To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?
The American civil war

The industrial revolution

The Irish potato famine

The French revolution
2 Burns metaphorically compares the components of the mouse's nest to which of the following?
Walls

Furniture

Bones

Stones
3 Which dialect of English does this poem's speaker use?
Irish English

Australian English

Scottish English

Indian English
4 Which best summarizes the sentence "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men/Gang aft agley"?
Having a map is necessary when you're out in the wilderness

Humans and animals will forever be at war

It's important to learn from ways of beings different from your own

It's impossible for anybody to perfectly plan out their life
5 What is the difference in length between this poem's long and short lines?
The long lines are written in octameter, the short ones in tetrameter

The long lines are written in dimeter, the short ones in monometer

The long lines are written in tetrameter, the short ones in dimeter

The long lines are written in pentameter, the short ones in monometer
6 What is the meaning of the word "cranreuch"?
A type of mist

A Scottish cookie

A rural code of conduct

A bag used by farmers
7 What is the meaning of the word "daimen"?
Demonic

Occasional

Cute

Underground
8 What is the speaker's attitude towards the mouse?
Uncontrollable fury

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

A blend of pity and envy

Gruff admiration
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?
Till crash! the cruel coulter past

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
10 How many lines are in a Burns stanza?
Eight

Four

Six

Three
11 What does the mouse symbolize?
The value of hard work

Miserable subsistence

Theft and dishonesty

The innocence of the natural world
12 What sounds in the phrase "broken nature's social union" produce assonance?
N

O

K

E
13 What is the definition of the word "icker"?
A mouse nest

A late fall harvest

A small child

An ear of corn
14 At what time of year does this poem take place?
Christmas

Midsummer

Late fall

Early summer
15 What type of poetic foot makes up most of this poem?
Iambs

Trochees

Dactyls

Spondees
16 Define the word "laith"
An old-fashioned washing machien

Unwilling

Tired

Stream
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?
ABCA

AABABAB

ABABABAB

AAABAB
18 Why does the speaker express a longing to be like the mouse?
The speaker is slow and tired, while the mouse is quick and nimble

The mouse doesn't have to work and lives off of theft

The mouse doesn't have the emotional burden of thinking about the past or the future

The mouse has a family, while the speaker is alone
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?
A small mammal

Sharp

Sleek

Damp
20 What element of a poem is NOT typically dictated by the guidelines of a Burns stanza?
Number of feet in a line

Number of lines per stanza

Rhyme scheme

Number of stanzas
21 Why is the speaker unconcerned about the mouse stealing food?
He believes that the life of a mouse is worth more than the life of a human

He is too depressed to eat

He has so much that he won't notice the theft

He is old and will die before running out of food
22 Who is the speaker of this poem?
A cat

A small child

A farmer

A mouse
23 How does the speaker destroy the mouse's nest?
By running a plow into it

By using it as timber

By letting his dog dig it up

By stepping on it
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?
Rattle

A type of plough

Constraint

Spoiled
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?
Five

Ten

Eight

Three

Study Guide for To a Mouse

To a Mouse study guide contains a biography of Robert Burns, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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To a Mouse

by Robert Burns

To a Mouse Quiz

To a Mouse Questions and Answers

Study Guide for To a Mouse

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