Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1980

1965

1969

1970
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"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)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

AABBCC

ABABCC

ABBABB

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

The owl

The gun

Waking up early before her parents

The barn
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?

The speaker

The speaker's mother

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

Simile

Antonym

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

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

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

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

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

Its eyes

Its bowels

Its wings

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

Many times

Three times

Twice

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

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, present tense

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, past 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"

"a lonely child"

"master of life and death"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?

Stanza Two

Stanza One

Stanza Four

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

Australian

American

British

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

My first shot struck. He swayed,

child who believed death clean

Let him dream of a child

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

She had never heard of death

That is was messy and obscene

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"?

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"

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

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

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

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

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

The fallen gun

The urine-scented hay

The objects that the speaker is carrying
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?

A couplet

A quartet

Free-form

A sestet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"Let him dream of a child"

"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?

Loose straw on the floor

A red door

Hay on the floor

A beam
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?

"blessed by the sun"

"dribbled through the loose straw"

"those eyes that did not see"

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

Sunlight

The owl

Vision

Nightfall

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