Winter Swans Quizzes

Winter Swans Quiz

1 What kind of verse is this poem written in?

Rhymed verse

Blank Verse

Free verse

Fake Verse
2 Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of this poem?

After it rains, swans swim in lakes.

Swans are a type of bird that mate for life.

Nature is used metaphorically to express reconciliation between a couple.

Nature is used metaphorically to communicate that reconciliation is not possible.
3 What best describes the conflict in the poem?

A couple cannot be together because of long distance.

A couple argue with each other.

Seeing swans swim in a lake make a couple realize they cannot be together.

A couple are distant and uncommunicative after a fight or disagreement.
4 Which of the following is NOT an explicit theme of the work?

Nature

Relational Tension

Reconciliation

Nostalgia
5 What collection is "Winter Swans" published in?

Skirrid Hill

The Blue Book

Skirrid Hall

Mametz Wood
6 What is Owen Sheers' heritage?

Scottish

Irish

Welsh

American
7 How many lines does each stanza have?

Each has 2 except for the last, which has 3.

Each has 3.

Each has 3 except for the last, which has 2.

Each has 2.
8 Which line best symbolizes reconciliation between the couple?

"until the swans came and stopped us"

"I noticed our hands..."

"'They mate for life' you said as they left,"

"like a pair of wings settling after flight."
9 Which best describes the significance of the change in number of lines per stanza?

All stanzas have the same number of lines.

The last stanza ends with 2 lines as opposed to 3, which suggests the theme of loss.

The last stanza ends with 2 lines as opposed to 3, which numerically settles upon a pair.

The last stanza ends with 3 lines as opposed to 2, which numerically suggests an addition to the couple's family.
10 Which of the following literary elements does not appear in the poem?

Metaphor

Simile

Anaphora

Irony
11 Which of the following best describes the tone?

Excited and assertive

Hopeful and calm

Dry and regretful

Melancholy and loving
12 Which of the following is a metaphor in the poem?

"like boats righting in rough weather" (Line 12)

"porcelain over stilling water" (Line 14)

"The clouds had given their all-" (Line 1)

"the waterlogged earth" (Line 4)
13 What is special about the material of porcelain?

Porcelain is a kind of ceramic.

Porcelain appears to be fragile, but is actually strong.

Plates can be made of porcelain.

Porcelain appears to be strong, but is actually fragile.
14 How many stanzas does the poem have?

Seven, made of tercets

Six, made of tercets

Seven, made of six tercets and one couplet

Seven, made of five tercets and two couplet
15 What does it mean to "skirt?"

To go through something rather than around it

To wear a skirt

To go around something rather than directly through or across it

To go on top of something
16 What is the poem's setting?

Beside a lake in a break after a two-day rainstorm

Beside a river in a break after a two-day rainstorm

Beside a lake during a two-day rainstorm

In the couple's house
17 Why is the earth gulping for breath?

It is the result of the heavy rains, which symbolize the argument taking place during the poem.

It is the result of the extreme cold of winter.

It is the result of the amount of swans congregating by the lake.

It is the result of the heavy rains, which symbolize the earlier argument between the couple.
18 Which is an example of consonance?

"the waterlogged earth" (Line 4)

"like boats righting in rough weather" (Line 12)

"icebergs of white feather" (Line 11)

"with a show of tipping in unison" (Line 8)
19 What is the English translation of the Welsh "Ysgyryd (skirrid) fawr?"

The Kingdom of Wales

Great Sloping Mountain

Great Sloping Hill

Great Shattered Hill
20 What theme in Sheers's work, indicated by the title of the collection, appears in "Winter Swans"?

Separation

Swans

Nature

Togetherness
21 When is enjambment used in the poem?

It is used throughout the poem.

It is used during the swan's movement and the ending image where the couple's hands come together.

The poem does not use enjambment.

It is used when describing the way the couple walks together.
22 What does it mean for the swans to "[halve] themselves?"

They are separated from each other.

They feel the loss of a breakup.

They dive their heads beneath the water.

They are killed by hunters.
23 Does the speaker reply when his or her partner remarks that the swans mate for life?

The speaker only looks at his or her partner.

Not in words; eventually the couple's hands find each other.

Not in words, the speaker hugs his or her partner.

The speaker does not reply at all.
24 What does rain symbolize in the poem?

The coming-together of the couple.

The unspecified conflict that had occurred between the couple.

The unspecified conflict that had occurred between the swans.

Nature's natural cycles
25 What best describes the ending image of the poem?

The couple's entwined hands resemble the swans swimming in the lake.

The couple's entwined hands resemble a pair of wings settling after flight.

The couple's entwined hands resemble a pair of wings taking off in flight.

The couple's hands swing side by side like birds taking off in flight.

Winter Swans Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Winter Swans is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for Winter Swans

Winter Swans study guide contains a biography of Owen Sheers, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for Winter Swans…