The Raven Quiz

What is the time and year of the events?

• Midnight in December
• An afternoon at the end of October
• Noon in July
• An early April morning

Readers can infer from the poem's conclusion that the speaker will

• die soon
• never escape his despair
• be reunited with Lenore
• make his sorrow the subject of a great poem

The speaker can best be described as a —

• lonely, elderly man longing for visitors
• magician conjuring up evil spirits
• poet seeking inspiration for a new work
• melancholy person trying to forget a great tragedy

In which quotation below are the underlined words an example of sound effects created by alliteration?

• “What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore / Meant in croaking ‘Nevermore.’”
• “Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! / Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!”
• “Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, / Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.”
• “On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore— / Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”

What happens when the author opens the door?

• the raven flies in
• Lenore appears
• his mother comes in
• he sees only darkness

Where does the raven perch when he comes into the house?

• the door frame
• the mantle above the fireplace
• a bust of Pallas
• on the bookcase

What does the Raven symbolize in this poem?

• The speaker's grief and lonliness
• The evil that haunts him
• The love that he had for Lenore
• Nature and how it affects human emotions

A Biblical allusion (reference to something outside the literary work) to something that has healing powers.

• Nepenthe

• Balm of Gilead

• Seraphim

• Plutonian

. Which of the following statements best expresses the central idea of “The Raven”?

• Happiness is fleeting.

• The narrator will be lost in his grief forever.

• The poet will never sleep again.

• Grief is a manifestation of insanity.

What question is most important to the speaker?

• Is there any way to remove his grief?

• Will he ever see Lenore again?

• Will the raven stay all night?

• Will he ever love again?