Poetry Terms Quiz

What is the definition of alliteration?

• Repetition of identical vowel sounds in different words

• Repetition of identical consonant sounds in close proximity

• Comparison between two dissimilar things using 'like' or 'as'

• Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things or abstractions

What is the purpose of apostrophe in poetry?

• To repeat the same word or phrase at the beginning of a line throughout a work

• To address a person not present or an animal, inanimate object, or concept as though it is a person

• To elevate speech to poetry using proper, elevated, and elaborate language

• To create a short but definite pause within a line of poetry

What is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?

• abab cdcd efef gg

• abba abba cdcdcd

• x-a-x-a

• a b a b

What is the purpose of enjambment in poetry?

• To run over to the next line without a full pause

• To create a short but definite pause within a line of poetry

• To address a person not present or an animal, inanimate object, or concept as though it is a person

• To create a full pause at the end of a line

What is the definition of a metaphor?

• Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things or abstractions

• A direct comparison between two dissimilar things using 'like' or 'as'

• Comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'

• Repetition of identical consonant sounds in close proximity

What is the purpose of a volta in a Petrarchan sonnet?

• To create a full pause at the end of a line

• To create a turning point between the octave and sestet

• To address a person not present or an animal, inanimate object, or concept as though it is a person

• To elevate speech to poetry using proper, elevated, and elaborate language

What is the definition of synaesthesia in poetry?

• A two successive rhyming lines

• A narrative poem composed of quatrains rhyming x-a-x-a

• A rhetorical figure that describes one sensory impression in terms of a different sense

• A measured combination of heavy and light stresses

What is the purpose of a dramatic monologue in poetry?

• To repeat the same word or phrase at the beginning of a line throughout a work

• To address an internal listener or the reader

• To elevate speech to poetry using proper, elevated, and elaborate language

• To create a turning point between the octave and sestet

What is the definition of a spondee in prosody?

• Unstressed unstressed stressed

• Stressed unstressed

• Stressed stressed

• Stressed unstressed unstressed

What is the purpose of a refrain in poetry?

• To create a turning point between the octave and sestet

• To address a person not present or an animal, inanimate object, or concept as though it is a person

• To elevate speech to poetry using proper, elevated, and elaborate language

• To repeat a word or series of words in response or counterpoint to the main verse