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

2. Which technique is used in line 9, "Just like moons and like suns"?
(a) Allusion.
(b) Euphemism.
(c) Dialect.
(d) Parallelism.

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

4. Which is the first stanza of the poem that is longer than four lines?
(a) 9.
(b) 6.
(c) 8.
(d) 7.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What precious stones does the speaker use to evoke beauty and value in the simile in line 27?

2. What technique is used in line 29, "Out of the huts of history’s shame"?

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. What is the primary quality that the speaker's stanza eight description of a body of water is intended to convey?

5. Why is the speaker's past "rooted in pain" (line 32)?

(see the answer key)

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