wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

NEW

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

The Highwayman

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 40mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Which of the following lines best illustrates the poem's setting?
a)
"His eyes were follows of madness, his hair like moldy hay"
b)
"He's a French cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin."
c)
"Plaiting a dark red love knot into her long black hair"
d)
"The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor"
2.
Poems are divided into different sections called...
a)
paragraphs
b)
stanzas
c)
lines
d)
end rhymes
3.
"The HIghwayman" is classified as a...
a)
narrative poem
b)
epic poem
c)
novel
d)
short story
4.
In part 1, we learn that -
a)
the highwayman and Bess are secretly married
b)
Tim the ostler loves the landlord's daughter, Bess
c)
the highwayman is not really a thief
d)
Bess loves Tim the ostler, but he does not love her
5.
The redcoats probably learn of the highwayman's plans from - 
a)
Bess
b)
King George
c)
the innkeeper
d)
Tim the ostler
6.
Who dies in this poem?
a)
Bess
b)
The Highwayman
c)
Both of them 
d)
Neither of them
7.
The redcoats treat Bess with...
a)
sympathy
b)
care 
c)
cold politeness
d)
disrespect
8.
What does the highwayman do for a living? 
a)
He owns an inn
b)
He robs people
c)
He cares for horses
d)
He lets Bess do all work; no job for him!
9.
In part 2, the redcoats
a)
tie Bess up and place a musket by her chest
b)
torture Bess into giving up the highwayman
c)
use Bess as bait
d)
show her the highwayman's lifeless body
10.
How does Bess warn the highwayman in Part 2
a)
She sends him a letter
b)
She tells he innkeeper
c)
She yells out his name
d)
She shoots herself
11.
Which of the following lines best implies that the tragedy of the Highwayman and Bess has become a ghost story?
a)
"The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees..."
b)
"And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees..."
c)
"There was death at every window; And hell at one dark window..."
d)
"The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas..."
12.

Why does Bess shoot herself?

a)

She doesn't want to live anymore.

b)

She is trying to shoot one of the Red Coats.

c)

She accidentally pulls the trigger.

d)

She wants to warn the Highwayman.

13.

In stanza 15, why does the Highwayman ride back towards the inn?

a)

He hopes to see Bess

b)

He hopes to rob someone.

c)

He wants to sacrifice his life.

d)

He wants revenge on the Red Coats.

14.

In stanza 4 of the poem, Tim, the ostler, listens to the Highwayman and Bess. Why is he interested in their conversation?

a)

He was afraid of the Highwayman.

b)

He was looking for someone to rob.

c)

He wanted to take care of the Highwayman's horse.

d)

He was in love with Bess.

15.

When did the Highwayman hear that Bess shot herself?

a)

the next morning

b)

that night

c)

immediately after it happened

d)

a week later

16.

What does the author want you to believe about Bess and the Highwayman at the very end of the poem?

a)

That they turned into trees and were blowing in the wind

b)

That their spirits could be heard in the wind and trees

c)

That they came back to life

d)

That the highwayman is just fake and a legend

17.

Which of the following is the best summary of the poem?

a)

An innkeeper's daughter dies to warn her true love.

b)

A highwayman robs travelers to give to the poor.

c)

A highwayman is captured and killed.

d)

A redcoat troop takes over an inn.

18.

What does the Highwayman promise Bess?

a)

He promises to return to her.

b)

He promises to kill King George's men.

c)

He promises to never return.

d)

He promises to make her rich.

19.

Based on his description, what inference can you make about the Highwayman in the following stanza?


He'd a Frenchcocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,

A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;

They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!

And he rode with a jeweled twinkle,

His pistol butts a-twinkle,

His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.

a)

The Highwayman doesn't care about his appearance.

b)

The Highwayman is destitute and continues to rob to survive.

c)

The Highwayman is well-dressed, and likeable.

d)

The Highwayman is careless and has a negative impact on the plot.

20.

Which of the following details does the author include to demonstrate how the Highwayman feels when he hears Bess has died?

a)

"Not till the dawn he heard it."

b)

"Back, he spurred like a madman, shouting a curse to the sky,"

c)

"And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat."

d)

"When they shot him down on the highway, Down like a dog on the highway,"