Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1965

1970

1969

1980
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)

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

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
ABCABC

AABBCC

ABABCC

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

The gun

The owl

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

The speaker

The speaker's father

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

Personification

Metaphor

Antonym
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Excited and condescending

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

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

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful

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

Its eyes

Its bowels

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

Once

Three times

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

Third-person limited, past tense

Third-person limited, present 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 Two

Stanza Five

Stanza One

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

American

Canadian

Australian
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
Let him dream of a child

My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

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

That it only applied to humans

She had never heard of death

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

"Quadrant"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"The Fallen Gun"
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?
In early morning

In the afternoon

At night

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

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The urine-scented hay

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

A quartet

Free-form

A couplet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"dropped, / and dribbled"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"Let him dream of a child"

"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 beam

A red door
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?
The owl

Nightfall

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