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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 the "sickle" in line 28?
(a) A mark dyed into wool to track sheep.
(b) A sharp cutting tool.
(c) A handle used to pull a cart.
(d) A tied sheaf of grain.

2. What technique is used in the line "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard" (line 13)?
(a) Litotes.
(b) Paradox.
(c) Contraction.
(d) Verbal irony.

3. Which stanza could be reasonably called the most positive in tone?
(a) The second.
(b) The first.
(c) The fourth.
(d) The third.

4. 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 25 begins with a dactyl, emphasizing the importance of the content of the reaper's song.
(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 26 has four metrical feet instead of the expected three, creating a feeling of "lingering."

5. In the lines "Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow / For old, unhappy, far-off things," what does "plaintive numbers" refer to (lines 18-19)?
(a) The reaper's tears.
(b) The song.
(c) Time and history.
(d) The reaper's personal experience.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the meaning of the word "lay" in the line "Or is it some more humble lay" (line 21)?

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

3. In the second stanza, to whom is the nightingale depicted singing?

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

5. Besides that the reaper may be singing about some terrible moment in history, what else does the speaker guess she might be singing about?

(see the answer key)

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