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"

"can raise a tragic refrain"

"listen to the thing"

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

The culture of the people who live in them

The talent and artistry of Irish people

The strength of the storm

The oppressiveness of education
3 To which animal does Heaney compare the storm?

A lion

A cat

A wolf

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

Confident

Imploring

Sarcastic

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

Thoughtful

Brash

Protective

Comic
6 What is this poem's meter?

Iambic hexameter

Iambic pentameter

Dactylic pentameter

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

"fear"

"wizened"

"blast"

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

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The Troubles in Ireland

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy

The American invasion of Iraq
9 What best describes the poem's central contradiction or paradox?

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

The islanders pray for rain, though storms cause them harm

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

The islanders choose to remain on a dangerous island
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 sea is a frightening place to be in the storm, more so than on land

The storm turns the sea into a dangerous force
11 Which of the following is a motif in this poem?

War

Tourism

Clocks

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

A discharge of gunfire

A Catholic ceremony

A type of medicine used for burns

A large ceramic bowl
13 What does the word "stooks," as used in line 5, refer to?

An arrangement of grain

A bird of prey

A test taken by Irish schoolchildren

A leather belt
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?

Rhyme

Anaphora

Assonance

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

Rhyme

Hyperbole

Onomatopoeia

Enjambment
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?

"We are prepared"

"the empty air, / strange"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"

"the very windows, / spits like a tame cat"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?

Sonnet

None

Villanelle

Heroic couplet
19 Which word best describes the island residents?

Tasteful

Silly

Creative

Stoic
20 How many lines are in this poem?

12

15

20

19
21 What is the primary effect of the "K" and "T" sounds in the poem's first lines?

Making the islanders' language sound foreign and strange

Mimicking the sound of falling rain

Revealing that the speaker is a young child

Showing the speaker's practical, efficient attitude
22 The phrase "the wizened earth has never troubled us" is an example of which device?

Personification

Metonymy

Simile

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

14-15

18-19

1-2

11-12
24 Which theme is NOT extensively explored in this poem?

Community and Solidarity

Nature

Science and technology

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

A carriage pulled by four horses

A canoe used in Ireland

A small sailboat

A military aircraft

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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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