To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?

The French revolution

The Irish potato famine

The American civil war

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

Bones

Walls

Furniture

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

Australian English

Indian English

Scottish English

Irish 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

Humans and animals will forever be at war

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

Having a map is necessary when you're out in the wilderness
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 tetrameter, the short ones in dimeter

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

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

A type of mist

A Scottish cookie

A bag used by farmers

A rural code of conduct
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

A blend of pity and envy

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

Gruff admiration
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

Till crash! the cruel coulter past

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
10 How many lines are in a Burns stanza?

Eight

Three

Four

Six
11 What does the mouse symbolize?

The innocence of the natural world

Miserable subsistence

Theft and dishonesty

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

O

K

E

N
13 What is the definition of the word "icker"?

A late fall harvest

An ear of corn

A small child

A mouse nest
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?

Trochees

Spondees

Iambs

Dactyls
16 Define the word "laith"

Unwilling

Stream

An old-fashioned washing machien

Tired
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?

AAABAB

ABCA

AABABAB

ABABABAB
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 the emotional burden of thinking about the past or the future

The mouse doesn't have to work and lives off of theft
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?

Sleek

Sharp

Damp

A small mammal
20 What element of a poem is NOT typically dictated by the guidelines of a Burns stanza?

Rhyme scheme

Number of stanzas

Number of lines per stanza

Number of feet in a line
21 Why is the speaker unconcerned about the mouse stealing food?

He is too depressed to eat

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

A mouse

A farmer

A small child

A cat
23 How does the speaker destroy the mouse's nest?

By letting his dog dig it up

By running a plow into it

By stepping on it

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

Spoiled

Rattle

Constraint

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

Three

Ten

Eight

Five

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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