Poppies in October Quizzes

Poppies in October Quiz Poppies in October

1 The word "ignite" means:

To stay up late

To set on fire

To abolish or stamp out

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

As overwhelming and competitive

As monotonous and corrupted

As crowded and impoverished

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

Ignored

Insulted

Longed

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

O

S

F

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

Sleep

Halt

Rot

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

Prettiness and subtlety

Usefulness and helpfulness

Multisensory appeal

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

Ambulance

Library

Florist's

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

Pacifism

Chemical weapons

Patriotic volunteerism

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?

Onomatopoeia

Alliteration

Anaphora

Hyperbole
10 What is carbon monoxide?

A component of oxygen that we breathe

A particle used in perfumes

A dangerous invisible gas

A medicinal substance
11 What did poppies generally signify in Ancient Greek culture?

Desire, sex, and compulsiveness

Sleep, death, and rest

Rusticity and simplicity

Pleasure, hedonism, and extravagance
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

Doomed romance

Unexpected natural beauty

Sleep
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?

Flower types, but never colors, were considered symbolically loaded

Floral symbolism was considered occult and immoral

Flowers were ascribed both positive and negative emotional symbolism

Tropical flowers were generally associated with feeling and instinct
16 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

ABBA ABBA ABBA

The poem has no regular rhyme scheme

ABB ABB ABB ABB

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

Sextets

Quatrains

Tercets

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

Windows

Hands

Doors

Mouths
19 Who is the speaker of this poem?

No identifying information about the speaker is provided

A young woman from the city

A small child

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 clouds are described as looking like chubby children

The speaker addresses the clouds, implying they have consciousness
21 The description of a woman's heart "blooming" is most explicitly a metaphor for which of the following?

Obsession

Kindness

Blood

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

Lilies were often used to symbolize the Virgin Mary and purity

Lilies were often used to symbolize the souls of the unbaptised

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

Spiders

Mouths

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

Perceptive

Righteous

Impulsive

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

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

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

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