Poetry Terms Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of an allegory in poetry?

To employ rhyme schemes for aesthetic pleasure

To create vivid imagery using unusual metaphors

To describe abstract ideals through characters and events (correct)

To repeat sounds for auditory effects

What is the pattern of a dactyl?

Stressed stressed

Unstressed unstressed stressed

Unstressed stressed

Stressed unstressed unstressed (correct)

What defines alliteration in poetry?

The repetition of phrases at the end of each stanza

The repetition of vowel sounds in words

The use of rhyme in every alternate line

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (correct)

Which term describes a short but definite pause within a line of poetry?

Caesura Signup and view all the answers

Which part of a Shakespearean sonnet serves as a resolution for the arguments presented?

Couplet Signup and view all the answers

What type of poem is a ballad typically composed of?

Quatrains with alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of synecdoche?

All hands on deck Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of carpe diem poetry?

The urgency of sampling life's pleasures Signup and view all the answers

What is the rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet?

abba abba cdcdcd Signup and view all the answers

What type of meter is characterized as 'galloping meter'?

Anapestic Signup and view all the answers

Which description best fits the term 'couplet' in poetry?

Two rhyming lines in succession Signup and view all the answers

Diction in poetry is primarily used to describe what aspect?

The level of formality in the language used Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the term 'prosody' in poetry?

The pronunciation and rhythm in singing or reading Signup and view all the answers

In scansion, what is primarily marked?

Beats and metrical patterns Signup and view all the answers

What does consonance refer to in poetic language?

The similarity of consonant sounds in nearby words Signup and view all the answers

Which poetic foot is defined as having two stressed syllables?

Spondee Signup and view all the answers

Which poetic term refers to a line that runs over to the next line without any end punctuation?

Enjambment Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of free verse poetry?

Does not have a patterned structure Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of hyperbole?

I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. Signup and view all the answers

Which meter consists of six feet in a line of poetry?

Hexameter Signup and view all the answers

What defines an iambic pentameter?

A line of five feet, each foot having an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes a metaphor?

A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another Signup and view all the answers

What is considered an image in poetry?

A representation that evokes sensory experiences Signup and view all the answers

What is a defining characteristic of a dramatic monologue?

A work where the speaker addresses an internal listener or reader Signup and view all the answers

What defines the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet?

An octave and a sestet Signup and view all the answers

Which term best describes the use of 'buzz' and 'slurp' in poetry?

Onomatopoeia Signup and view all the answers

What is a pyrrhic foot in prosody?

A foot with two unstressed syllables Signup and view all the answers

How does a rhyme scheme work in poetry?

It assigns letters to denote matching ending sounds Signup and view all the answers

What is a quatrain?

A four-line stanza or poetic unit Signup and view all the answers

Which type of rhyme includes words like 'flower' and 'shower'?

Double rhyme Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'volta' in the context of a Petrarchan sonnet?

The transition between the octave and sestet Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of personification?

Describing a rushing river as 'angry' Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Poetry Terms

Allegory: A figure of speech where abstract ideas are described through characters, figures, and events.
Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds, often at the beginning of words.
Allusion: A brief reference to a person, place, thing, or idea in history or literature.
Anaphora: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines.
Apostrophe: Addressing a person not present, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea.
Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.
Ballad: A narrative poem typically composed of quatrains (four-line stanzas).
Blank Verse: Unrhymed iambic pentameter.
Cacophony: Harsh or unpleasant sounds.
Caesura: A pause within a line of poetry; a short but definite break.
Carpe Diem Poetry: Poetry emphasizing the importance of seizing the day and enjoying the present.
Common Meter/Hymn Measure: Iambic tetrameter alternating with iambic trimeter; a poetic structure.
Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words, in which the vowel sounds are different.
Couplet: Two successive lines in a poem, usually rhymed.
Diction: The choice of words used in a literary work; formal, neutral, or informal.
Doggerel: Crude, simple, or poorly written poetry.
Dramatic Monologue: A poem where a speaker addresses an audience, revealing his personality.
End-Stopped Line: A line of poetry that ends with punctuation, creating a pause.
Enjambment: A line of poetry that flows over to the next line without punctuation; a lack of pause.
Euphony: Pleasant or harmonious sounds in poetry.
Explication: A detailed explanation and analysis of a literary work.
Foot (Prosody): A basic metrical unit of verse, which consists of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Free Verse: Poetry without a fixed rhyme scheme or meter.
Heroic Couplet: Two successive rhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
Hymn Meter/Common Measure: A four-line stanza with alternation between iambic trimeter and iambic tetrameter.
Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect.
Iambic Pentameter: A rhythmic pattern using ten syllables, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables; the most common poetic meter in English.
Image: A sensory quality or reference in a literary work.
Internal Rhyme: Rhyme within a single line of poetry, unlike end-rhyme.
Metaphor: A direct comparison of two unlike things.
Metaphysical Conceit: An elaborate extended metaphor that links unfamiliar ideas.
Metonymy: Using a related object or idea to represent a larger concept; substituting a name for a thing.
Octave: The first eight lines of an Italian or Petrarchan sonnet.
Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds.
Paradox: A statement that appears contradictory but may be true.
Personification: Giving human qualities to something nonhuman.
Petrarchan Sonnet: A sonnet structure with an octave and a sestet.
Pun: A play on words.
Pyrrhic Foot: Two unstressed feet (or syllables)
Quatrain: A four-line stanza or poetic unit.
Refrain: A repeated line or phrase.
Repetition (Poetic Device): Repeated words or phrases.
Rhyme: Repetition of similar sounds at the end of words, creating poetic effect.
Rhyme Scheme: The pattern of rhymes in a poem.
Scansion: Examining metrical patterns.
Sestet: The last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.
Shakespearean Sonnet: A sonnet with three quatrains and a couplet.
Simile: A comparison between two things using "like" or "as."
Sonnet: A 14-line poem, typically in iambic pentameter.
Stanza: A group of poetic lines.
Symbol: An object or image representing an idea or quality.
Synecdoche: Using a part to represent the whole, or vice versa.
Syntax: The arrangement of words in phrases and sentences.
Trochee (trochaic): A metrical foot consisting of one stressed followed by one unstressed syllable. (e.g. happy)
Volta: The shift or turning point in a Petrarchan sonnet.

Additional Terms

Anapest: Three syllables: unstressed, unstressed, stressed.
Dactyl: Three syllables: stressed, unstressed, unstressed.
Spondee: Two stressed syllables.

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Description

Test your knowledge of essential poetry terms with this engaging quiz! Explore figures of speech, poetic devices, and various forms of poetry. Perfect for literature enthusiasts or students looking to brush up on their poetic terminology.