Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?

1980

1970

1969

1965
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?

"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)

"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?

ABCABC

ABABCC

ABBABB

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

The owl

The gun

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 father

The speaker's mother

The speaker

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?

Simile

Personification

Antonym

Metaphor
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?

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?

Three times

Many times

Once

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

First-person, present tense

First-person, past tense

Third-person limited, present 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-"

"master of life and death"

"a horny fiend"

"a lonely child"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?

Stanza Four

Stanza Five

Stanza One

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

American

Australian

Canadian

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

child who believed death clean

Let him dream of a child

My father reached my side,

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 it was clean and final

That is was messy and obscene

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

"Nightfall"

"Quadrant"

"The Fallen Gun"

"A Child's Rebellion"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?

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

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

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

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

In the afternoon

At night

In early morning

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

The fallen gun

The injured owl

The objects that the speaker is carrying

The urine-scented hay
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?

A couplet

Free-form

A sestet

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

"dropped, / and dribbled"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"home at this hour"

"Let him dream of a child"
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?

"dribbled through the loose straw"

"blessed by the sun"

"gave me the fallen gun."

"those eyes that did not see"
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.

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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