Prayer Before Birth Quizzes

Prayer Before Birth Quiz 1

1 Where was Louis MacNeice from?

Ireland

England

Germany

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

Speeches

Journalism

Drama

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

The Last Ditch

Holes in the Sky

Springboard

Collected Poems
4 What year was the poem published?

1920

1912

1932

1944
5 What major conflict was happening at the time MacNeice wrote the poem?

World War II

World War I

The Cold War

The Great Depression
6 How old was MacNeice when he died?

24

38

89

55
7 Who is the speaker of the poem?

An unborn entity

A soldier

God

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

Ghouls

Bats

Rats

Vampires
9 What is the speaker afraid of?

Imprisonment

Drugs

Torture

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

Alliteration

Synecdoche

Apostrophe

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

God

Nature

A mother

Love
12 For what does the speaker ask forgiveness?

The sins they are yet to commit

The mistakes they have made

Their request for death

The thoughts they currently express
13 What metaphor does the speaker use to ask for preparation for life on earth?

Rehearsing a play

Learning a language

Reading a pamphlet

Taking a class
14 According to the speaker, what will old men do to them?

Inspire them

Ridicule them

Laugh at them

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

Comfort them

Manipulate them

Embarrass them

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

Emasculate them

Prepare them

Laugh at them

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

Dying in the desert

Falling from a tree

Being cursed by their own children

A beggar rejecting their gift
18 According to the speaker, the "man who is beast" also thinks he is what (26)?

Emperor

Love

God

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

A dictator

A solider

A gun

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

Invite

Dragon

Coerce

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

Trees

Hands

Blood-baths

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

Stones and water

Machines and nature

Robots and books

Guns and boots
23 Which of these describes the form of the final lines of the poem?

Tercet

Alexandrine

Quatrain

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

Death

A song

God

Nurture
25 Which of these phrases is repeated throughout the poem?

"Otherwise kill me"

"I am not yet born"

"Spill me"

"I fear"

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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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