My Papa’s Waltz Quizzes

My Papa's Waltz Quiz

1 Of what kind of stanzas is this poem composed?
Couplets

Quatrains

Quintains

Tercets
2 The word "romp" means:
A country harvest festival

A type of lunchbox

To beat or attack someone

To play rowdily
3 Fill in the blank: "We romped until the _____/Slid from the kitchen shelf"
Pans

Dishes

Pots

Spoons
4 What is a waltz?
A team sport similar to basketball

A popular European ballroom dance

A type of formal party

A uniform worn by coal miners
5 Why is the image of the scent of whiskey significant?
It hints that the speaker's family is wealthy

It hints that the father has a drinking problem

It suggests an Irish setting

It lets us know that the speaker is old enough to drink
6 Which of the following best describes the poem's message about masculinity?
That children are often more attached to gender roles than adults

That fathers must pass masculine skills on to sons

That masculinity and violence are too often conflated

That women can also be masculine
7 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
ABAB

ABABB

ABA

ABBA
8 Which of the following is a simile?
"My right ear scraped a buckle"

"You beat time on my head"

"the pans/Slid from the kitchen shelf"

"I hung on like death"
9 Which sounds produce assonance in the phrase "At every step you missed"?
S sounds

M sounds

E sounds

V sounds
10 Fill in the blank "Then waltzed me off to bed/Still _____ _____ your shirt."
Hanging on

Clinging to

Fussing with

Snatching at
11 What is the poem's meter?
Trochaic pentameter

Anapestic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

Iambic trimeter
12 The H sounds in the phrase "the hand that held my wrist" are an example of which?
Hyperbole

Metaphor

Assonance

Alliteration
13 Which is a central irony in the poem?
The way it suggests that abuse and love can look unexpectedly similar from the outside

The way that the mother is supposed to protect her child, but actually harms him

The fact that the speaker wants to be with his family, even though they mistreat him

The speaker's conviction that he is being abused, though he is not
14 Fill in the blank: "At every step you missed/My right ear scraped a _____"
Buckle

Pocket

Shoulder

Button
15 What is one effect of the poem's rhyme scheme?
The poem has no rhyme scheme: it imitates the chaos of the events being described

The simple rhyme scheme shows that the speaker is unintelligent

The simple rhyme scheme creates an ironically innocent, childlike tone

The intricate rhyme scheme mimics the intricate complexity of the father's character
16 Who can most closely be considered the poem's antagonist?
The father

The teacher

The sister

The mother
17 How many stanzas are in "My Papa's Waltz"?
3

4

2

5
18 Who is the poem's speaker?
A mother

A small boy

A teenage girl

A young man
19 Define the word "countenance"
Face

Attitude or mood

Plan

The facade of a house
20 Fill in the blank: "The whiskey on your breath/Could make a small boy _____"
Frightened

Drunk

Vomit

Dizzy
21 Which part of the mother's body is personified?
Her face

Her stomach

Her ear

Her hands
22 What does the waltz symbolize?
The value of art and culture

The dynamic between father and son

The performance of spirituality

The American dream
23 Where is the poem set?
The woods outside the speaker's house

The speaker's school

The speaker's family car

The speaker's home
24 Which aspect of the parent-child relationship does this poem explore most deeply?
The power differential between its members

The uncanniness of biological and genetic similarity

The unbreakable affection between parent and child despite differences

The inevitable disappointment of parenting
25 What are the two primary possible ways to understand the poem's "waltz"?
As artistic expression or rote repetition

As hard work or frivolous play

As cultural heritage or aristocratic norm

As play or abuse

Study Guide for My Papa’s Waltz

My Papa's Waltz study guide contains a biography of Theodore Roethke, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for My Papa’s Waltz…

My Papa's Waltz

by Theodore Roethke

My Papa's Waltz Quiz

My Papa’s Waltz Questions and Answers

Study Guide for My Papa’s Waltz

Lesson Plan for My Papa’s Waltz