The Raven Test Questions

When does the poem take place?

• June
• February
• December 
• Halloween

What is the narrator of the poem doing when the poem starts?

• napping 
• eating
• playing chess
• singing

"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December", what does bleak mean?

• sad, lonely
• dark, dreary
• happy, cheerful
• long, drawn out

When the raven continues to only say "Nevermore", how does the narrator respond?

• accuses the bird of lying
• he kills the bird
• he laughs
• he grows increasingly frustrated

"While I nodded, nearly napping…" is an example of which sound device

• Onomatopoeia
• alliteration 
• rhyme
• repetition

"As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door" is an example of which sound device

• repetition
• rhyme
• alliteration
• suspense

The conflict described in The Raven is . . .

• the speaker is going crazy
• the speaker hopes to speak to Lenore's ghost
• the speaker is dreaming
• the speaker misses is dead wife

What words use alliteration to create rhythm in lines 14–15?

• “thrilled me,” “filled me”
• “fantastic,” “terrors,” “never”
• “filled,” “fantastic,” “felt” 
• “beating,” “repeating”

What does the speaker imagine after the raven first speaks? 

• hearing tapping
• seeing Lenore
• drinking deeply
• smelling perfume

What is the BIG QUESTION (theme) for this poem?

• How do people handle loss?
• Why do people dream?
• What does it take to be a survivor?
• What are you willing to sacrifice?