Prayer Before Birth Quizzes

Prayer Before Birth Quiz 1

1 Where was Louis MacNeice from?

Germany

Ireland

England

United States
2 What other genre of writing did MacNeice pursue in his lifetime?

Drama

Speeches

Novels

Journalism
3 In what collection was "Prayer Before Birth" published?

The Last Ditch

Collected Poems

Springboard

Holes in the Sky
4 What year was the poem published?

1920

1944

1912

1932
5 What major conflict was happening at the time MacNeice wrote the poem?

World War I

World War II

The Great Depression

The Cold War
6 How old was MacNeice when he died?

38

55

24

89
7 Who is the speaker of the poem?

A soldier

God

An unborn entity

A child
8 Which of these does the speaker not mention in the first stanza of the poem?

Bats

Rats

Vampires

Ghouls
9 What is the speaker afraid of?

Drugs

Torture

Imprisonment

All of these
10 The line, "with strong drugs dope me, with wise lies lure me" contains examples of what poetic device (6)?

Personfiication

Alliteration

Apostrophe

Synecdoche
11 What, according to the speaker, can nurture their growth?

God

Love

A mother

Nature
12 For what does the speaker ask forgiveness?

The mistakes they have made

The thoughts they currently express

The sins they are yet to commit

Their request for death
13 What metaphor does the speaker use to ask for preparation for life on earth?

Reading a pamphlet

Rehearsing a play

Taking a class

Learning a language
14 According to the speaker, what will old men do to them?

Laugh at them

Lecture them

Ridicule them

Inspire them
15 According to the speaker, what will bureaucrats do to them?

Manipulate them

Embarrass them

Hector them

Comfort them
16 According to the speaker, what will lovers do to them?

Save them

Laugh at them

Emasculate them

Prepare them
17 Which of these scenarios does the speaker not imagine encountering on earth?

Dying in the desert

Falling from a tree

A beggar rejecting their gift

Being cursed by their own children
18 According to the speaker, the "man who is beast" also thinks he is what (26)?

God

Emperor

The Savior

Love
19 The term "lethal automaton" (30) is a euphemism for what?

A machine

A dictator

A solider

A gun
20 What is closest in meaning to the word "dragoon" (30)?

Lure

Coerce

Invite

Dragon
21 Which of these images represents manipulation by someone else?

Hands

Blood-baths

Trees

Machines
22 Which two fates does the speaker imagine for people on earth?

Machines and nature

Guns and boots

Stones and water

Robots and books
23 Which of these describes the form of the final lines of the poem?

Quatrain

Tercet

Couplet

Alexandrine
24 What does the speaker ask for as an alternative to being born?

Death

Nurture

God

A song
25 Which of these phrases is repeated throughout the poem?

"Otherwise kill me"

"I fear"

"I am not yet born"

"Spill me"

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Study Guide for Prayer Before Birth

Prayer Before Birth study guide contains a biography of Louis MacNeice, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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