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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 5 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What type of rhyme is employed in line 20, "From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won"?
(a) Eye rhyme.
(b) Internal rhyme.
(c) Identical rhyme.
(d) Near rhyme.

3. What feature of the Captain's face does line 17 focus on?
(a) His mouth.
(b) His brow.
(c) His eyes.
(d) His chin.

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

5. What is the rhyme pattern of the first four lines of each stanza?
(a) AABB.
(b) ABAC.
(c) ABBA.
(d) ABCB.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is the ship in the beginning of the poem?

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

3. Line 5, " But O heart! heart! heart!" is an example of which technique?

4. Which details in the second stanza evoke a patriotic occasion?

5. Line 4, "While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring," contains examples of which techniques?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the allegorical nature of the poem's central conceit.

2. What ironic contrast do the poem's images highlight?

3. What elements of the poem's diction establish a warm and personal relationship between the speaker and the captain?

4. Describe the form of "O Captain! My Captain!"

5. What evidence is there that the speaker is struggling to understand and process the captain's death?

(see the answer keys)

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