To a Mouse Quizzes

To a Mouse Quiz

1 To which historical event does this poem implicitly respond?

The American civil war

The French revolution

The industrial revolution

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

Stones

Walls

Furniture

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

Scottish English

Indian English

Irish English

Australian 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

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

Humans and animals will forever be at war

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 tetrameter, the short ones in dimeter

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
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"?

Occasional

Demonic

Cute

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

Gruff admiration

A blend of pity and envy

Uncontrollable fury

Friendly but uninquisitive tolerance
9 Which line of the poem contains onomatopoeia?

Till crash! the cruel coulter past

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

What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!

Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
10 How many lines are in a Burns stanza?

Six

Four

Eight

Three
11 What does the mouse symbolize?

The innocence of the natural world

Miserable subsistence

The value of hard work

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

E

O

K

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

A small child

A mouse nest

A late fall harvest

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

Christmas

Early summer

Midsummer

Late fall
15 What type of poetic foot makes up most of this poem?

Dactyls

Trochees

Spondees

Iambs
16 Define the word "laith"

Stream

Unwilling

Tired

An old-fashioned washing machien
17 What is this poem's rhyme scheme?

ABCA

ABABABAB

AABABAB

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

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

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
19 What is the definition of the word "sleeket"?

Sharp

A small mammal

Damp

Sleek
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 farmer

A small child

A cat

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

By using it as timber

By running a plow into it

By stepping on it

By letting his dog dig it up
24 What is the definition of the word "brattle"?

A type of plough

Constraint

Spoiled

Rattle
25 How many stanzas make up this poem?

Ten

Three

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

Study Guide for To a Mouse

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