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

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

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)
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?
Waking up early before her parents

The gun

The barn

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

The owl

The speaker's mother

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?
Simile

Antonym

Personification

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

Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

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

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

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

Its wings

Its bowels

Its tail
10 How many times does the speaker shoot the owl?
Three times

Many times

Twice

Once
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, past tense

First-person, present tense

Third-person limited, present tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?
"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"a horny fiend"

"master of life and death"

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

Stanza Five

Stanza Two

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

Australian

Canadian

British
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
My first shot struck. He swayed,

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean

My father reached my side,
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That is was messy and obscene

She had never heard of death

That it only applied to humans

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"

"Nightfall"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Quadrant"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?
"Let him dream of a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

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

"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 dusk

In early morning

In the afternoon

At night
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The objects that the speaker is carrying

The injured owl

The fallen gun

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

A couplet

A quartet

Free-form
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"Let him dream of a child"

"home at this hour"

"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

Hay on the floor

A beam

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

"gave me the fallen gun."

"blessed by the sun"

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

The owl

Sunlight

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