Climbing My Grandfather Quizzes

Climbing My Grandfather Quiz

1 What is the name of the poet who wrote "Climbing My Grandfather"?
Simon Armitage

Colin Tudge

Owen Sheers

Andrew Waterhouse
2 What collection was this poem originally published in? What year?
In (2001)

2nd (2000)

In (2000)

2nd (2001)
3 What prize did the collection win?
Forward Prize for Best First Collection

James Laughlin Award

Pulitzer Prize

Nobel Prize
4 What kind of work did the poet do professionally for most of his career?
Manager at a gas and oil company

Environmental field worker and researcher

Environmental lecturer at a college

Poetry professor
5 What is the poem's meter?
Blank verse

Iambic tetrameter

Free verse

Iambic pentameter
6 What kind of climbing does the speaker decide to do?
Free climbing

Aid climbing

Free soloing

Bouldering
7 What are brogues?
A fancy type of shoe worn at cocktail parties.

A new pair of pants.

A type of pants designed for any weather.

A type of shoe originally designed to be worn outdoors by farmers.
8 What is suggested by the description of the grandfather's shoes as "dusty and cracked"?
The grandfather kicks his grandson.

The grandfather should not wear shoes.

The grandfather waits for his wife to clean the shoes.

The grandfather wears and uses things until they completely fall apart.
9 Which of the following devices is not used in the poem?
Assonance

Rhyme

Metaphors

Enjambment
10 What does it mean to traverse?
Move sideways

Move upward diagonally

Descend

Summit
11 What is suggested by the grandfather's earth-stained hand?
The grandfather hates the environment where he lives.

The grandfather wants to move to the city.

The grandfather works outdoors in the natural world.

The grandfather is sloppy and expects his wife to clean him.
12 Which is an example of an oxymoron?
Brown eye

Gasping for breath

Smiling mouth

Warm ice
13 What might the grandfather's scar represent?
His status as a veteran of World War I

All of the hurt and wounds he has sustained in his lifetime

His time in prison

His ability to defend himself
14 Why does the speaker not look down while resting at his grandfather's shoulder?
Because he hates looking back in time

Because climbing has its dangers

Because he will jump

Because he wants to go back to being a child again
15 Which details make evident that the grandfather's body has not broken down with age, at least in the speaker's reckoning in this poem?
The clouds and birds circling above and the speaker's tiredness

His splintered nails and his smiling mouth

His "still firm shoulder," the teeth in his smiling mouth, and his thick hair

The old stitches of his scar and his earth-stained hand
16 What is suggested by the fact that the speaker "gently" places his feet in the old stitches of his grandfather's scar?
He treats his grandfather with care, respect, and reverence

He wants to quickly finish the climb

He wants to hurt his grandfather

He doesn't care about his grandfather's past
17 How many stanzas are in this poem?
Two

Three

Five

One
18 Which of the following is not a symbol in the poem?
The brogues

Climbing

The scar

Brown pants
19 What does climbing symbolize?
Moving upwards in life

Failure

The tenacity of the human body and spirit

Descent into madness
20 Does the terrain of the grandfather represent the whole world in the poem?
Yes

No—the speaker jumps off while at his grandfather's shoulder and goes paragliding

No—there are birds and clouds circling above

No—the speaker looks down and sees other climbers below in the grass
21 Which of the following is an example of assonance?
I cross the screed cheek,

the forehead, the wrinkles well-spaced

the slow pulse of his good heart.

to an earth-stained hand. The nails
22 What is assonance?
The repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together in a sentence or verse

The use of words with the same beginning sound

An object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object

The repetition of syllables, typically at the end of a verse line
23 What does "knowing" suggest at the end of the poem?
A deep communal relationship between the speaker and his grandfather

The speaker's faith in God

The speaker's ardent intellectualism

The grandfather's wisdom
24 In which quote does the speaker explicitly refer to his grandfather's character?
the slow pulse of his good heart.

the skin of his finger is smooth and thick like warm ice

his thick hair (soft and white at this altitude)

to a smiling mouth to drink among teeth.
25 Is there a distance created between the speaker and his grandfather (and thus the environment)?
Yes—the speaker only gazes upon the landscape of his grandfather from a distance

No—the speaker interacts with and discovers more about his grandfather as he climbs

No—the speaker explicitly states throughout the poem how much he loves his grandfather

Yes—it is an abusive relationship, which mirrors the way rocks can be unforgiving

Climbing My Grandfather Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Climbing My Grandfather is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for Climbing My Grandfather

Climbing My Grandfather study guide contains a biography of Andrew Waterhouse, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for Climbing My Grandfather…