Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

By Katrina Spencer · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed December 14, 2022

1 In what year was the poem published?

1969

1965

1970

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)

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)

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

AABBCC

ABCABC

ABABCC

ABBABB
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?

The owl

The gun

The barn

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 father

The speaker

The owl

The speaker's mother
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?

Simile

Antonym

Metaphor

Personification
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual
8 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanzas 5 and 6?

Somber but hopeful

Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?

Its bowels

Its tail

Its eyes

Its wings
10 How many times does the speaker shoot the owl?

Three times

Twice

Once

Many times
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?

Third-person limited, present tense

Third-person limited, past 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 lonely child"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"a horny fiend"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?

Stanza Four

Stanza Five

Stanza One

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

American

British

Canadian

Australian
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean

My first shot struck. He swayed,

My father reached my side,
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?

She had never heard of death

That it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene

That it was clean and final
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?

"The Fallen Gun"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Quadrant"

"Nightfall"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?

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

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

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

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

In the afternoon

At dusk

At night

In early morning
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means

The urine-scented hay

The fallen gun

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying
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?

"home at this hour"

"Let him dream of a child"

"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?

Hay on the floor

A beam

A red door

Loose straw on the floor
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?

"blessed by the sun"

"dribbled through the loose straw"

"gave me the fallen gun."

"those eyes that did not see"
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?

The owl

Sunlight

Nightfall

Vision

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