Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop poem) Quizzes

Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop poem) Quiz

1 The phrase "her teacup full of dark brown tears" is an example of which of the following?
Metaphor

Personification

Simile

Verbal irony
2 What does "foretold" mean?
Dreaded

Predicted

Threatened

Imagined
3 Who is the speaker?
The almanac

An omniscient third person

The grandmother

The grandchild
4 What kind of stanzas are in this poem?
Quatrains

Tercets

Sestets

Sestets and a tercet
5 The word "birdlike" is an instance of what?
Simile

Metaphor

Hyperbole

Understatement
6 Which is NOT a major theme of this poem?
Trauma

Adventure

Repression

Care
7 In what month does the poem take place?
October

December

September

November
8 Which best describes the sestina as a form?
It contains repeated concluding words in every line, which shift order from one stanza to the next

It consists of couplets with identical end words, which are preceded by a rhymed word

It builds up to a volta, or turn, which takes place after either the eighth or twelfth line

It contains two repeated, alternating refrains, which appear at the close of every stanza
9 Which best describes the two characters' dynamic?
They are both haunted by the same event, but do no openly discuss that event

They are hostile with one another, blaming each other for their shared past

They are haunted by a recent tragedy, but discuss that event at length to comfort each other

They are blissfully happy, as-yet unaware of the tragedy in their family
10 Which is NOT one of the repeated words in this poem?
kettle

tears

stove

grandmother
11 What is an almanac?
A family photo album

A type of reference book containing information such as calendars

A journal used for recording household expenditures

A joke book
12 What does "rigid" mean?
Sturdy

Inflexible

Ironic

Rude
13 To what does Bishop compare the tea in the grandmother's cup?
Milk

Blood

The ocean

Tears
14 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
It is unrhymed

ABABAB

ABBCDD EFFGEE

ABBA CDDC EFFE
15 What does the word "inscrutable" mean?
Funny

Painful

Mysterious

Hard
16 What does the child draw?
Herself

A stove

The moon

A house
17 When was this poem first published?
1979

1956

1953

1928
18 What is the final stanza of a sestina called?
A strophe

An envoi

A volta

An aubade
19 Where is the poem set?
Boston

Its setting is unstated

New Orleans

The English countryside
20 What does "Marvel" refer to in this poem?
An adjective meaning "amazing"

A brand of kitchenware

A media company

A sect of Christianity
21 How many stanzas are in this poem?
5

6

7

16
22 Which of the following contains alliteration?
"sings on the stove"

"the old grandmother"

"shows it proudly to the grandmother."

"September rain falls"
23 In which publication did this poem first appear?
None—it first appeared in book form

Harpers

The New Yorker

The Paris Review
24 What has traumatized the characters in this poem?
A war

The death of the child's mother

A house fire

The precise nature of the event is hinted at but never revealed
25 What is an equinox?
A night on which an eclipse happens

The hottest night of the year

A date on which the night and the day are of the same length

The longest day of the year

Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop poem) Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop poem) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop poem)

Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop poem) study guide contains a biography of Elizabeth Bishop, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for Sestina (Elizabeth Bishop poem)…