Mrs Midas Quizzes

1 Where is the speaker in the first stanza?

The kitchen

The caravan

The garden

The bedroom
2 What bothers Mrs Midas the most about her husband's wish?

His greed

His idiocy

His lack of forethought

His selfishness
3 Which foods are referenced in the poem?

Pears, corn, cod, steak, and buttermilk.

Pears, corn, fast food, trout, and apples.

Apples, trout, bread, hamburgers, and chocolate.

Hamburgers, french fries, apples, and salmon.
4 Which of the following is an example of personification in the poem?

The kitchen filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath / gently blanching the windows (Lines 2 - 3)

we grew Fondante d’Automne – / and it sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. (Lines 10-11)

Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich. (Line 20)

I gazed, entranced, / as the blue flame played on its luteous stem. (Lines 34-35)
5 "Mrs Midas" appears in which of Carol Ann Duffy's collections?

Standing Female Nude (1985)

Selling Manhattan (1987)

The World's Wife (1999)

Rapture (2003)
6 What does Mrs Midas dream about the night after her husband's wish comes true?

Giving birth to a golden child

The music of Pan

A bowl of apples

Her husband's embrace
7 Which best describes Mrs Midas's attitude toward her husband?

Loving and supportive

Cold and uncaring

Angry and mournful

Exasperated but accepting
8 What does "halcyon" mean in Line 41?

A past time that was idyllic and peaceful

A type of gold

A golden, glowing light

Chaotically passionate
9 How many lines does each stanza have?

5

4

6

7
10 Which is an example of simile in the poem?

But now I feared his honeyed embrace, / the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art. (Lines 41-42)

The kitchen filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath / gently blanching the windows (Lines 2 - 3)

We’d a caravan in the wilds, in a glade of its own (Lines 49-50)

its little tongue / like a precious latch (Lines 45-46)
11 Which perspective is the poem told from?

Limited third-person

Omniscient third-person

Second person

First person
12 What does the word "luteous" mean in Line 35?

Solid gold

Yellow tinged with green or brown

A flower stem

A faint glow
13 What does "a beautiful lemon mistake" (Line 57) refer to in the poem?

The golden table after Midas touched it

Midas's footprints

The hare that Midas attempted to touch

The golden trout in the river
14 In which month is the poem set?

September

October

June

August
15 What does Midas do after making his wish?

Ask for wine

Enter the house

Laugh

All of the above
16 Which is an example of alliteration used in the poem?

its perfect ore limbs, its little tongue (Line 50)

then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow (Line 5)

a hare hung from a larch (Line 58)

under the cover of dark (Line 53)
17 Which Greek god is EXPLICITLY referenced in the poem?

Zeus

Dionysus

Pan

Demeter
18 What is an allegory?

A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
19 What does the word "caravan" mean in Line 49?

A vehicle equipped for living in, typically a trailer towed by a car and used when traveling for recreation.

A covered horse-drawn wagon.

Any large group of people, typically with vehicles or animals, traveling together in single file.

A group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together across a desert in Asia or North Africa.
20 Which of the following describes the relationship between the myth of Midas and the poem "Mrs Midas?"

Mrs Midas is a creative retelling of the myth through a feminist lens.

Mrs Midas alludes to the myth, but is actually about the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Mrs Midas is a translation of the myth.

Mrs Midas is an ironic commentary on the myth.
21 What does Mrs Midas NOT do in response to Midas's ability to turn everything he touches into gold?

Wear protective gloves before touching him.

Put a chair in front of her bedroom door.

Lock the cat in the cellar.

Demand that he move out.
22 Which of the following animals is NOT referenced in the poem?

Deer

Hare

Trout

Flies
23 Which of the following is NOT alluded to in the poem?

the Field of the Cloth of Gold

the Bible

Miss Macready

the Greek god Pan
24 What "stopped" Mrs Midas "dead" due to memories of her husband (Line 65)?

A bowl of apples

Golden trout

Hearing the music of Pan

A dream about their baby
25 Which of the following is NOT a theme in the poem?

the trauma of war

marriage and relationships

greed and masculinity

mortality

Mrs Midas

by Carol Ann Duffy

Mrs Midas Quiz

Mrs Midas Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Mrs Midas