Walt Whitman: Poems Quizzes

Walt Whitman: Poems Quiz 1

By Kathryn Gundersen · Edited by A. Boghani · Last reviewed August 16, 2014

1 Where was Walt Whitman born?

Washington, D.C.

Harrisburg, PA

New Haven, CT

Long Island, NY
2 In what year was the first edition of "Leaves of Grass" published?

1892

1860

1872

1855
3 Which of Whitman's contemporaries famously praised "Leaves of Grass" as "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed"?

Henry David Thoreau

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
4 The poem "O Captain! My Captain!" is an allegory for what significant historical event?

The end of the War of 1812

The appointment of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America

The defeat of General Lee at Appomattox

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln
5 Which of the following is NOT part of the "Answer" in "O Me! O Life!"?

That the powerful play goes on

That life exists and identity

That you are here

That the Divine is and forever will be
6 What does the phantom in "As I Ponder'd in Silence" represent?

The death of Abraham Lincoln

The remembrance of loves lost

The genius of poets of old lands

The ideal of the Democratic self
7 According to the phantom in "As I Ponder'd in Silence," what is the one theme for ever-enduring bards?

Family

Love

Peace

War
8 What is the primary theme in "I Sing the Body Electric"?

The sanctity of the human body

The importance of the body as the only aspect of the soul

The superiority of white bodies

The dangers of female sexuality
9 In "Ashes of Soldiers," Whitman writes, "all is over and long gone" but ----?

Democracy

Love

The inevitability of death

The beauty of humanity
10 Which of the following most accurately reflects Whitman's views on slavery as evidenced in "I Sing the Body Electric"?

Slavery was a part of the natural order of things considering the innate inferiority of blacks

Slavery constituted the backbone of the Southern economy and was therefore irreplaceable

Slavery was a corrupt institution which commodified and demeaned human bodies

Slavery as a source of labor jeopardized the economic position of Northern white wage workers
11 Which of the following themes does NOT appear in "One's-Self I Sing"?

Egalitarianism

Democracy

The Self

Humility
12 Which of the following poetic devices does Whitman NOT use in "Beat! Beat! Drums!"?

Onomatopoeia

Alliteration

Personification

Metonymy
13 To which side of the Civil War does Whitman address "Ashes of Soldiers" and why?

Both South and North; Whitman laments the war and its devastating toll on the lives of soldiers from both camps.

Neither; the poem reflects Whitman's disgust with the war and all involved.

South; Whitman responds with pity to the state of complete destruction left in the South following the war.

North; here Whitman reveals his loyalty to the Union and condemns the Confederacy.
14 What does Whitman question in the short poem "To You"?

The strictness of societal mores regarding sexuality

The dangers of increased industrialization

The importance of Nature and the Sublime

The arbitrary distance between strangers
15 What is the common nickname for Whitman's final edition of "Leaves of Grass," published in 1891?

The Later Period Edition

The Posthumous Edition

The Deathbed Edition

The Abridged Edition
16 At what age did Whitman stop receiving a formal education?

He never received any formal education.

25

18

11
17 What is the profession of the man that Whitman admires in "I Sing the Body Electric"?

Government official

Common farmer

Sailor

University professor
18 In what year was Walt Whitman born?

1819

1831

1855

1812
19 Which of the following newspapers did Walt Whitman start himself?

The New York Mirror

The Long-Island Star

The Brooklyn Eagle

The Long Islander
20 Which of the following jobs did Walt Whitman detest the most?

Poet

Teacher

Journalist

Government clerk
21 How many poems appeared in the 1855 version of "Leaves of Grass"?

12

20

16

25
22 Why did Whitman suddenly leave Brooklyn in 1862?

To work as a government clerk in Washington, D.C.

To provide volunteer hospital service on the warfront

To campaign against the war in Washington, D.C.

To find his brother George, who was fighting in the war
23 Where is Walt Whitman buried?

Harrisburg, CT

Brooklyn, NY

Camden, NJ

Long Island, NY
24 What poetic structure is Walt Whitman known for?

Sonnet

Limerick

Lyric poem

Free Verse
25 Which of Whitman's poems is the only one with a regular meter and rhyme scheme?

"O Captain! My Captain!"

"As I Ponder'd in Silence"

"When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"

"I Sing the Body Electric"

Essays for Walt Whitman: Poems

Walt Whitman: Poems essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the poetry of Walt Whitman.

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E-Text of Walt Whitman: Poems

Walt Whitman: Poems e-text contains the full text of select poems by Walt Whitman.

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