Mrs Midas Quizzes

1 Where is the speaker in the first stanza?

The garden

The bedroom

The caravan

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

His lack of forethought

His greed

His idiocy

His selfishness
3 Which foods are referenced in the poem?

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

Pears, corn, cod, steak, and buttermilk.

Hamburgers, french fries, apples, and salmon.

Apples, trout, bread, hamburgers, and chocolate.
4 Which of the following is an example of personification in the poem?

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)

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)
5 "Mrs Midas" appears in which of Carol Ann Duffy's collections?

Standing Female Nude (1985)

Rapture (2003)

Selling Manhattan (1987)

The World's Wife (1999)
6 What does Mrs Midas dream about the night after her husband's wish comes true?

A bowl of apples

Her husband's embrace

Giving birth to a golden child

The music of Pan
7 Which best describes Mrs Midas's attitude toward her husband?

Exasperated but accepting

Cold and uncaring

Loving and supportive

Angry and mournful
8 What does "halcyon" mean in Line 41?

Chaotically passionate

A type of gold

A past time that was idyllic and peaceful

A golden, glowing light
9 How many lines does each stanza have?

7

5

4

6
10 Which is an example of simile in the poem?

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

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)

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

First person

Limited third-person

Omniscient third-person

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

Yellow tinged with green or brown

A faint glow

A flower stem

Solid gold
13 What does "a beautiful lemon mistake" (Line 57) refer to in the poem?

The hare that Midas attempted to touch

Midas's footprints

The golden table after Midas touched it

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

August

June

October

September
15 What does Midas do after making his wish?

Enter the house

Ask for wine

Laugh

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

a hare hung from a larch (Line 58)

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

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

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

Dionysus

Pan

Demeter

Zeus
18 What is an allegory?

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

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

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.
19 What does the word "caravan" mean in Line 49?

A covered horse-drawn wagon.

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

A group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together across a desert in Asia or North Africa.

Any large group of people, typically with vehicles or animals, traveling together in single file.
20 Which of the following describes the relationship between the myth of Midas and the poem "Mrs Midas?"

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

Mrs Midas is an ironic commentary on the myth.

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

Mrs Midas is a translation of the myth.
21 What does Mrs Midas NOT do in response to Midas's ability to turn everything he touches into gold?

Demand that he move out.

Lock the cat in the cellar.

Put a chair in front of her bedroom door.

Wear protective gloves before touching him.
22 Which of the following animals is NOT referenced in the poem?

Flies

Trout

Hare

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

the Greek god Pan

Miss Macready

the Bible

the Field of the Cloth of Gold
24 What "stopped" Mrs Midas "dead" due to memories of her husband (Line 65)?

Golden trout

A bowl of apples

A dream about their baby

Hearing the music of Pan
25 Which of the following is NOT a theme in the poem?

marriage and relationships

the trauma of war

mortality

greed and masculinity

Mrs Midas

by Carol Ann Duffy

Mrs Midas Quiz

Mrs Midas Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Mrs Midas