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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In line 4, "Stop here, or gently pass!" what is the grammatical mood of the words "stop" and "pass"?
(a) Subjunctive.
(b) Imperative.
(c) Indicative.
(d) Interrogative.

2. 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 contraction in line 25 creates a second line of trimeter in this stanza, emphasizing the musicality of the song.
(c) The feminine ending of line 26 emphasizes the idea of something that does not end when it is expected to.
(d) Line 25 begins with a dactyl, emphasizing the importance of the content of the reaper's song.

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

4. What is the young woman doing in the field?
(a) Harvesting a grain crop.
(b) Pushing a cart down a path.
(c) Watching over grazing sheep.
(d) Watching the speaker from the hillside.

5. Where in the Highlands is the field where the woman is standing?
(a) In a valley.
(b) On the hillside.
(c) At the top of a mountain.
(d) By a river in the foothills.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What is the stanzaic form of "The Solitary Reaper"?

3. In the fourth stanza, when the speaker finally places himself in the scene, what is it clear he is there to do?

4. What technique is evident in the poem's opening line, "Behold her, single in the field" (line 1)?

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

(see the answer key)

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