Beach Burial Quizzes

Beach Burial Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?

Australia.

The Atlantic Ocean.

On the shore of the Gulf of Arabs.

Germany.
2 Which of the following is an example of simile?

As blue as drowned men’s lips (Line 16)

Enlisted on the other front. (Line 20)

pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows (Line 7)

Dead seamen, gone in search of the same landfall (Line 17)
3 What was Slessor's occupation from 1940-1944?

Sculptor

English professor

Army officer

Official war correspondent for Australia
4 Which of the following is an example of personification?

Someone, it seems, has time for this (Line 6)

Dead seamen, gone in search of the same landfall (Line 17)

The words choke as they begin (Line 12)

Written with such perplexity, with such bewildered pity (Line 11)
5 From which point of view is the poem told?

Third-person omniscient

First person

Third-person limited

Second person
6 "Enlisted on the other front" (Line 20) refers to ____.

The sailors' capture by the enemy.

The unknown stranger choosing to bury his enemies.

The speaker's decision to desert the military after witnessing the death of the sailors.

The sailors' death and entrance into the afterlife.
7 When was Kenneth Slessor born?

1930

1916

1901

1925
8 Which of the following lines contain direct rhyme?

Lines 6 and 7.

Lines 18 and 20.

Lines 2 and 4.

Lines 14 and 16.
9 "Between the sob and ____ of the gunfire."

shots

bang

clubbing

sparks
10 Which of the following elements of nature is NOT mentioned in the poem?

Sand

Ocean foam

Wood

Soil
11 What did an unknown person write on the makeshift graves?

Rest in Peace

Unknown seaman

Enemy troops lie here

God Bless the Army
12 Which is NOT a theme or motif of "Beach Burial?"

The triumph of good over evil

The futility of warfare

Loss and mourning

Religion
13 Which best describes the poem's tone?

Confident and victorious

Bitter but righteous

Angry but hopeful

Somber and mournful
14 What color was the inscription written in?

Black

Red

Purple

Orange
15 In line 11, "perplexity" means ___.

Sorrow

Confusion

Acceptance

Anger
16 Which of the following is an example of enjambment?

Enlisted on the other front. (Line 20)

The words choke as they begin – / ‘Unknown seaman’ (Lines 12-13)

The breath of the wet season has washed their inscriptions / As blue as drowned men’s lips (Lines 15-16)

But morning rolls them in the foam. / Between the sob and clubbing of the gunfire (Lines 4-5)
17 Which of the following is NOT personified in the poem?

The sand

The ghostly pencil

The wet season

The ocean
18 How many stanzas does the poem contain?

4

6

3

5
19 Who buried the sailors?

The speaker

"Someone"

The waves

Their fellow surviving sailors
20 Which of the following literary elements is NOT featured in this poem?

Simile

Hyperbole

Alliteration

Personification
21 "Beach Burial" appears in which of Slessor's collections?

One Hundred Poems, 1919-1939

Darlinghurst Nights

Thief of the Moon

Earth-Visitors
22 Which of the following is an example of alliteration?

Beach Burial (Title)

And tread the sand upon their nakedness (Line 8)

The words choke as they begin (Line 12)

But morning rolls them in the foam (Line 4)
23 In the context of the poem, what does "morning rolls them in the foam" mean? (Line 4)

The sailors' bodies are washing ashore in the morning

The fighting has moved from the beach into the water

The tide is encroaching on the makeshift graves

In the morning light, the sailors are jumping from the ships onto the beach
24 The sailors fought for which nation?

Britain

Australia

Egypt

It is unclear from the poem
25 Which type of stanza does the poem use?

Quatrains

Quintains

Couplets

The stanza structure varies

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Study Guide for Beach Burial

Beach Burial study guide contains a biography of Kenneth Slessor, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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