The Paper Nautilus Quizzes

The Paper Nautilus Quiz 1

1 Authorities' hopes are shaped by
nautili

mercenaries

poets

devils
2 Who is entrapped by teatime fame?
Mercenaries

Poets

Authorities

Writers
3 Commuters are described as
authoritative

dull

comfortable

friendly
4 The shell is
broken

opulent

thin

heavy
5 The souvenir of hope is
raw

comfortable

authoritative

perishable
6 The outside is
dull white

pink

gray

glossy white
7 The inner surface is
ragged

dull

glossy

matte
8 When does the nautilus guard her eggs?
Day

Day and night

Never

Night
9 What does she not do until the eggs hatch?
Sleep

Move

Speak

Eat
10 How many arms does she have?
4

10

2

8
11 What fish is she compared to?
A catfish

A clownfish

A piranha

A devilfish
12 What does she do for the eggs?
Ignores them

Hides them

Crushes them

Separates them
13 She refers to her eggs as
babies

freight

spheres

packages
14 What Greek hero does the poet mention?
Hercules

Achilles

Ajax

Paris
15 What does the crab do to Hercules?
Hinders him

Inspires him

Devours him

Kills him
16 When the eggs are freed,
they break the shell

they make their own shells

they leave the shell intact

they die
17 What creature's nest does the poet mention?
Wasp

Rat

Bee

Bird
18 The chiton-folds are compared to
Hercules and his labor

the wasp nest

the glossy sea

the Parthenon horse
19 What is "the only fortress / strong enough to trust to"?
Love

Family

Mother

The sea
20 The mother's love is
obsessive

nurturing

intense

all of these
21 The nautilus makes her shell for
the eggs

the commuters

the authorities

the crab
22 What best describes the nautilus?
Morose

Reserved

Dedicated

Indifferent
23 The shell is depicted as
fragile

ragged

capacious

heavy
24 The following are themes of the poem except
endurance

the sea

maternal love

religion
25 The eggs
resist against their mother's love

never hatch

do not break the shell

are watched intensively

The Paper Nautilus Questions and Answers

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

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for The Paper Nautilus

The Paper Nautilus study guide contains a biography of Marianne Moore, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Paper Nautilus…