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8th Grade Poetic Devices

Total questions: 45

Worksheet time: 54mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is repetition?

a)

Central idea of a work of literature; what a reader learns from reading a work of literature

b)

Repeating the same words, lines or stanzas

c)

Regular pattern of words that END with the same sound

d)

Regular, repeated pattern of sounds, or beats

2.

What is a simile?

a)

Repetition of words with the same BEGINNING sounds

b)

A figure of speech in which things are compared by stating that one thing IS another

c)

A figure of speech in which things are compared using the words "like" or "as"

d)

Words that sound like the objects or actions they refer to

3.

Which of these is an exaggeration?

a)

alliteration

b)

hyperbole

c)

personification

d)

onomatopoeia

4.

When there is repetition of words with the same BEGINNING sounds, it is...

a)

personification

b)

alliteration

c)

metaphor

d)

simile

5.

What is the definition of theme?

a)

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

b)

Words that have the same ending sounds

c)

Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally

d)

Central idea of a work of literature; what a reader learns from reading a work of literature

6.

Figurative language is...

a)

Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally

b)

words taken at their most basic meaning

c)

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

d)

using the 5 senses in writing

7.

The regular pattern of words that END with the same sounds is...

a)

rhyme scheme

b)

repetition

c)

sound devices

d)

onomatopoeia

8.

What is a stanza?

a)

A group of lines in a poem; a 'paragraph'

b)

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

c)

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

d)

Poetry NOT written in rhyme or meter.

9.

What is a narrative poem?

a)

Poetry NOT written in rhyme or meter.

b)

A poem that tells a story.

c)

A poem written in honor of someone deceased

d)

A poem that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration to someone or something

10.

What is onomatopoeia?

a)

Repeating the same words, lines or stanzas

b)

Central idea of a work of literature; what a reader learns from reading a work of literature

c)

A device in literature where an object represents an idea

d)

Words that sound like the objects or actions they refer to

11.

What is tone?

a)

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

b)

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

c)

Central idea of a work of literature; what a reader learns from reading a work of literature

d)

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

12.

What is rhyme?

a)

repeating the same words, lines or stanzas

b)

regular, repeated pattern of sounds, or beats

c)

words that have the same ending sounds

d)

elements of literature that emphasize sound such as rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, onomatopoeia

13.

What is symbolism?

a)

A figure of speech in which things are compared by stating that one thing IS another

b)

An exaggeration

c)

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

d)

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

14.

What is personification?

a)

Words that sound like the objects or actions they refer to

b)

Regular, repeated pattern of sounds, or beats

c)

A figure of speech in which objects are given human qualities

d)

An exaggeration

15.

What is an elegy?

a)

A poem written in honor of someone deceased

b)

A poem that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration to someone or something

c)

A poem that tells a story

d)

Poetry NOT written in rhyme or meter.

16.

What is rhythm?

a)

Repetition of words with the same BEGINNING sounds

b)

Words that have the same ending sounds

c)

Regular, repeated pattern of sounds, or beats

d)

Regular pattern of words that END with the same sound

17.

What is imagery?

a)

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

b)

Repeating the same words, lines or stanzas

c)

Regular, repeated pattern of sounds, or beats

d)

Regular pattern of words that END with the same sound

18.

What is a metaphor?

a)

Repetition of words with the same BEGINNING sounds

b)

A figure of speech in which things are compared by stating that one thing IS another

c)

A figure of speech in which things are compared using the words "like" or "as"

d)

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

19.

Who is the speaker in a poem?

a)

The person repeating the same words, lines or stanzas

b)

The person who uses an exaggeration

c)

The person who is writing or speaking words that are not meant to be taken literally

d)

The person who is 'speaking' or telling the poem; the narrator.

20.

What is a free verse poem?

a)

A poem written in honor of someone deceased

b)

A poem that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration to someone or something

c)

A poem that tells a story

d)

Poetry NOT written in rhyme or meter.

21.

What is a tribute poem?

a)

A poem written in honor of someone deceased

b)

A poem that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration to someone or something

c)

A poem that tells a story

d)

Poetry NOT written in rhyme or meter.

22.

Which one tells a story?

a)

Tribute Poem

b)

Elegy

c)

Free Verse

d)

Narrative Poem

23.

What is an oxymoron?

a)

An exaggeration

b)

A figure of speech in which things are compared by stating that one thing IS another

c)

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

d)

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

24.

What is mood?

a)

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

b)

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

c)

Central idea of a work of literature; what a reader learns from reading a work of literature

d)

A device in literature where an object represents an idea

25.

Simile or Metaphor?

The assignment was a breeze.

a)

simile

b)

metaphor

26.

What is the following sentence an example of...She was so pretty my eyes popped out!

a)

Onomatopia

b)

Simile

c)

Hyperbole

d)

Hiperbole

27.
Identify the simile below...
a)
The tree danced in the wind.
b)
She is as tall as a tree!
c)
That cat is the devil.
d)
My backpack weighs a thousand tons!
28.
An example of onomatopoeia is
a)
WOW!
b)
What in the world?
c)
BAM!
d)
Hey, you!
29.
What device is used in this sentence?
Fall Fridays feel fantastic. 
a)
onomatopoeia
b)
simile
c)
alliteration
d)
metaphor
30.
"Crash! Crunch! Grunt! yelped my dog as he jumped on the table and fell" is an example of:
a)
metaphor
b)
onomatopoeia
c)
hyperbole
d)
personification
31.
What's the meaning of this simile?
"My mom can be as fiery as a volcano when I don't do my chores on time."
a)
Her hair is red.
b)
She talks really loudly.
c)
She gets really angry. 
d)
She spits when she talks. 
32.
Which of these is alliteration?
a)
All the animals left.
b)
The chirping cheetah is sad.
c)
The dog left his house.
d)
The friendly dog found a cat.
33.
Mom was a busy beaver as she prepared for the holiday party.
What are the words in blue an example of?
a)
Simile
b)
Metaphor
34.

What is the following sentence an example of...Ethan’s smile is a mile wide.

a)

Metaphor

b)

Simile

c)

Personification

d)

Hyperbole

35.

Which of the following are sound devices?

a)

onomatopoeia

b)

rhyme

c)

alliteration

d)

stanza

36.
Treasure Island (an excerpt) 
by Robert Louis Stevenson

I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow – a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white. I remember him looking round the cover and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards.
What does the IMAGERY used in the first paragraph tell the reader about the captain?
a)
He is in need of first aid.
b)
He is likely carrying treasure in his sea-chest.
c)
He has grown frail and tired with old age.
d)
He has had a rough and adventurous life.
37.
What structure is poetry written in?
a)
Sentences & paragraphs
b)
Sentences & stanzas
c)
Lines & paragraphs
d)
Lines & stanzas
38.
All are found in poetry except...
a)
rhyme scheme
b)
rhythm
c)
stanza
d)
paragraphs
39.

The mood the author creates in the poem "The Road Not Taken" is best describes as

a)

playful

b)

reflective

c)

suspenseful

d)

disappointed

40.

Who does the captain in the poem "Oh Captain, My Captain" symbolize?

a)

George Washington

b)

Abraham Lincoln

c)

Donald Trump

d)

Captain Jack Sparrow

41.

In the poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" what had to happen before Revere could begin his ride?

a)

His friend had to signal from the bell tower

b)

The colonists had to chase British soldiers down the road

c)

He needed to hear the rooster crowing

d)

The first colonist needed to join the other fighters

42.
Poetry can be understood:
a)
only on a literal level.
b)
only on a figurative level.
c)
on both a literal and figurative level.
d)
No one knows. Poetry is impossible to understand. My brain is exploding. AAAAAHHHH!
43.

What is a synonym for the word "hue"?

a)

Leaf

b)

Color

c)

Feeling

d)

Sunrise

44.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.


What is Frost referring to in the phrase “Nature’s first green”?

a)

Money

b)

Rainy days

c)

Grass

d)

Young plants and flowers

45.

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.


Which statement best describes the theme of this poem?

a)

Change is precious and exciting.

b)

Change will happen, and every moment is precious.

c)

Change should be feared and avoided.

d)

Change is boring and unnoteworthy.