Suburban Sonnet Quizzes

Suburban Sonnet Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?

A woman's house

A park

A restaurant

A concert hall
2 Which of the following is NOT a major theme or motif in the poem?

Music

Motherhood

Domesticity

Religion
3 Who did the woman perform her music for?

Stravinsky

Mozart

Rubinstein

Bach
4 What does the magazine paper that the woman used to wrap the mouse say?

Piano concert tomorrow night

100 delicious recipes for the holidays

Tasty dishes from stale bread

Zest and love
5 Which of the following best describes the tone of the speaker?

Anxious, excited, curious

Nostalgic, affectionate, contemplative

Calm, ebullient, observant

Resigned, exhausted, overwhelmed
6 What frightens the children?

A howling wind outside

The pot boiling over

Their mother's solemn piano music

A dead mouse in a moustrap
7 What does the speaker expressly say "aches" in the poem?

The woman's fingers

The woman's muscles

The woman's heart

The woman's veins
8 Which of the following literary devices is NOT used in the poem?

Allusion

Metaphor

Simile

Enjambment
9 It is implied that Rubenstein reacted to the woman's performance with:

Delight

Disgust

Boredom

Enthusiasm
10 As used in Line 10, what does the word "caper" mean?

the pickled flower bud of a prickly southern European shrub, used to flavor food

a sleeveless cloak, typically a short one

skip or dance about in a lively or playful way

scream and fight, with a sense of anger
11 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the poem?

A woman pushing a stroller

A woman practicing music

A woman cleaning burned milk from a pot

A woman comforting her children
12 Which of the following is the clearest example of metaphor used in the poem?

Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.

Beside her on the floor two children chatter

Zest and love / drain out with soapy water as she scours

When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid.
13 Who "yawned" in the poem (line 10)?

Rubinstein

The father

The mother

The children
14 As used in Line 8, what does the word "scour" mean?

move rapidly in a particular direction, especially in search or pursuit of someone or something

do a thorough search in order to locate something

dig through something to obtain what is hidden underneath

clean or brighten the surface of (something) by rubbing it hard, typically with an abrasive or detergent
15 The poem is predominantly written in the ____ tense.

Present

Past

Past perfect

Future
16 How many lines does a traditional sonnet contain?

12

14

17

10
17 How many lines does this poem contain?

12

14

17

10
18 Which of the following is an example of a slant rhyme used in the poem?

"The children caper / ...They seem afraid"

"she plays well or not / ...She hushes them. A pot"

"though it can matter / ...two children chatter"

"a wave of nausea overpowers / ... as she scours"
19 Which of the following sounds does NOT occur in the poem?

A door slamming

Music being played

Children screaming

A pot boiling over
20 Which of the following is an example of enjambment?

"where a mouse lies dead. / When the soft corpse won't move"

"if she plays well or not. / Beside her"

"they seem afraid. / She comforts them"

"As she rushes to the stove / too late"
21 Which of the following is an example of caesura?

"Beside her on the floor two children chatter,"

"When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid."

"featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread."

"to no one now if she plays well or not."
22 The poem was published in the ___.

1980s

1970s

1950s

1960s
23 Which of the following do the children NOT do in the poem?

Fight

Caper

Chatter

Practice piano
24 Which of the following is an example of alliteration?

children caper

then scream and fight

a wave of nausea overpowers

the soft corpse won't move
25 Which of the following statements would Gwen Harwood be most likely to agree with?

Women should have the freedom to pursue their creative passions.

All women should be mothers.

Music is more important than poetry.

Children should be firmly punished for screaming and fighting.

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Study Guide for Suburban Sonnet

Suburban Sonnet study guide contains a biography of Gwen Harwood, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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