I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed Quizzes

I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed Quiz

1 Which of the following is true of the poem's theme of rationality?
The speaker believes objectivity and rationality to be nonexistent and impossible

The speaker admires her lover's ability to behave rationally

The speaker describes her sexual desires as contradictory to her rationality

The speaker thinks of herself as rational, but is clearly irrational
2 What does the phrase "fume of life" refer to?
Sexual desire

Cigar smoke

The holy spirit

Food and water
3 Which assumption does the speaker attempt to dismantle?
That her physical attraction is a sign of love

That her physical attraction is a sign that she is impure or sexually experienced

That her lack of interest in conversation means she is not attracted to her listener

That her love means she consents to sex
4 What function does the poem's opening word serve?
It tells us that the speaker is writing a letter

It hints at the speaker's self-assurance

It tells us that the speaker is taking on a false identity

It lets us know that the speaker has never met her listener
5 Which of the following is used as a metonymic representation of rationality?
The blood

The fume

The book

The brain
6 What is the rhyme scheme of the poem's first half?
AABB AABB

ABAB ABAB

ABA ABA ABA

ABBA ABBA
7 How does the poem present the relationship between love and lust?
Love is portrayed as inevitably resulting from lust and attraction

Love is portrayed as the domain of women and lust as the domain of men

Love and lust are portrayed as being distinct and independent

Lust is portrayed as a force tarnishing the purity of love
8 What does "zest" mean in the poem's context?
Pain

Citrus rind

Revulsion

Desire
9 Where is the poem's volta?
After line 8

After line 7

After line 12

After line 4
10 Which social norms does the poem interrogate?
The norms surrounding division of labor in the Edwardian household

The labor structures and inequalities of the gilded age

The norms of politeness and veiled language predominant in Victorian society

The sexual and gender norms of the early twentieth century
11 Which of the following is true of the addressee?
We know nothing of the addressee except that the speaker dislikes them

They are a young woman

They are a young man

They are an older man
12 Which of the following does "blood" symbolize?
Revolution

Sexual desire

Violence

Familial relationship
13 What is this poem's form?
Italian sonnet

English sonnet

Ghazal

Sestina
14 Which of the following is an example of personification?
feel a certain zest / To bear your body’s weight

season / My scorn with pity

the poor treason / Of my stout blood

distressed / By all the needs and notions of my kind
15 Which line contains alliterative N sounds?
My scorn with pity,—let me make it plain:

Your person fair, and feel a certain zest

And leave me once again undone, possessed.

By all the needs and notions of my kind,
16 What does "stout" mean in the context of this poem?
Small

Fat

Loud

Sturdy
17 Which phrase contains alliterative I sounds?
my stout blood

weight upon my breast

undone, possessed

life designed
18 In which poetry collection did this work first appear?
A Few Figs and Thistles

Renascence and Other Poems

The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems

Aria da Capo
19 What is the poem's primary meter?
Iambic trimeter

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic pentameter

Trochaic trimeter
20 Which line contains alliterative B sounds?
I shall remember you with love, or season

To bear your body’s weight upon my breast:

Am urged by your propinquity to find

I find this frenzy insufficient reason
21 Which verb is metaphorically used to describe the mixing of emotions?
Blend

Season

Breed

Flavor
22 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Passionate

Gentle

Apathetic

Ironic
23 What does the word "propinquity" mean?
Cleverness

Proximity

Boldness

Sarcasm
24 Which best describes the speaker?
Self-possessed woman

Wise mother

Frightened young girl

Mysterious, disembodied spirit
25 What is the rhyme scheme of the poem's second half?
CDCDCD

CDECDE

CDED CDED

CD CE CD CE

I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed

I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed study guide contains a biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed…