Poppies in October Quizzes

Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

1 The word "ignite" means:

To stay up late

To abolish or stamp out

To set on fire

To stir
2 How does this poem's speaker portray urban life?

As monotonous and corrupted

As vibrant and diverse

As crowded and impoverished

As overwhelming and competitive
3 Fill in the blank: "Utterly ____ for"

Longed

Ignored

Insulted

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

S

F

O

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

Sleep

Rot

Blankness

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

Usefulness and helpfulness

Prettiness and subtlety

Intensity and immediacy

Multisensory appeal
7 Fill in the blank: "Nor the woman in the _____"

Office

Ambulance

Library

Florist's
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

Hyperbole

Onomatopoeia

Anaphora
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?

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance

Rusticity and simplicity

Desire, sex, and compulsiveness

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

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

They view beauty as a doomed fight against death

They consider death and beauty to be intertwined

They consider death to be the opposite of beauty
13 What do poppies symbolize in this poem?

The tragedy of war

Unexpected natural beauty

Sleep

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?

Tropical flowers were generally associated with feeling and instinct

Flowers were ascribed both positive and negative emotional symbolism

Flower types, but never colors, were considered symbolically loaded

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

ABB ABB ABB ABB

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme

ABBA ABBA ABBA

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

Quatrains

Sextets

Couplets

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

Hands

Windows

Doors

Mouths
19 Who is the speaker of this poem?

A small child

A young woman from the city

No identifying information about the speaker is provided

A businessman raised on a farm
20 How are clouds personified in this poem?

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

The clouds briefly narrate the poem in their own voice

The speaker addresses the clouds, implying they have consciousness

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?

Hunger

Kindness

Blood

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

Lilies were often used to symbolize the souls of the unbaptised

Lilies were often used to symbolize the Virgin Mary and purity

Lilies were often used to symbolize the non-Christian world

Lilies were often used to symbolize childhood innocence
23 What does Plath use as a metaphor to describe flowers?

Books

Shoes

Mouths

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

Ambitious

Righteous

Perceptive

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

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

It is unexpectedly linked to beautiful natural images

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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