Barn Owl Quizzes

Barn Owl Quiz

1 In what year was the poem published?
1965

1969

1980

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)

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

"A horny fiend, I crept" (line 3)

"I am the owl" (line 8)
3 Which of the following best describes the rhyme scheme of the poem?
ABCABC

ABABCC

AABBCC

ABBABB
4 What is the speaker's "prize" in line 8?
The gun

Waking up early before her parents

The owl

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

The owl

The speaker

The speaker's mother
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?
Personification

Metaphor

Antonym

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

Somber but hopeful

Horrified and remorseful

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

Straightforward and intellectual

Excited and condescending

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

Its wings

Its eyes

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

Once

Three times

Many times
11 From what point of view and tense is "Barn Owl" told?
First-person, past tense

First-person, present tense

Third-person limited, present tense

Third-person limited, past tense
12 Which of the following is NOT a phrase that the speaker uses to describe herself in the poem?
"a horny fiend"

"a lonely child"

"master of life and death"

"a child / obedient, angel-mind-"
13 Which stanza contains the poem's climax?
Stanza Five

Stanza One

Stanza Four

Stanza Two
14 Gwen Harwood is a(n) ____ poet.
British

American

Australian

Canadian
15 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
My father reached my side,

Let him dream of a child

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 was clean and final

She had never heard of death

That it only applied to humans

That is was messy and obscene
17 What is the title of the companion poem to "Barn Owl" in the diptych "Father and Child"?
"A Child's Rebellion"

"The Fallen Gun"

"Nightfall"

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

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

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

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

At dusk

At night

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

The fallen gun

The urine-scented hay

The injured owl
21 Which of the following best describes the structure of each stanza?
A sestet

Free-form

A quartet

A couplet
22 Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?
"My first shot struck. He swayed,"

"Let him dream of a child"

"home at this hour"

"dropped, / and dribbled"
23 Which of the following is NOT a feature of the barn as stated in the poem?
Loose straw on the floor

Hay on the floor

A beam

A red door
24 Which of the following is an example of religious subtext in the poem?
"those eyes that did not see"

"gave me the fallen gun."

"dribbled through the loose straw"

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

Nightfall

Vision

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