O Captain! My Captain

1. “O Captain! My Captain!” was written just after the end of the Civil War. The speaker’s description of a captain who dies most likely refers to

• A Walt Whitman.

• B Abraham Lincoln.

• C Jefferson Davis.

• D Robert E. Lee.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5A

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.4

2. The use of the phrase “my Captain” in the title and throughout the poem suggests that the speaker

• A wants to be in charge of the ship.

• B feels very loyal to the Captain.

• C has a military background.

• D is the only one with the Captain.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.4

3. Which phrase suggests that the ship has survived a difficult situation?

• A “the prize we sought”

• B “O Captain!”

• C “the bells I hear”

• D “our fearful trip"

Tags

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.4

4. The speaker says that the Captain’s death “is some dream” because he

• A has had many dreams about the Captain.

• B has only imagined that the Captain is dead.

• C wishes the Captain’s death were a dream.

• D realizes that the Captain has been sleeping.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.4

5. The repetition of the phrase “fallen cold and dead” emphasizes

• A the importance of the death to the speaker.

• B the speaker’s lack of feeling about the death.

• C the insensitivity of the victory celebration.

• D the deaths of soldiers during the war.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.4

6. What does the phrase “the prize we sought is won” refer to?

• A President Lincoln’s death

• B winning the Civil War

• C discovery of a treasure

• D the ship’s arrival in port

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.4

7. You can tell that the poem is an elegy because the speaker is

• A telling a story.

• B sharing ideas about nature.

• C describing a historical event.

• D reflecting on a death.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.2

8. One extended metaphor in the poem is the comparison of

• A a journey to a ship’s deck.

• B a ship to the country.

• C a captain to a ship.

• D a captain to a victory.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5A

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.4

9. Which phrase suggests that the Captain caused the celebration?

• A “It is some dream”

• B “Here Captain! Dear father!”

• C “This arm beneath your head!”

• D “For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths”

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.3

10. In line 21 the speaker says, “the ship is anchor’d safe and sound.” The idea of safety is ironic, or unexpected, because

• A crowds are trying to take over the ship.

• B the speaker fears that lives are in danger.

• C the ship’s Captain lies dead on its deck.

• D the ship has other dangerous journeys ahead.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.4