Poppies in October Quizzes

Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

1 The word "ignite" means:
To abolish or stamp out

To set on fire

To stir

To stay up late
2 How does this poem's speaker portray urban life?
As overwhelming and competitive

As monotonous and corrupted

As vibrant and diverse

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

Unasked

Longed

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

T

S

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

Blankness

Rot

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

Intensity and immediacy

Usefulness and helpfulness

Prettiness and subtlety
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?
Pacifism

Patriotic volunteerism

Chemical weapons

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

Alliteration

Hyperbole

Onomatopoeia
10 What is carbon monoxide?
A component of oxygen that we breathe

A dangerous invisible gas

A particle used in perfumes

A medicinal substance
11 What did poppies generally signify in Ancient Greek culture?
Sleep, death, and rest

Desire, sex, and compulsiveness

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance

Rusticity and simplicity
12 How does the speaker view the relationship between death and beauty?
They consider death and beauty to be intertwined

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

They view beauty as a doomed fight against death

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

Sleep

The tragedy of war

Unexpected natural beauty
14 What do bowler hats metonymically represent in this poem?
The culture of the business class

Socialist politics

An older, Victorian worldview

The academic world
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?
ABCC ACBB ABCC

ABBA ABBA ABBA

ABB ABB ABB ABB

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme
17 What type of stanzas does "Poppies in October" consist of?
Sextets

Tercets

Quatrains

Couplets
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

No identifying information about the speaker is provided

A young woman from the city

A businessman raised on a farm
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 clouds are described as looking like chubby children

The speaker suggests that the clouds are attempting to outshine the poppies
21 The description of a woman's heart "blooming" is most explicitly a metaphor for which of the following?
Blood

Kindness

Obsession

Hunger
22 Which of the following statements regarding the symbolism of the lily is correct?
Lilies were often used to symbolize childhood innocence

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 the Virgin Mary and purity
23 What does Plath use as a metaphor to describe flowers?
Mouths

Shoes

Spiders

Books
24 Which word best describes the poem's speaker?
Perceptive

Ambitious

Impulsive

Righteous
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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