The right word (Imtiaz Dharker poem) Quizzes

The right word (Imtiaz Dharker poem) Quiz

1 Why is the title of the poem "The right __?"
"Word." The speaker grapples to find language that communicates the truth about the boy standing outside her door.

"Words." The speaker grapples to find language that communicates the truth about the terrorist standing outside her door.

"Way." The speaker grapples with her own sense of moral obligation as she considers whether to invite the boy inside her home.

"Way." The speaker grapples with her own sense of moral obligation as she considers whether to call the police.
2 What collection was this poem published in?
Postcards from god (including Purdah) (1997)

I speak for the devil (2001)

The terrorist at my table (2006)

Over the Moon (2014)
3 What perspective(s) is/are used in the poem?
First

Second

Second and Third

First and Second
4 Describe the poem's stanzas.
The poem is composed of eight quatrains.

The poem is composed of nine quatrains.

The poem is composed of eight stanzas of varying length.

The poem is composed of nine stanzas of varying length.
5 What is the meter?
Free verse

Blank verse

Iambic pentameter

Anapestic tetrameter
6 Which of the following is a metaphor?
"Outside, defying every shadow, / stands a martyr."

"Are words no more / than waving, wavering flags?"

"is a boy who looks like your son, too."

"The child steps in / and carefully, at my door, / takes off his shoes."
7 What is a metaphor?
Metaphor is to have or end with a sound that corresponds to another

Metaphor is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

Metaphor is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated

Metaphor is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated using the words "like" or "as"
8 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"watchful in the shadows, / is a guerrilla warrior. // God help me"

"taking shelter in the shadows, / is a freedom fighter"

"waving, wavering flags"

"I haven’t got this right."
9 Define alliteration.
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated using the words "like" or "as"

The stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.

The rhythm of a line.
10 Describe the poem's setting.
The speaker is inside her home near the doorway. Outside, a boy is situated in the shadows.

The speaker is locked outside her home. Inside, a boy has broken in.

The speaker is in another country speaking with a local boy.

The speaker is inside her home near the window. Outside, a boy is situated in the sunlight.
11 What is the major conflict in the poem?
The speaker hates poetry.

The speaker and the boy not being able to overcome the language barrier between them.

The speaker's grappling with finding the correct language for the situation she is in.

Acts of terrorism kill people.
12 Who or what does the boy resemble?
A former student of the speaker's

The speaker's son only

The speaker and the reader's respective sons

The reader's son only
13 Why does Dharker only refer to the person standing outside the door as "a terrorist" in the first stanza?
Because this poem is framed like a news article.

Because the person is in fact a terrorist. This is the right word to use.

By withholding any other specifications of identity at this point in the poem, Dharker evokes all the possible assumptions surrounding terrorism.

By withholding any other specifications of identity at this point in the poem, Dharker aims to keep things simple.
14 Which of the following is NOT a theme in the poem?
The Power of Words

Breaking Artificial Barriers

Grief Over the Lives Lost Because of War

Truth and Redefinition
15 What is the progression of words the speaker uses to refer to the person standing outside?
A child, a martyr, a guerrilla warrior, a hostile militant, a freedom fighter, and a terrorist

A terrorist, a freedom fighter, a hostile militant, a guerrilla warrior, a martyr, and a child

A freedom fighter, a guerrilla warrior, a martyr, a terrorist, and a child

A martyr, a wounded child, a freedom fighter, and a hostile merchant
16 What is suggested in the poem about the power of words?
Words kill.

Words are influenced by religious, cultural, political, and social factors. In turn, they influence perception and action.

Words maim or seriously injure.

Words are influenced by action only.
17 Which is not a symbol in the poem?
The food the family eats at dinner

The shadows

Childhood

The door
18 Why is it significant that the speaker invites the boy in to eat with her family?
Sharing food and shelter with someone affirms their very existence.

Sharing food and shelter with someone affirms their very hunger.

Inviting someone into your home means you have enveloped them into your family.

Inviting someone into your home means you have nothing better to do.
19 Why does the poet engage in second-person perspective at times in the poem?
To prompt the reader to consider the effects that words have on perception and action, and to imagine how they would act if they were in the speaker's situation.

To condemn the reader for their unconscious biases.

To tell the reader about stereotypical associations between Muslim people and terrorists.

To address a racist friend.
20 Finish this quote: "Are words no more / than __"
waves of the ocean?

wavering, waving flags!

waving, wavering flags?

tools to communicate?
21 What concrete details are used to describe the boy?
He is a hostile militant.

His hand is too steady and his eyes are too hard.

He is a martyr.

His eyes are too steady and his hands tightened into hard fists.
22 What other passion of Dharker's does this poem evoke?
Film

Painting

Hosting

Drawing
23 What does the alliteration in the following quote demonstrate: "taking shelter in the shadows, is a freedom fighter."
The alliteration of /sh/ in "shelter" and "shadows" and /f/ in "freedom" and "fighter" demonstrates the alignment in the person's motivation.

The alliteration of /s/ in "shelter" and "shadows" and /e/ in "freedom" and "fighter" demonstrates the person's disillusionment.

The alliteration of /s/ in "shelter" and "shadows" and /e/ in "freedom" and "fighter" demonstrates the person's disillusionment.

The alliteration of /s/ in "shelter" and "shadows" and /e/ in "freedom" and "fighter" demonstrates the alignment in the person's motivation.
24 What does the child do at the end of the poem?
Carefully take off his shoes as he enters the reader's house.

Carelessly take off his shoes as he enters the reader's house.

Carelessly take off his shoes as he enters the speaker's house.

Carefully take off his shoes as he enters the speaker's house.
25 Why does the boy remove his shoes?
His feet were hot

His shoes were dirty.

It is specified as a sign of respect.

It is not specified, but most likely because it is a sign of respect in many cultures and religions

Three paragraphs explaining the poems diction, tone, imagery using the peel method

Asked by Jonathan K #1386631

Answered by Jonathan K #1386631 on 10/22/2025 5:42 PM

Discuss the effectiveness of the alliteration in lines 11-12

Imtiaz Dharker’s The Right Word explores the power of language to shape perception, particularly in contexts of fear and prejudice. The poem’s central tension lies in the speaker’s struggle to define an ambiguous figure outside a door, moving from...

Asked by Botlhale S #1360341

Answered by Sachin M #1240702 on 2/27/2025 11:57 AM

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Who is the poet addressing in line 24?

In line 24, the poet is addressing the reader.

Asked by Tebogo M #1325524

Answered by jill d #170087 on 10/30/2023 9:05 PM

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The right word (Imtiaz Dharker poem)

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