The Thorn Quizzes

The Thorn Quiz

1 The speaker of the poem may be identified as:
a gossip

an unreliable narrator

an old sea captain

all of the above
2 Who is supposedly buried beneath the mossy hill?
Martha Ray's baby

Martha Ray

Stephen Hill

Wilfred
3 Why didn't Martha and Stephen get married?
Their families disapproved of the union

Stephen left Martha for another woman

Martha moved away

Stephen moved away
4 "Cuts like a scythe" is an example of:
a metaphor

onomatopoeia

a simile

personification
5 The thorn is described as:
old

grey

poor

all of the above
6 "O guilty father" most likely refers to:
Martha Ray's father

Wilfred

God

Stephen Hill
7 The description of Martha as "mad" refers to:
neither her anger nor her insanity

her insanity

her anger

both her anger and insanity
8 When Martha is pregnant, her baby seems to:
bring her senses back again

cause her to have bad dreams

make her feel sick

make her upset
9 Wilfred of the glen is most likely:
Martha's former lover

Stephen's friend

an older local man

Martha's brother
10 "A melancholy crop" is an example of:
simile

personification

metaphor

allusion
11 What does the color red most likely represent in the poem?
both blood and adultery

blood

neither blood nor adultery

adultery
12 What is one of the poem's prominent themes?
When one is in despair, family and friends are always there for support

Love is the most powerful feeling in the world

Beauty and ugliness coexist both in physical nature and in human nature

Human beings are happier when they grow up and join society
13 What happened to Martha Ray's baby?
The baby was stillborn

The baby was murdered

No one knows for certain

The baby was miscarried
14 The speaker mistook Martha for:
a bush

a tree

a wild animal

a jutting crag
15 The speaker conveys the tone and style of a ballad through his use of:
repetition and imagery

metonymy and synecdoche

onomatopoeia and allusion

simile and metaphor
16 The overall tone of the poem may be described as:
somber and mysterious

joyful and hopeful

angry and frustrated

confused and afraid
17 Which of the following is not a likely reason why the little pond stirs suddenly?
The locals are imagining the event to avoid any action toward Martha

Nature shudders at the idea of torturing Martha any further

The spirit of Martha's baby is disturbed

The soil surrounding the pond is being replanted
18 Which of the following is not a theory proposed in the poem regarding Martha's baby?
Martha gave her baby up for adoption

The baby was stillborn

Martha hanged her baby on the tree

Martha drowned her baby in the pond
19 When is Martha found by her child's supposed grave?
During the summer

Late at night

Night and day

In the early morning
20 "Sober sad" is an example of:
onomatopoeia

assonance

metonymy

alliteration
21 "Thirsty suns and parching air" is an example of:
synecdoche

personification

metaphor

simile
22 The moss is compared to:
A muddy swamp

The handwoven work of a lady

A neglected shrub

The styled hair of a child
23 "A fire was kindled in her breast" is an example of:
simile

allusion

metaphor

personification
24 While the poem is from the Romantic period, it also has the macabre and superstitious elements found in ________works.
Renaissance

Gothic

Pre-Raphaelite

Modern
25 How might the speaker and the locals best be described?
Scared of Martha

Very worried about Martha

Mildly sympathetic but mostly gossipy

Vengeful and belligerent

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