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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: "Still I Rise," Lines 1 - 43 .

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What precious stones does the speaker use to evoke beauty and value in the simile in line 27?
(a) Rubies.
(b) Emeralds.
(c) Sapphires.
(d) Diamonds.

2. Which is the most logical description of who "You" is in line 1?
(a) People of the past.
(b) Scholars and critics.
(c) A romantic partner.
(d) An unnamed oppressor.

3. What kind of "certainty" does the speaker claim to have in line 10?
(a) The "certainty of history."
(b) The "certainty of air."
(c) The "certainty of springtime."
(d) The "certainty of tides."

4. In the fourth stanza, what kind of person does the speaker ask if "you" want her to be?
(a) Angry and afraid.
(b) Distant and uninvolved.
(c) Sad and meek.
(d) Tired and distracted.

5. What is the primary quality that the speaker's stanza eight description of a body of water is intended to convey?
(a) Persistence.
(b) Power.
(c) Endurance.
(d) Independence.

Short Answer Questions

1. What words create a refrain in the final two stanzas of the poem?

2. What techniques are used in line 19, "’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines"?

3. What technique is used in lines 7 and 8, "’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells/ Pumping in my living room"?

4. In the final quatrain, what does the speaker wonder about upsetting "you" with?

5. What technique does the first line of the poem, "You may write me down in history," introduce?

(see the answer key)

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