Dead Stars Quizzes

Dead Stars Quiz

By Rebecca Bedell · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed November 02, 2022

1 What season does this poem take place in?

Summer

Winter

Spring

Fall
2 What constellation do the speaker and her partner notice?

Ursa Major

Orion

Hydra

Centaurus
3 What does the speaker say her mouth is full of?

ash

stars

dust

sea
4 What makes the sound of "thunder" in the poem?

the speaker's voice

rolling trash cans

the bending trees

the supernova
5 "Look, we are not _________ things"

unspectacular

unremarkable

these vulnerable

these terrified
6 "I wish to reclaim _______"

our skyline

my birthright

what's forgotten

the rising
7 "Man, we should really learn _______"

the names of these trees

some new constellations

more about Kentucky

the needs of those around us
8 Which of the following does the speaker NOT say she wants to lean towards/into?

what's larger in us

how we were born

the spotlight of streetlight

our synapses and flesh
9 What does the speaker imagine saying "No" to?

the rising tides

the arrows we make

the dust of stars

winter's icy hand
10 Which of the following best describes the shift in mood during the poem?

betrayed to angry

mournful to relaxed

blissful to frightened

confined to inspiring
11 What does the speaker imagine we can "use our bodies to bargain" for?

recognition and prestige

the safety of others and earth

equal representation

better homes
12 Which of the following does NOT describe the speaker's ideas of a better world?

loving

defiant

selfish

fearless
13 What type of sentence dominates the second half of the poem?

Declarative

Interrogative

Persuasive

Exclamatory
14 What poetic technique does Limón use very rarely at the beginning of the poem, and more towards the end?

Visual imagery

Rhyme

Personification

Enjambment
15 What animal does the speaker compare herself to?

spiders

raccoons

dogs

horses
16 Which of the following causes does the speaker seem to advocate for in the poem?

Education reform

Gun control

Religious freedom

Environmental justice
17 Which of the following boundaries is Ada Limón NOT exploring prominently in this poem?

The mechanical and the organic

The domestic and the outside world

The terrestrial and the celestial

The mundane and the transcendent
18 How many stanzas does this poem have?

15

28

None

1
19 What is this poem's meter?

Dactylic hexameter

Free verse

Iambic pentameter

Trochaic trimeter
20 In what book did this poem appear?

Sharks in the Rivers

Bright Dead Things

The Carrying

Lucky Wreck
21 Where was this poem first published?

Poem-a-day by the Academy of American Poets

Instagram

In a book

The Smithsonian Magazine
22 Who does "you" likely refer to in this poem?

the poet's dog

the poet's husband

the reader

Orion
23 What is Ada Limón's full-time occupation, outside of writing?

Horse racing

Politician

None

Professor
24 Which of the following positions did Ada Limón take up in 2022?

U.S. Poet Laureate

Presidential Poet

Professor Emerita

Editor-in-chief of Poetry Magazine
25 Which of the following is true about stars?

That the stars we see have existed forever

That our bodies will one day all turn into stars

That we are seeing light from the past when we look at stars

That all the stars in our sky are already dead

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Study Guide for Dead Stars

Dead Stars study guide contains a biography of Ada Limón, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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