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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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"?
(a) Line 26 has four metrical feet instead of the expected three, creating a feeling of "lingering."
(b) The feminine ending of line 26 emphasizes the idea of something that does not end when it is expected to.
(c) The contraction in line 25 creates a second line of trimeter in this stanza, emphasizing the musicality of the song.
(d) Line 25 begins with a dactyl, emphasizing the importance of the content of the reaper's song.

2. What technique is evident in the poem's opening line, "Behold her, single in the field" (line 1)?
(a) Analogy.
(b) Allusion.
(c) Apostrophe.
(d) Apology.

3. What is the meaning of the word "lay" in the line "Or is it some more humble lay" (line 21)?
(a) Tune or song.
(b) A plan or pattern.
(c) A narrative poem written in couplets.
(d) A reclining position.

4. Which line uses deliberate redundancy for emphasis?
(a) "For old, unhappy, far-off things" (line 19).
(b) "Behold her, single in the field" (line 1).
(c) "I listened, motionless and still" (line 29).
(d) "Stop here, or gently pass" (line 4).

5. What do the metaphors in lines 9-12 and 13-16 have in common?
(a) They both compare traveling to a specific time of year.
(b) They both compare the speaker to a traveler.
(c) They both compare the reaper to a bird.
(d) The both compare music to a geographical location.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the lines "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things," what does "plaintive numbers" refer to (lines 18-19)?

2. Which is the best interpretation of line 6's reference to "a melancholy strain"?

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

4. From context, what is is likely meaning of "single" in line 1, "Behold her, single in the field"?

5. In line 4, "Stop here, or gently pass!" what is the grammatical mood of the words "stop" and "pass"?

(see the answer key)

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