To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?
The industrial revolution

The French revolution

The American civil war

The Irish potato famine
2 Burns metaphorically compares the components of the mouse's nest to which of the following?
Bones

Stones

Walls

Furniture
3 Which dialect of English does this poem's speaker use?
Scottish English

Australian English

Irish English

Indian English
4 Which best summarizes the sentence "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men/Gang aft agley"?
It's impossible for anybody to perfectly plan out their life

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
5 What is the difference in length between this poem's long and short lines?
The long lines are written in pentameter, the short ones in monometer

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
6 What is the meaning of the word "cranreuch"?
A type of mist

A bag used by farmers

A rural code of conduct

A Scottish cookie
7 What is the meaning of the word "daimen"?
Cute

Occasional

Underground

Demonic
8 What is the speaker's attitude towards the mouse?
Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

Uncontrollable fury

Gruff admiration

A blend of pity and envy
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

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

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

Till crash! the cruel coulter past
10 How many lines are in a Burns stanza?
Four

Three

Eight

Six
11 What does the mouse symbolize?
Theft and dishonesty

The innocence of the natural world

Miserable subsistence

The value of hard work
12 What sounds in the phrase "broken nature's social union" produce assonance?
K

N

O

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

An ear of corn

A late fall harvest

A small child
14 At what time of year does this poem take place?
Late fall

Midsummer

Christmas

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

Iambs

Spondees

Trochees
16 Define the word "laith"
Unwilling

Tired

An old-fashioned washing machien

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

AAABAB

ABABABAB

AABABAB
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 has a family, while the speaker is alone

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
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?
A small mammal

Sleek

Damp

Sharp
20 What element of a poem is NOT typically dictated by the guidelines of a Burns stanza?
Number of lines per stanza

Number of feet in a line

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 has so much that he won't notice the theft

He is too depressed to eat

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 letting his dog dig it up

By stepping on it

By running a plow into it

By using it as timber
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?
Rattle

Spoiled

Constraint

A type of plough
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?
Three

Eight

Five

Ten

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

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