Walt Whitman: Poems Quizzes

Walt Whitman: Poems Quiz 1

1 Where was Walt Whitman born?
Washington, D.C.

Long Island, NY

Harrisburg, PA

New Haven, CT
2 In what year was the first edition of "Leaves of Grass" published?
1855

1892

1872

1860
3 Which of Whitman's contemporaries famously praised "Leaves of Grass" as "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed"?
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry David Thoreau

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
4 The poem "O Captain! My Captain!" is an allegory for what significant historical event?
The appointment of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln

The end of the War of 1812

The defeat of General Lee at Appomattox
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 the Divine is and forever will be

That you are here
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 remembrance of loves lost

The death of Abraham Lincoln
7 According to the phantom in "As I Ponder'd in Silence," what is the one theme for ever-enduring bards?
Love

Family

Peace

War
8 What is the primary theme in "I Sing the Body Electric"?
The superiority of white bodies

The dangers of female sexuality

The importance of the body as the only aspect of the soul

The sanctity of the human body
9 In "Ashes of Soldiers," Whitman writes, "all is over and long gone" but ----?
Love

The inevitability of death

Democracy

The beauty of humanity
10 Which of the following most accurately reflects Whitman's views on slavery as evidenced in "I Sing the Body Electric"?
Slavery was a corrupt institution which commodified and demeaned human bodies

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
11 Which of the following themes does NOT appear in "One's-Self I Sing"?
The Self

Humility

Democracy

Egalitarianism
12 Which of the following poetic devices does Whitman NOT use in "Beat! Beat! Drums!"?
Alliteration

Metonymy

Onomatopoeia

Personification
13 To which side of the Civil War does Whitman address "Ashes of Soldiers" and why?
Neither; the poem reflects Whitman's disgust with the war and all involved.

South; Whitman responds with pity to the state of complete destruction left in the South following the war.

North; here Whitman reveals his loyalty to the Union and condemns the Confederacy.

Both South and North; Whitman laments the war and its devastating toll on the lives of soldiers from both camps.
14 What does Whitman question in the short poem "To You"?
The importance of Nature and the Sublime

The arbitrary distance between strangers

The dangers of increased industrialization

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 Posthumous Edition

The Abridged Edition

The Later Period Edition

The Deathbed Edition
16 At what age did Whitman stop receiving a formal education?
18

11

25

He never received any formal education.
17 What is the profession of the man that Whitman admires in "I Sing the Body Electric"?
Common farmer

University professor

Government official

Sailor
18 In what year was Walt Whitman born?
1831

1819

1812

1855
19 Which of the following newspapers did Walt Whitman start himself?
The Brooklyn Eagle

The Long-Island Star

The New York Mirror

The Long Islander
20 Which of the following jobs did Walt Whitman detest the most?
Teacher

Journalist

Government clerk

Poet
21 How many poems appeared in the 1855 version of "Leaves of Grass"?
12

20

25

16
22 Why did Whitman suddenly leave Brooklyn in 1862?
To provide volunteer hospital service on the warfront

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

To work as a government clerk in Washington, D.C.

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

Brooklyn, NY

Harrisburg, CT

Long Island, NY
24 What poetic structure is Walt Whitman known for?
Lyric poem

Free Verse

Sonnet

Limerick
25 Which of Whitman's poems is the only one with a regular meter and rhyme scheme?
"I Sing the Body Electric"

"As I Ponder'd in Silence"

"When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"

"O Captain! My Captain!"

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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