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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. Which two things does the final stanza use to represent the past and present?
(a) The directions east and west.
(b) Gathering clouds and rain.
(c) A seed and a sprout.
(d) Night and daybreak.

2. Which technique is frequently used at the beginnings of stanzas?
(a) Rhetorical question.
(b) Cacophony.
(c) Onomatopoeia.
(d) Internal rhyme.

3. What techniques are used in line 19, "’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines"?
(a) Onomatopoeia and alliteration.
(b) Sibilance and onomatopoeia.
(c) Alliteration and assonance.
(d) Assonance and sibilance.

4. Which is the best definition for "trod" in the context of line 3?
(a) Press down with the foot.
(b) The sound of footsteps.
(c) Throw or hurl downward.
(d) Drag along the floor or earth.

5. Where does the speaker say she obtained her gifts?
(a) From the passage of time.
(b) From effort and hard work.
(c) From her ancestors.
(d) From well-chosen friends.

Short Answer Questions

1. What technique is used in line 21, "You may shoot me with your words"?

2. How does the speaker characterize herself in line 4?

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

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

5. Which technique is used in line 9, "Just like moons and like suns"?

(see the answer key)

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