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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. Line 4, "While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring," contains examples of which techniques?
(a) Alliteration and synecdoche.
(b) Synecdoche and personification.
(c) Simie and alliteration.
(d) Personification and simile.

2. Which term describes the poem's repeated use of the phrases "O Captain! My Captain!" (lines 1 and 9) and "fallen cold and dead" (lines 8, 16, and 24)?
(a) Refrain.
(b) Chorus.
(c) Conceit.
(d) Verse.

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

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

5. Which details in the second stanza evoke a patriotic occasion?
(a) The captain and the bells.
(b) The crowd and the shore.
(c) The flag and bugle.
(d) The bouquets and wreaths.

Short Answer Questions

1. Line 6, "O the bleeding drops of red," is an example of which technique?

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

3. Which technique is evident in line 10, "Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills"?

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

5. What does it mean that the people are "exulting"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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