To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?

The industrial revolution

The American civil war

The Irish potato famine

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

Bones

Furniture

Walls

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

Irish English

Indian English

Scottish English

Australian 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 octameter, the short ones in tetrameter

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

The long lines are written in pentameter, 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 bag used by farmers

A type of mist

A rural code of conduct

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

Demonic

Underground

Cute

Occasional
8 What is the speaker's attitude towards the mouse?

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance

Gruff admiration

Uncontrollable fury

A blend of pity and envy
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?

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

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

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

Six

Three

Eight

Four
11 What does the mouse symbolize?

The value of hard work

Miserable subsistence

The innocence of the natural world

Theft and dishonesty
12 What sounds in the phrase "broken nature's social union" produce assonance?

N

E

O

K
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?

Christmas

Late fall

Midsummer

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

Iambs

Dactyls

Trochees

Spondees
16 Define the word "laith"

Stream

An old-fashioned washing machien

Unwilling

Tired
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?

ABABABAB

AABABAB

AAABAB

ABCA
18 Why does the speaker express a longing to be like the mouse?

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

The mouse has a family, while the speaker is alone

The speaker is slow and tired, while the mouse is quick and nimble
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?

Sleek

Damp

Sharp

A small mammal
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 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 small child

A mouse

A farmer

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

By using it as timber

By stepping on it

By letting his dog dig it up

By running a plow into it
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?

A type of plough

Spoiled

Rattle

Constraint
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?

Eight

Five

Ten

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

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