Walt Whitman: Poems Quizzes

Walt Whitman: Poems Quiz 1

1 Where was Walt Whitman born?
New Haven, CT

Washington, D.C.

Long Island, NY

Harrisburg, PA
2 In what year was the first edition of "Leaves of Grass" published?
1892

1860

1872

1855
3 Which of Whitman's contemporaries famously praised "Leaves of Grass" as "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed"?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry David Thoreau

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Ralph Waldo Emerson
4 The poem "O Captain! My Captain!" is an allegory for what significant historical event?
The defeat of General Lee at Appomattox

The end of the War of 1812

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln

The appointment of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America
5 Which of the following is NOT part of the "Answer" in "O Me! O Life!"?
That the powerful play goes on

That life exists and identity

That you are here

That the Divine is and forever will be
6 What does the phantom in "As I Ponder'd in Silence" represent?
The genius of poets of old lands

The ideal of the Democratic self

The death of Abraham Lincoln

The remembrance of loves lost
7 According to the phantom in "As I Ponder'd in Silence," what is the one theme for ever-enduring bards?
Family

War

Love

Peace
8 What is the primary theme in "I Sing the Body Electric"?
The dangers of female sexuality

The superiority of white bodies

The sanctity of the human body

The importance of the body as the only aspect of the soul
9 In "Ashes of Soldiers," Whitman writes, "all is over and long gone" but ----?
Democracy

The beauty of humanity

Love

The inevitability of death
10 Which of the following most accurately reflects Whitman's views on slavery as evidenced in "I Sing the Body Electric"?
Slavery constituted the backbone of the Southern economy and was therefore irreplaceable

Slavery was a part of the natural order of things considering the innate inferiority of blacks

Slavery as a source of labor jeopardized the economic position of Northern white wage workers

Slavery was a corrupt institution which commodified and demeaned human bodies
11 Which of the following themes does NOT appear in "One's-Self I Sing"?
Democracy

Humility

Egalitarianism

The Self
12 Which of the following poetic devices does Whitman NOT use in "Beat! Beat! Drums!"?
Personification

Onomatopoeia

Alliteration

Metonymy
13 To which side of the Civil War does Whitman address "Ashes of Soldiers" and why?
North; here Whitman reveals his loyalty to the Union and condemns the Confederacy.

Neither; the poem reflects Whitman's disgust with the war and all involved.

Both South and North; Whitman laments the war and its devastating toll on the lives of soldiers from both camps.

South; Whitman responds with pity to the state of complete destruction left in the South following the war.
14 What does Whitman question in the short poem "To You"?
The dangers of increased industrialization

The arbitrary distance between strangers

The importance of Nature and the Sublime

The strictness of societal mores regarding sexuality
15 What is the common nickname for Whitman's final edition of "Leaves of Grass," published in 1891?
The Deathbed Edition

The Abridged Edition

The Posthumous Edition

The Later Period Edition
16 At what age did Whitman stop receiving a formal education?
He never received any formal education.

25

11

18
17 What is the profession of the man that Whitman admires in "I Sing the Body Electric"?
Government official

University professor

Sailor

Common farmer
18 In what year was Walt Whitman born?
1831

1855

1812

1819
19 Which of the following newspapers did Walt Whitman start himself?
The Brooklyn Eagle

The New York Mirror

The Long Islander

The Long-Island Star
20 Which of the following jobs did Walt Whitman detest the most?
Teacher

Government clerk

Poet

Journalist
21 How many poems appeared in the 1855 version of "Leaves of Grass"?
20

25

12

16
22 Why did Whitman suddenly leave Brooklyn in 1862?
To work as a government clerk in Washington, D.C.

To provide volunteer hospital service on the warfront

To find his brother George, who was fighting in the war

To campaign against the war in Washington, D.C.
23 Where is Walt Whitman buried?
Camden, NJ

Long Island, NY

Brooklyn, NY

Harrisburg, CT
24 What poetic structure is Walt Whitman known for?
Free Verse

Sonnet

Lyric poem

Limerick
25 Which of Whitman's poems is the only one with a regular meter and rhyme scheme?
"O Captain! My Captain!"

"I Sing the Body Electric"

"When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"

"As I Ponder'd in Silence"

The Wound Dresser

D. empathetic

Asked by jeason b #1043948

Answered by jill d #170087 on 7/3/2023 6:18 PM

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Why do you think Walt Whitman chose a spider to symbolize his soul?

Whitman chose the spider because like the spider, his soul is always trying to make connections to the world.

Asked by hannah f #688566

Answered by jill d #170087 on 8/14/2023 12:33 PM

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“Pioneers! O Pioneers!” why the repetition in the last lines?

Each stanza ends with the title line, "Pioneers! O Pioneers!" The repetition of this line accentuates the speaker's respect for the pioneers, as well as mimicking a rallying cry that brings them together and inspires them for the difficult journey...

Asked by Kiều O #1097908

Answered by jill d #170087 on 7/3/2023 7:07 PM

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Walt Whitman: Poems

by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman: Poems Quiz 1

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