'Before You Were Mine' Quiz

What is the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Caroline Duffy about?

• A grandmother reflecting on her granddaughter's life before and after her birth

• A mother reflecting on her daughter's life before and after her birth

• A son reflecting on his father's life before and after his birth

• A daughter reflecting on her mother's life before and after her birth

What does the speaker imagine her mother doing with her friends in the poem?

• Dancing and singing

• Laughing and holding each other

• Crying and arguing

• Ignoring each other

What does the polka dot dress symbolize in the poem?

• The daughter's rebellious nature

• The mother's old age

• The mother's beauty and glamour

• The daughter's childhood memories

What does the phrase 'I'm 10 years away from the corner you laugh on' imply?

• The speaker is imagining her mother's life 10 years before her birth

• The speaker is imagining her mother's life 10 years after her birth

• The speaker is imagining her own life 10 years before her birth

• The speaker is imagining her own life 10 years after her birth

What does the speaker feel guilty about in the poem?

• Ruining her father's youth by being born

• Ruining her mother's youth by being born

• Ruining her own youth by being born

• Ruining her grandmother's youth by being born

What does the phrase 'your ghost clatters towards me over George Square' suggest?

• The mother's presence feels close and comforting

• The mother's presence feels distant and unrecognizable

• The mother's presence feels haunting and scary

• The mother's presence feels joyful and lively

What does the speaker long for in the poem?

• A close bond and friendship with her mother

• A distant and formal relationship with her mother

• A rebellious and carefree lifestyle

• A glamorous and luxurious lifestyle

What does the phrase 'stamping stars from the wrong pavement' symbolize?

• The mistakes the speaker made in her life

• The regrets the speaker had in her life

• The small moments of joy the speaker experienced with her mother

• The achievements the speaker had in her life

What does the speaker's use of synesthesia in the poem demonstrate?

• The distant and fading memories she has of her mother

• The confusing and chaotic memories she has of her mother

• The dull and uninteresting memories she has of her mother

• The vivid and intricate memories she has of her mother

What does the speaker's use of direct address in the poem indicate?

• A reversal of the traditional maternal relationship

• A rebellious and carefree lifestyle

• A distant and formal relationship with her mother

• A reinforcement of the traditional maternal relationship