Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1965

1969

1970

1980
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"I am the owl" (line 8)

"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)

"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)

"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
ABBABB

ABCABC

AABBCC

ABABCC
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?
The barn

The owl

The gun

Waking up early before her parents
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?
The speaker's mother

The speaker

The speaker's father

The owl
6 As used in lines 17-18, "a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw" is an example of which literary device?
Personification

Antonym

Metaphor

Simile
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful

Straightforward and intellectual

Excited and condescending
8 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanzas 5 and 6?
Horrified and remorseful

Straightforward and intellectual

Somber but hopeful

Excited and condescending
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?
Its wings

Its tail

Its bowels

Its eyes
10 How many times does the speaker shoot the owl?
Twice

Once

Many times

Three times
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, past tense

First-person, present tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?
"a lonely child"

"a horny fiend"

"master of life and death"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza One

Stanza Five

Stanza Four

Stanza Two
14 Gwen Harwood is a(n) ____ poet.
Australian

British

Canadian

American
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

child who believed death clean

Let him dream of a child
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it only applied to humans

She had never heard of death

That it was clean and final

That is was messy and obscene
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?
"A Child's Rebellion"

"Nightfall"

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?
"gave me the fallen gun. / 'End what you have begun.'"

"Let him dream of a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw"

"to his place on a high beam / in our old stables, to dream"
19 When does the poem take place?
At night

In early morning

At dusk

In the afternoon
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The fallen gun

The urine-scented hay

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The injured owl
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
A quartet

Free-form

A sestet

A couplet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"Let him dream of a child"

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"home at this hour"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?
Hay on the floor

Loose straw on the floor

A red door

A beam
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?
"dribbled through the loose straw"

"blessed by the sun"

"those eyes that did not see"

"gave me the fallen gun."
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?
Nightfall

Vision

Sunlight

The owl

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Barn Owl study guide contains a biography of Gwen Harwood, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for Barn Owl…

Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

Barn Owl Quiz

Barn Owl Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Lesson Plan for Barn Owl