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.

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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.

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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"

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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”

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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.

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