Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1980

1970

1965

1969
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?

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

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

ABABCC

ABBABB

AABBCC

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

The barn

Waking up early before her parents

The owl

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

The speaker's mother

The speaker

The owl

The speaker's father
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?

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

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

Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual

Excited and condescending
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?

Once

Many times

Twice

Three 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?

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"master of life and death"

"a lonely child"

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

Stanza Two

Stanza Four

Stanza Five

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

Canadian

American

British

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

child who believed death clean

My father reached my side,

Let him dream of a child

My first shot struck. He swayed,
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 was clean and final

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

"Quadrant"

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?

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

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

"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 early morning

At dusk

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 urine-scented hay

The fallen gun
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?

A quartet

A couplet

Free-form

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

"home at this hour"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"Let him dream of a child"

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

A red door

Loose straw on the floor

Hay on the floor

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

"those eyes that did not see"

"blessed by the sun"

"gave me the fallen gun."

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

The owl

Nightfall

Vision

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.

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