nature and culture?

Industry improves upon nature and makes it better for humans

Industry has been destructive to nature, but humans and nature still share the same world

Because humans have been destructive to nature, nature will strike back and get rid of humans

Nature is eternal and beautiful, while humans are ugly and temporary
18 Which of the following most strongly suggests eroticism between the moon and the earth?

"as it licks the broken ledge"

"as it unavailing pours into the gash"

"as if to make amends"

"as it picks at greater stones"
19 Which of the following is NOT a convincing explanation for why Rich eroticizes the relationship between the moon and the earth, based on the rest of the poem?

The eroticism suggests that the moon is not a reliable source of care for the earth

Rich is aligning the moon with lesbian femininity, and the modes of care associated with women

The eroticism emphasizes the beauty of both the moon and the world

The eroticism is another way of conveying the care the moon feels towards the earth
20 Which of the following is NOT an example of parallelism?

"as it dwells upon the eyelids of the sleepers as if to make amends."

"as it licks the broken ledge, as it flows up the cliffs, as it flicks across the tracks"

"Nights like this: on the cold apple-bough...exploding out of the bark: on the ground"

"moonlight picking at small stones as it picks at greater stones"
21 Which of the following is NOT a typical criticism of industrial agriculture?

Mistreatment of workers

Mistreatment of animals

Inefficiency

Loss of biodiversity
22 Which of the following does NOT suggest that the sleepers are likely impoverished?

Their forms of work

The cracks in their trailers

Their exhaustion

The trailers
23 What does the moon's care towards the sleepers suggest?

The moon is attracted to them

The moon has been duped by human beings

The moon wants to persuade them to change their behavior

They have experienced harm, just as the land has
24 Which of the following is NOT something the moon is likely trying to make amends for?

The harm done to workers

The harm done to the land

The expense of crop-dusting

The injustice of the world
25 What is the role of beauty in "Amends"?

Beauty coexists with harm, but cannot undo it

Beauty is able to lessen the impact of violence

Beauty is a tool the powerful use to distract from violence

Beauty isn't important in "Amends"

Amends

by Adrienne Rich

Amends "Amends"

Amends Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Amends