Storm on the Island Quizzes

Storm on the Island Quiz Storm on the Island

1 Which phrase is an example of alliteration?

"space is a salvo"

"listen to the thing"

"can raise a tragic refrain"

"the wizened earth has never"
2 What do the poem's houses symbolize?

The strength of the storm

The culture of the people who live in them

The oppressiveness of education

The talent and artistry of Irish people
3 To which animal does Heaney compare the storm?

A wolf

A lizard

A lion

A cat
4 Which best describes the speaker's tone at the beginning of the poem?

Sarcastic

Imploring

Furious

Confident
5 Which best describes the speaker's tone at the end of the poem?

Comic

Brash

Thoughtful

Protective
6 What is this poem's meter?

Iambic pentameter

Iambic hexameter

Dactylic pentameter

The poem lacks a consistent meter
7 Which word from "Storm on the Island" is the clearest instance of onomatpoeia?

"wizened"

"salvo"

"fear"

"blast"
8 Which real event may the poem's storm refer to?

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy

The American invasion of Iraq

The Troubles in Ireland
9 What best describes the poem's central contradiction or paradox?

The islanders choose to remain on a dangerous island

The islanders fear the storm, though it is made of air

The islanders build low houses, even though they flood with every storm

The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm
10 What does the speaker articulate about the relationship between the sea and the storm?

The storm whips up the sea and scares the fish

The sea helps slow the storm's winds as they approach the island

The storm turns the sea into a dangerous force

The sea is a frightening place to be in the storm, more so than on land
11 Which of the following is a motif in this poem?

Tourism

War

Clocks

The theater
12 What does the word "salvo," as used in line 17, refer to?

A discharge of gunfire

A large ceramic bowl

A Catholic ceremony

A type of medicine used for burns
13 What does the word "stooks," as used in line 5, refer to?

An arrangement of grain

A leather belt

A bird of prey

A test taken by Irish schoolchildren
14 Who is the poem's speaker?

A resident, or group of residents, on the island

A child who likes to pretend to live on an island

An anthropologist studying the island

A visitor to the island
15 The "ai" sounds in the phrase "raise a tragic refrain" create which of the following?

Alliteration

Anaphora

Assonance

Rhyme
16 The phrase "spits like a tamed cat / Turned savage" makes use of:

Rhyme

Enjambment

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?

"the empty air, / strange"

"the very windows, / spits like a tame cat"

"We are prepared"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?

Heroic couplet

None

Sonnet

Villanelle
19 Which word best describes the island residents?

Stoic

Tasteful

Silly

Creative
20 How many lines are in this poem?

19

15

12

20
21 What is the primary effect of the "K" and "T" sounds in the poem's first lines?

Revealing that the speaker is a young child

Making the islanders' language sound foreign and strange

Showing the speaker's practical, efficient attitude

Mimicking the sound of falling rain
22 The phrase "the wizened earth has never troubled us" is an example of which device?

Metonymy

Personification

Understatement

Simile
23 In which lines does the poem's only use of end-rhyme occur?

11-12

14-15

18-19

1-2
24 Which theme is NOT extensively explored in this poem?

Community and Solidarity

Fear

Science and technology

Nature
25 What does the word "strafe" implicitly compare the wind to?

A military aircraft

A canoe used in Ireland

A small sailboat

A carriage pulled by four horses

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Storm on the Island study guide contains a biography of Seamus Heaney, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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