Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1965

1970

1980

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

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"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)
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 gun

The owl

The barn

Waking up early before her parents
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?

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful

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

Straightforward and intellectual

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful
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

Three times

Twice

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

First-person, present tense

Third-person limited, past 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?

"master of life and death"

"a lonely child"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

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

Stanza One

Stanza Two

Stanza Five

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

American

Canadian

British

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

child who believed death clean

My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

Let him dream of a child
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?

She had never heard of death

That it was clean and final

That it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?

"Quadrant"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"

"A Child's Rebellion"
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"

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

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

"gave me the fallen gun. / 'End what you have begun.'"
19 When does the poem take place?

At dusk

In early morning

At night

In the afternoon
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means

The urine-scented hay

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

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?

"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?

"gave me the fallen gun."

"blessed by the sun"

"those eyes that did not see"

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

Vision

The owl

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.

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Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

Barn Owl Quiz

Barn Owl Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Lesson Plan for Barn Owl