Poppies in October Quizzes

Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

1 The word "ignite" means:

To stay up late

To stir

To set on fire

To abolish or stamp out
2 How does this poem's speaker portray urban life?

As monotonous and corrupted

As crowded and impoverished

As overwhelming and competitive

As vibrant and diverse
3 Fill in the blank: "Utterly ____ for"

Ignored

Unasked

Longed

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

F

S

O

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

Rot

Sleep

Blankness

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

Usefulness and helpfulness

Multisensory appeal

Intensity and immediacy

Prettiness and subtlety
7 Fill in the blank: "Nor the woman in the _____"

Office

Library

Florist's

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

Patriotic volunteerism

Remembrace of dead soldiers

Pacifism

Chemical weapons
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 component of oxygen that we breathe

A dangerous invisible gas

A particle used in perfumes
11 What did poppies generally signify in Ancient Greek culture?

Desire, sex, and compulsiveness

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance

Rusticity and simplicity

Sleep, death, and rest
12 How does the speaker view the relationship between death and beauty?

They consider death and beauty to be intertwined

They view beauty as a doomed fight against death

They consider death to be the opposite of beauty

They believe that death is merely a gateway to a beautiful afterlife
13 What do poppies symbolize in this poem?

Sleep

Unexpected natural beauty

The tragedy of war

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

The academic world

Socialist politics

The culture of the business class

An older, Victorian worldview
15 Which of the following statements is true regarding Victorian floral symbolism?

Floral symbolism was considered occult and immoral

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
16 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme

ABBA ABBA ABBA

ABCC ACBB ABCC

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

Couplets

Tercets

Quatrains

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

Mouths

Hands

Windows

Doors
19 Who is the speaker of this poem?

A small child

A businessman raised on a farm

A young woman from the city

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

The clouds briefly narrate the poem in their own voice

The speaker addresses the clouds, implying they have consciousness

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

The clouds are described as looking like chubby children
21 The description of a woman's heart "blooming" is most explicitly a metaphor for which of the following?

Obsession

Hunger

Kindness

Blood
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 the souls of the unbaptised

Lilies were often used to symbolize childhood innocence

Lilies were often used to symbolize the Virgin Mary and purity
23 What does Plath use as a metaphor to describe flowers?

Mouths

Shoes

Books

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

Impulsive

Righteous

Perceptive

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

It is unexpectedly linked to beautiful natural images

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

The speaker sarcastically suggests that the woman will survive

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

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