Storm on the Island Quizzes

Storm on the Island Quiz Storm on the Island

1 Which phrase is an example of alliteration?

"listen to the thing"

"the wizened earth has never"

"space is a salvo"

"can raise a tragic refrain"
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 lion

A wolf

A cat

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

Imploring

Confident

Sarcastic

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

Protective

Brash

Comic

Thoughtful
6 What is this poem's meter?

Dactylic pentameter

The poem lacks a consistent meter

Iambic hexameter

Iambic pentameter
7 Which word from "Storm on the Island" is the clearest instance of onomatpoeia?

"fear"

"wizened"

"salvo"

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

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy

The American invasion of Iraq

The 1918 Russian Revolution

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

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

The islanders choose to remain on a dangerous island

The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm

The islanders fear the storm, though it is made of air
10 What does the speaker articulate about the relationship between the sea and the storm?

The storm turns the sea into a dangerous force

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

The storm whips up the sea and scares the fish

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 type of medicine used for burns

A large ceramic bowl

A Catholic ceremony
13 What does the word "stooks," as used in line 5, refer to?

A test taken by Irish schoolchildren

An arrangement of grain

A leather belt

A bird of prey
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

A visitor to the island

An anthropologist studying the island
15 The "ai" sounds in the phrase "raise a tragic refrain" create which of the following?

Assonance

Anaphora

Alliteration

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

Enjambment

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

Rhyme
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?

"the empty air, / strange"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"

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

"We are prepared"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?

Sonnet

None

Villanelle

Heroic couplet
19 Which word best describes the island residents?

Tasteful

Creative

Silly

Stoic
20 How many lines are in this poem?

19

20

15

12
21 What is the primary effect of the "K" and "T" sounds in the poem's first lines?

Mimicking the sound of falling rain

Showing the speaker's practical, efficient attitude

Making the islanders' language sound foreign and strange

Revealing that the speaker is a young child
22 The phrase "the wizened earth has never troubled us" is an example of which device?

Simile

Understatement

Metonymy

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

14-15

18-19

11-12

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

Science and technology

Nature

Fear

Community and Solidarity
25 What does the word "strafe" implicitly compare the wind to?

A canoe used in Ireland

A military aircraft

A small sailboat

A carriage pulled by four horses

Storm on the Island Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Storm on the Island is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for Storm on the Island

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.

Read the Study Guide for Storm on the Island…