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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Solitary Reaper.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which is the best interpretation of line 6's reference to "a melancholy strain"?
(a) Hard work.
(b) A sad song.
(c) A difficult burden.
(d) Persistent pain.

2. In which stanza does the speaker make it clear that this event happened some time in the past?
(a) The second.
(b) The third.
(c) The fourth.
(d) The first.

3. Besides that the reaper may be singing about some terrible moment in history, what else does the speaker guess she might be singing about?
(a) Ordinary, everyday troubles.
(b) Modern political events.
(c) The beauty of the Highlands.
(d) Love and romance.

4. What technique is used in phrases like "the Vale profound" (line 7) and "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?
(a) Simile.
(b) Inversion.
(c) Symbolism.
(d) Imagery.

5. What reasonable inference can be made about the reaper from line 17, "Will no one tell me what she sings?"?
(a) She is singing in a language the speaker does not understand.
(b) She is singing a song that she has made up herself.
(c) She is singing an old folk song that the speaker does not know the title of.
(d) She is too far away to be heard clearly.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do all three sentences in the third stanza have in common?

2. What is the young woman doing in the field?

3. What is the meaning of the word "Yon" in line 2, "Yon solitary Highland Lass"?

4. What technique is used in the line "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?

5. What is subtly appropriate about the meter in lines 25 and 26, "Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang / As if her song could have no ending"?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 370 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample