Poppies in October Quizzes

Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

1 The word "ignite" means:

To stay up late

To stir

To abolish or stamp out

To set on fire
2 How does this poem's speaker portray urban life?

As overwhelming and competitive

As vibrant and diverse

As monotonous and corrupted

As crowded and impoverished
3 Fill in the blank: "Utterly ____ for"

Unasked

Longed

Insulted

Ignored
4 Which sound creates alliteration in the phrase "forest of frosts"?

F

S

T

O
5 Fill in the blank: "Dulled to a _____ under bowlers"

Blankness

Halt

Rot

Sleep
6 What best describes this speaker's criteria for beauty?

Usefulness and helpfulness

Multisensory appeal

Prettiness and subtlety

Intensity and immediacy
7 Fill in the blank: "Nor the woman in the _____"

Office

Ambulance

Florist's

Library
8 What did poppies come to signify following World War I?

Remembrace of dead soldiers

Chemical weapons

Pacifism

Patriotic volunteerism
9 The "S" sounds in the phrase ""sun-clouds this morning cannot manage such skirts" are an example of which of the following?

Alliteration

Onomatopoeia

Anaphora

Hyperbole
10 What is carbon monoxide?

A medicinal substance

A particle used in perfumes

A dangerous invisible gas

A component of oxygen that we breathe
11 What did poppies generally signify in Ancient Greek culture?

Rusticity and simplicity

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance

Sleep, death, and rest

Desire, sex, and compulsiveness
12 How does the speaker view the relationship between death and beauty?

They consider death to be the opposite of beauty

They believe that death is merely a gateway to a beautiful afterlife

They consider death and beauty to be intertwined

They view beauty as a doomed fight against death
13 What do poppies symbolize in this poem?

The tragedy of war

Sleep

Unexpected natural beauty

Doomed romance
14 What do bowler hats metonymically represent in this poem?

The academic world

Socialist politics

An older, Victorian worldview

The culture of the business class
15 Which of the following statements is true regarding Victorian floral symbolism?

Tropical flowers were generally associated with feeling and instinct

Flower types, but never colors, were considered symbolically loaded

Flowers were ascribed both positive and negative emotional symbolism

Floral symbolism was considered occult and immoral
16 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme

ABCC ACBB ABCC

ABBA ABBA ABBA

ABB ABB ABB ABB
17 What type of stanzas does "Poppies in October" consist of?

Tercets

Sextets

Quatrains

Couplets
18 Fill in the blank: "That these late _____ should open"

Hands

Windows

Mouths

Doors
19 Who is the speaker of this poem?

A young woman from the city

A businessman raised on a farm

A small child

No identifying information about the speaker is provided
20 How are clouds personified in this poem?

The speaker suggests that the clouds are attempting to outshine the poppies

The speaker addresses the clouds, implying they have consciousness

The clouds are described as looking like chubby children

The clouds briefly narrate the poem in their own voice
21 The description of a woman's heart "blooming" is most explicitly a metaphor for which of the following?

Blood

Kindness

Hunger

Obsession
22 Which of the following statements regarding the symbolism of the lily is correct?

Lilies were often used to symbolize the non-Christian world

Lilies were often used to symbolize childhood innocence

Lilies were often used to symbolize the Virgin Mary and purity

Lilies were often used to symbolize the souls of the unbaptised
23 What does Plath use as a metaphor to describe flowers?

Spiders

Books

Shoes

Mouths
24 Which word best describes the poem's speaker?

Righteous

Impulsive

Ambitious

Perceptive
25 Why is the image of a bleeding woman ironic?

The woman does not know she is bleeding, in an instance of dramatic irony

The image is unexpectedly frightening despite the poem's peaceful setting

The speaker sarcastically suggests that the woman will survive

It is unexpectedly linked to beautiful natural images

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