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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. 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) Verse.
(c) Conceit.
(d) Chorus.

2. The list of ways the crowd is celebrating the arrival of the ship in lines 9-12 is an example of which technique?
(a) Paraprosdokian.
(b) Periphrasis.
(c) Understatement.
(d) Accumulation.

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

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

5. What is the most accurate way to describe the poem's stanza form?
(a) Double tercet.
(b) Double quatrain.
(c) Sestet.
(d) Octave.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What feature of the Captain's face does line 17 focus on?

3. In context, the word "fearful" in line 1 indicates that the trip was which of the following?

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

5. What is the most common type of metrical foot in "O Captain! My Captain!"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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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