WorksheetsThe Poetry of Emily Dickinson Quiz
Total questions: 12
Worksheet time: 36mins
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Class
Date
1.
Which sentence best states the central comparison in “There is a solitude of space”?
a)
Compared with the solitude of death, the solitudes of space and sea seem like society.
b)
Compared with the solitudes of space and sea, the solitude of death is more frightening.
c)
Compared with the solitude of a soul admitted to itself, the solitudes of space, sea, and death seem like society.
d)
Compared with the solitudes of space, sea, and death, living in society is a much more unpleasant form of solitude.
2.
Which statement best explains the situation in “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –”?
a)
The speaker describes the moment of death through the eyes of a fly on the wall.
b)
The speaker describes the moment of death, but after the speaker has already died.
c)
The speaker is resting on her deathbed, surrounded by loved ones.
d)
The speaker is imagining what her death scene might be like.
3.
What kind of person would most likely be guilty of treason?
a)
someone who encourages others to break the law
b)
someone who refuses to follow social norms
c)
someone who backs down from a challenge
d)
someone who betrays his or her country
4.
Which event would most likely be associated with the word sovereign?
a)
a couple’s wedding ceremony
b)
a soldier’s medal ceremony
c)
a student’s commencement
d)
a queen’s coronation
5.
Which of the following people is most clearly held in captivity?
a)
a translator
b)
a prisoner
c)
a pilot
d)
a fool
6.
In “Fame is a fickle food,” what is the main reason that the crows flap past the “fickle food” of fame?
a)
Fame is terrifying.
b)
Fame is poisonous.
c)
Fame creates jealousy and bitterness.
d)
Fame speaks insincerely and even lies.
7.
In the following stanza from “The Soul selects her own Society –,” which pair of words forms a slant rhyme?
Unmoved – she notes the Chariots – pausing –
At her low Gate –
Unmoved – an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat –
a)
pausing and Gate
b)
pausing and Mat
c)
Gate and kneeling
d)
Gate and Mat
8.
Which line from the selections is the best example of Dickinson’s use of paradox?
a)
Fame is a fickle food / Upon a shifting plate (from “Fame is a fickle food”)
b)
They put me in the Closet – / Because they liked me “still” – (from “They shut me up in Prose –”)
c)
A soul admitted to itself – / Finite Infinity (from “There is a solitude of space”)
d)
How dreary – to be – Somebody! / How public – like a Frog – (from “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”)
9.
What is the central paradox presented in “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”
a)
the idea that a person can be nobody
b)
the idea that a frog makes noise in a bog
c)
the idea that some people like to advertise themselves
d)
the idea that no one enjoys being considered a nobody
10.
In Emily Dickinson’s poem “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –,” what do the details most clearly suggest about death?
a)
The company of loved ones makes death easier to bear.
b)
The rituals of death vary from one culture to another.
c)
Death may not happen as we expect it to occur.
d)
Death is a blessed release from life’s cares.
11.
Which quotation from “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –” best supports the idea that death may not happen as we expect it to occur?
a)
The Stillness in the Room / Was like the Stillness in the Air – / Between the Heaves of Storm –
b)
The Eyes around – had wrung them dry – / And Breaths were gathering firm
c)
There interposed a Fly – / With Blue – uncertain – stumbling Buzz –
d)
And then the Windows failed – and then / I could not see to see –
12.
In "The Soul Selects her own Society" what choice does the Soul make? What happens after the soul makes her choice? What is the soul attitude towards the worlds attractions?
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