Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1980

1965

1969

1970
2 Which of the following is an example of a metaphor used in the poem?
"to his place on a high beam" (line 11)

"I am the owl" (line 8)

"the wrecked thing that could / not bear the light nor hide" (lines 37-38)

"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
ABCABC

ABABCC

ABBABB

AABBCC
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?
Waking up early before her parents

The gun

The barn

The owl
5 Who is the "old no-sayer, robber of power / by sleep" in lines 7-8?
The speaker's father

The speaker

The speaker's mother

The owl
6 As used in lines 17-18, "a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw" is an example of which literary device?
Antonym

Personification

Metaphor

Simile
7 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanza 1?
Excited and condescending

Horrified and remorseful

Somber but hopeful

Straightforward and intellectual
8 Which adjective best describes the speaker's tone in stanzas 5 and 6?
Straightforward and intellectual

Horrified and remorseful

Excited and condescending

Somber but hopeful
9 Which of the owl's features is NOT mentioned by the speaker?
Its tail

Its eyes

Its wings

Its bowels
10 How many times does the speaker shoot the owl?
Many times

Three times

Once

Twice
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
Third-person limited, past tense

Third-person limited, present tense

First-person, past tense

First-person, present tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?
"a lonely child"

"a horny fiend"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"master of life and death"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza Four

Stanza Two

Stanza One

Stanza Five
14 Gwen Harwood is a(n) ____ poet.
Australian

Canadian

American

British
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
Let him dream of a child

My father reached my side,

My first shot struck. He swayed,

child who believed death clean
16 Before shooting the owl, what did the speaker believe about death?
That it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene

That it was clean and final

She had never heard of death
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?
"A Child's Rebellion"

"Nightfall"

"The Fallen Gun"

"Quadrant"
18 Which of the following is an example of slant rhyme in the poem?
"Let him dream of a child / obedient, angel-mind-"

"to his place on a high beam / in our old stables, to dream"

"a wisp-haired judge whose law / would punish beak and claw"

"gave me the fallen gun. / 'End what you have begun.'"
19 When does the poem take place?
At dusk

At night

In early morning

In the afternoon
20 In line 25, "bundle of stuff" best means
The objects that the speaker is carrying

The fallen gun

The injured owl

The urine-scented hay
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
A quartet

A couplet

A sestet

Free-form
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"home at this hour"

"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"Let him dream of a child"

"dropped, / and dribbled"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?
A red door

Hay on the floor

A beam

Loose straw on the floor
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?
"dribbled through the loose straw"

"those eyes that did not see"

"gave me the fallen gun."

"blessed by the sun"
25 Which of the following is NOT a symbol in the poem?
Nightfall

Vision

Sunlight

The owl

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Barn Owl study guide contains a biography of Gwen Harwood, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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Barn Owl

by Gwen Harwood

Barn Owl Quiz

Barn Owl Questions and Answers

Study Guide for Barn Owl

Lesson Plan for Barn Owl