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?

1965

1969

1980

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

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

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

ABBABB

ABCABC

ABABCC

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

The gun

The barn

Waking up early before her parents

The owl
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

Antonym

Metaphor

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

Excited and condescending

Horrified and remorseful

Straightforward and intellectual

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

Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?

Its tail

Its bowels

Its eyes

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

Twice

Three times

Many times

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

Third-person limited, past tense

First-person, present tense

First-person, past 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"

"a lonely child"

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

Stanza One

Stanza Five

Stanza Two

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

Australian

British

Canadian

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

My first shot struck. He swayed,

My father reached my side,

Let him dream of a child

child who believed death clean
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?

That it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene

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"?

"A Child's Rebellion"

"Quadrant"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"
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.'"

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

"a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw"
19 When does the poem take place?

At night

In the afternoon

At dusk

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

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The urine-scented hay

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

Free-form

A sestet

A couplet

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

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"Let him dream of a child"

"home at this hour"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"
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?

"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

Vision

Nightfall

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