View a FREE sample

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. 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.

2. Which is the best definition of "beset" in line 6?
(a) Decorated.
(b) Troubled.
(c) Cradled.
(d) Inspired.

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

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

5. What body of water does the speaker claim to be in the eighth stanza?
(a) A lake.
(b) A stream.
(c) A river.
(d) An ocean.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which two things does the final stanza use to represent the past and present?

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

4. Which is the first stanza of the poem that is longer than four lines?

5. In line 17, what kind of a person is described by the word "haughtiness"?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 231 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample