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 talent and artistry of Irish people

The oppressiveness of education

The culture of the people who live in them
3 To which animal does Heaney compare the storm?
A wolf

A cat

A lizard

A lion
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

Protective

Brash

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?
"blast"

"fear"

"wizened"

"salvo"
8 Which real event may the poem's storm refer to?
The American invasion of Iraq

The 1918 Russian Revolution

The toppling of the Hawaiian monarchy

The Troubles in Ireland
9 What best describes the poem's central contradiction or paradox?
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 choose to remain on a dangerous island

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 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?
War

The theater

Tourism

Clocks
12 What does the word "salvo," as used in line 17, refer to?
A large ceramic bowl

A Catholic ceremony

A type of medicine used for burns

A discharge of gunfire
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 child who likes to pretend to live on an island

A resident, or group of residents, on the 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

Enjambment

Onomatopoeia
17 Which phrase is an example of assonance?
"the very windows, / spits like a tame cat"

"We are prepared"

"the empty air, / strange"

"there are no stacks / or stooks"
18 What poetic form does "Storm on the Island" follow?
None

Heroic couplet

Sonnet

Villanelle
19 Which word best describes the island residents?
Silly

Stoic

Tasteful

Creative
20 How many lines are in this poem?
19

12

20

15
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?
Personification

Understatement

Simile

Metonymy
23 In which lines does the poem's only use of end-rhyme occur?
1-2

11-12

14-15

18-19
24 Which theme is NOT extensively explored in this poem?
Nature

Community and Solidarity

Science and technology

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

A small sailboat

A carriage pulled by four horses

A canoe used in Ireland

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…