Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1969

1970

1965

1980
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)

"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
ABBABB

ABCABC

ABABCC

AABBCC
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?
Waking up early before her parents

The barn

The gun

The owl
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?
The speaker's father

The speaker's mother

The owl

The speaker
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

Metaphor

Simile

Antonym
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

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

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

Its bowels

Its tail

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

Three times

Once

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

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, 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?
"master of life and death"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"a horny fiend"

"a lonely child"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza Four

Stanza Five

Stanza One

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

Canadian

American

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

My first shot struck. He swayed,

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it was clean and final

She had never heard of death

That is was messy and obscene

That it only applied to humans
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?
"A Child's Rebellion"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"

"Quadrant"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?
"a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw"

"gave me the fallen gun. / 'End what you have begun.'"

"to his place on a high beam / in our old stables, to dream"

"Let him dream of a child / obedient, angel-mind-"
19 When does the poem take place?
At night

In the afternoon

In early morning

At dusk
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The fallen gun

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The urine-scented hay
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
A couplet

A quartet

A sestet

Free-form
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"Let him dream of a child"

"home at this hour"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"dropped, / and dribbled"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?
Loose straw on the floor

A beam

A red door

Hay on the floor
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?
"blessed by the sun"

"those eyes that did not see"

"gave me the fallen gun."

"dribbled through the loose straw"
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?
Vision

Nightfall

The owl

Sunlight

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.

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Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

Barn Owl Quiz

Barn Owl Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Lesson Plan for Barn Owl