Suburban Sonnet Quizzes

Suburban Sonnet Quiz

1 Where is the poem set?
A park

A restaurant

A concert hall

A woman's house
2 Which of the following is NOT a major theme or motif in the poem?
Motherhood

Music

Domesticity

Religion
3 Who did the woman perform her music for?
Bach

Stravinsky

Rubinstein

Mozart
4 What does the magazine paper that the woman used to wrap the mouse say?
100 delicious recipes for the holidays

Tasty dishes from stale bread

Zest and love

Piano concert tomorrow night
5 Which of the following best describes the tone of the speaker?
Calm, ebullient, observant

Resigned, exhausted, overwhelmed

Anxious, excited, curious

Nostalgic, affectionate, contemplative
6 What frightens the children?
A dead mouse in a moustrap

A howling wind outside

Their mother's solemn piano music

The pot boiling over
7 What does the speaker expressly say "aches" in the poem?
The woman's veins

The woman's muscles

The woman's fingers

The woman's heart
8 Which of the following literary devices is NOT used in the poem?
Metaphor

Enjambment

Simile

Allusion
9 It is implied that Rubenstein reacted to the woman's performance with:
Boredom

Enthusiasm

Delight

Disgust
10 As used in Line 10, what does the word "caper" mean?
scream and fight, with a sense of anger

skip or dance about in a lively or playful way

the pickled flower bud of a prickly southern European shrub, used to flavor food

a sleeveless cloak, typically a short one
11 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the poem?
A woman comforting her children

A woman cleaning burned milk from a pot

A woman practicing music

A woman pushing a stroller
12 Which of the following is the clearest example of metaphor used in the poem?
Zest and love / drain out with soapy water as she scours

Beside her on the floor two children chatter

When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid.

Once she played / for Rubinstein, who yawned.
13 Who "yawned" in the poem (line 10)?
Rubinstein

The children

The mother

The father
14 As used in Line 8, what does the word "scour" mean?
do a thorough search in order to locate something

dig through something to obtain what is hidden underneath

clean or brighten the surface of (something) by rubbing it hard, typically with an abrasive or detergent

move rapidly in a particular direction, especially in search or pursuit of someone or something
15 The poem is predominantly written in the ____ tense.
Future

Past perfect

Present

Past
16 How many lines does a traditional sonnet contain?
17

12

14

10
17 How many lines does this poem contain?
17

10

12

14
18 Which of the following is an example of a slant rhyme used in the poem?
"The children caper / ...They seem afraid"

"a wave of nausea overpowers / ... as she scours"

"though it can matter / ...two children chatter"

"she plays well or not / ...She hushes them. A pot"
19 Which of the following sounds does NOT occur in the poem?
Music being played

A door slamming

Children screaming

A pot boiling over
20 Which of the following is an example of enjambment?
"where a mouse lies dead. / When the soft corpse won't move"

"if she plays well or not. / Beside her"

"they seem afraid. / She comforts them"

"As she rushes to the stove / too late"
21 Which of the following is an example of caesura?
"When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid."

"featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread."

"Beside her on the floor two children chatter,"

"to no one now if she plays well or not."
22 The poem was published in the ___.
1960s

1980s

1950s

1970s
23 Which of the following do the children NOT do in the poem?
Chatter

Fight

Caper

Practice piano
24 Which of the following is an example of alliteration?
then scream and fight

children caper

the soft corpse won't move

a wave of nausea overpowers
25 Which of the following statements would Gwen Harwood be most likely to agree with?
Women should have the freedom to pursue their creative passions.

Music is more important than poetry.

Children should be firmly punished for screaming and fighting.

All women should be mothers.

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Study Guide for Suburban Sonnet

Suburban Sonnet 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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