In Mrs Tilscher’s Class Quizzes

In Mrs Tilscher's Class Quiz

By Eleanor Stern · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed April 17, 2022

1 Which is NOT a major theme of this poem?

Innocence

Sexual Awakening

Security and Safety

Nature
2 What is the poem's overarching conflict?

The battle between innocence and experience

The split between an older teacher and a younger one

The disagreements over educational policy in Britain

The endless fights between a teacher and student
3 What is this poem's setting?

An eighteenth-century all-girls school

A twentieth-century elementary school

A 1990s high school

A Victorian boarding school
4 What can the "thunderstorm" of the final lines be said to represent?

Nature's power

War and violence

Children's cruelty

Impending adulthood
5 Which historical event is alluded to in this poem?

The French Revolution

The founding of the BBC

The Moors Murders

The publication of Johnson's Dictionary
6 Which of the following lessons is described in detail?

A lesson about African geography

A lesson about the days of the week

A lesson about playing the recorder

A lesson about multiplying fractions
7 The sound of a bell is compared metaphorically to what?

Laughter

Birdsong

An orchestra

A dog's bark
8 Which of the following does NOT describe the poem's tone?

Fond

Crusading

Nostalgic

Rueful
9 What do the frogs and tadpoles symbolize?

The wildness of childhood

The transition to maturity

The joys of outdoor play

The city's separation from nature
10 Which facet of adult life surprises and horrifies the speaker?

Inequality

Sex

Labor

Violence
11 Which best describes Mrs. Tilscher's attitude?

Emotional and probing

Zany and hilarious

Affectionate and engaging

Strict but fair
12 Which best describes the poem's speaker?

They are a grandparent

They are a parent

They are a teacher

They are a schoolchild
13 What is the meaning of the word "enthralling"?

Unraveling

Intricate

Fascinating

Overwhelming
14 What do gold stars symbolize?

Educational inequity

Mrs. Tilscher's love

Moral development

Material wealth
15 What is the meaning of the word "fractious"?

Inconsiderate

Fast

Red in color

Agitated
16 What meter does the poem use?

It is written in free verse

Iambic tetrameter

Anapestic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter
17 What is this poem's point of view?

First-person singular

Second person

First-person plural

The poem contains several point-of-view shifts
18 What is the meaning of the word "skittle" in this poem?

To loiter or waste time

A prop in a particular game, also called skittles

A small amount

A type of candy
19 How does the speaker first respond to the "rough boy"?

By ignoring him

By following him

By telling on him

By attacking him
20 What rhyme scheme does the poem use?

ABA ABA ABA

ABABCDCD

ABBAABBA

No consistent rhyme scheme
21 Duffy uses a metaphor to compare tadpoles to which of the following?

Eyes

Insects

Commas

Seeds
22 Which of the poem's stanzas heavily features alliterative T sounds?

The fourth

The second

The third

The first
23 "The classroom glowed like a sweet shop" is an instance of what?

Metaphor

Synecdoche

Simile

Metonymy
24 Which types of stanzas does this poem include?

Sestets and tercets

Septets and octaves

Tercets and quatrains

Octaves and couplets
25 What is the meaning of the word "tangible"?

Controversial

Delicious

Underneath or hidden by something

Capable of being touched

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Study Guide for In Mrs Tilscher’s Class

In Mrs Tilscher's Class study guide contains a biography of Carol Ann Duffy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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