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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 tied sheaf of grain.
(b) A mark dyed into wool to track sheep.
(c) A sharp cutting tool.
(d) A handle used to pull a cart.

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

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

4. In the fourth stanza, when the speaker finally places himself in the scene, what is it clear he is there to do?
(a) He is working on a farm.
(b) He is out walking.
(c) He is delivering supplies.
(d) He is there to confess his love for the woman.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where in the Highlands is the field where the woman is standing?

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

3. What technique is employed in lines 7 and 8, "O listen! for the Vale profound / Is overflowing with the sound"?

4. What technique is evident in the line "Breaking the silence of the seas" (line 15)?

5. Which stanza could be reasonably called the most positive in tone?

(see the answer key)

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