Beach Burial Quizzes

Beach Burial Quiz

By Katrina Spencer · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed March 14, 2023

1 Where is the poem set?

Australia.

The Atlantic Ocean.

Germany.

On the shore of the Gulf of Arabs.
2 Which of the following is an example of simile?

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

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

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

Enlisted on the other front. (Line 20)
3 What was Slessor's occupation from 1940-1944?

Official war correspondent for Australia

Army officer

English professor

Sculptor
4 Which of the following is an example of personification?

Written with such perplexity, with such bewildered pity (Line 11)

The words choke as they begin (Line 12)

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

Someone, it seems, has time for this (Line 6)
5 From which point of view is the poem told?

Third-person limited

Third-person omniscient

Second person

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

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

The unknown stranger choosing to bury his enemies.

The sailors' capture by the enemy.

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

1916

1901

1925

1930
8 Which of the following lines contain direct rhyme?

Lines 6 and 7.

Lines 14 and 16.

Lines 2 and 4.

Lines 18 and 20.
9 "Between the sob and ____ of the gunfire."

clubbing

sparks

bang

shots
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?

Enemy troops lie here

Rest in Peace

God Bless the Army

Unknown seaman
12 Which is NOT a theme or motif of "Beach Burial?"

The futility of warfare

Religion

Loss and mourning

The triumph of good over evil
13 Which best describes the poem's tone?

Bitter but righteous

Angry but hopeful

Somber and mournful

Confident and victorious
14 What color was the inscription written in?

Black

Purple

Orange

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

Confusion

Sorrow

Anger

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

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

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

But morning rolls them in the foam. / Between the sob and clubbing of the gunfire (Lines 4-5)

Enlisted on the other front. (Line 20)
17 Which of the following is NOT personified in the poem?

The ghostly pencil

The ocean

The wet season

The sand
18 How many stanzas does the poem contain?

6

5

4

3
19 Who buried the sailors?

"Someone"

The speaker

The waves

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

Simile

Hyperbole

Personification

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

Earth-Visitors

Darlinghurst Nights

Thief of the Moon

One Hundred Poems, 1919-1939
22 Which of the following is an example of alliteration?

Beach Burial (Title)

But morning rolls them in the foam (Line 4)

The words choke as they begin (Line 12)

And tread the sand upon their nakedness (Line 8)
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 tide is encroaching on the makeshift graves

The fighting has moved from the beach into the water

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

Australia

It is unclear from the poem

Britain

Egypt
25 Which type of stanza does the poem use?

Quatrains

Couplets

Quintains

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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