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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "O Captain! My Captain!" lines 1-24.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In context, the literal meaning of the word "rack" in line two is which of the following?
(a) Battle or confrontation.
(b) A metal rod used for hanging things.
(c) A thorough sorting or sifting.
(d) Storm or upheaval.

2. Who is the author of "O Captain! my Captain!"?
(a) Ralph Waldo Emerson.
(b) Walt Whitman.
(c) William Cullen Bryant.
(d) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

3. Who is the speaker of the poem?
(a) A soldier.
(b) A sailor.
(c) A doctor.
(d) A writer.

4. In context, the word "fearful" in line 1 indicates that the trip was which of the following?
(a) A metaphor for an internal struggle.
(b) Full of frightening obstacles.
(c) The cause of the captain's death.
(d) A bad idea from the beginning.

5. What is the most common type of metrical foot in "O Captain! My Captain!"?
(a) The iamb.
(b) The spondee.
(c) The trochee.
(d) The dactyl.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the phrase "swaying mass" refer to (line 12)?

2. What type of rhyme is employed in line 20, "From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won"?

3. What is a "keel" (line 4)?

4. Which is the best interpretation of line 9, when the speaker urges "O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells"?

5. By which other term, besides "Captain," does the speaker address the captain of the ship?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 304 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample