Poetic Concepts for Kids Quiz / Test | Kid Lit General

Poetic Concepts for Kids Trivia Quiz

When learning about poetry, it's important to note the things poets do to make sure that their writing looks and sounds poetic. How well do you understand these fundamental literary devices and poetic forms? This quiz is recommended for older children.

A multiple-choice quiz by OddballJunior. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Most English language poetry will be built around a pattern of words that sound alike. What is this pattern called?

Answer: Rhyme scheme

Traditionally, you would describe a rhyme scheme using capital letters, with lines that rhyme with one another being labeled with the same letter. This is helpful when reading sonnets, which go ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, but it would not be helpful when learning the alphabet song, which would just be a bunch of A's.

2. What poetic device is used when two things or ideas are directly compared without using the words "like" or "as" (example: "that dog is a shredder")?

Answer: Metaphor

Simile is much like metaphor, except that it uses "like" or "as". Alliteration is a series of words that begin with the same sound, like the Peter Piper tongue twister. Zeugma is when two unlikely or seemingly unrelated things are parts of the same sentence component (ex: "she was beating her high score and around the bush"), but you probably won't have to know that until high school or college.

3. Personification is being used when something that is not human is described as having human traits through a metaphor (ex: "he stared at the sky, which stared back at him").

Answer: True

Personification is helpful, as it can combine clear imagery with an idea of a character's mindset: the sky, as described in the example, cannot literally stare at the person in question, but if that person feels like it is, then it is a perfectly good idea to personify it that way.

4. Some poets will consider the way that their poem looks on paper as an important part of the poem, and may choose to break the poem up into smaller sections of a few lines each. What are these sections called?

Answer: Stanzas

"Stanza" comes from an old Italian word for "room". While it is not necessary to do so, stanzas can help make longer poems easier for readers to digest (metaphorically - please don't eat paper).

5. "Crash", "Squeak", and "Roar" are all examples of what kind of word?

Answer: Onomatopoeia

"Onomatopoeia" would be a very good word to know if you plan to take part in a spelling bee. It is used to describe any word which descriptively refers to a sound, imitating the actual sound it describes, and these tend to differ between different cultures.

6. "Epic poetry" is the term used to describe any poem which deals with people doing impressive things.

Answer: False

Epic poems certainly can involve impressive endeavors and fantastic feats, but this does not define the genre. Epic poems are usually very, very long and deal with folkloric or mythological figures; Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" are foundational works of this genre.

7. What Japanese poetic form always contains three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, respectively?

Answer: Haiku

Many haiku were likely written in katakana, a syllabic Japanese alphabet. While it can be difficult to craft rhyming lines in English, it is very easy to do in Japanese; as such, Japanese poets have historically tended not to worry about rhyme and focus more on other aspects of writing.

8. Which of these phrases is an example of an oxymoron?

Answer: False truth

An oxymoron is a form of juxtaposition in that it is a phrase consisting of an adjective and a noun which seem to contradict each other. "Freshly rotten" and "deafening silence" are other examples.

9. Blank verse doesn't have to rhyme, but must be written in a particular syllabic pattern. What is that pattern called? (It is closely associated with Shakespeare, who always wrote in it.)

Answer: Iambic Pentameter

Poetry written in iambic pentameter has lines of ten syllables each, with every second syllable stressed; the resulting rhythm mimics the sound of a heartbeat. Shakespeare's plays are all examples of blank verse.

10. What style of poetry has no particular rhyme scheme or syllable pattern?

Answer: Free verse

Prose is, by definition, not poetry, but free verse is. Free verse is how the majority of modern poetry is written and is usually meant to be experienced in a particular way, whether heard aloud or read silently. As a genre, it asks what, beyond the traditional rules of the form, defines poetry.

Source: Author OddballJunior

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Poetic Concepts for Kids Trivia Quiz

When learning about poetry, it's important to note the things poets do to make sure that their writing looks and sounds poetic. How well do you understand these fundamental literary devices and poetic forms? This quiz is recommended for older children.

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