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Classic Poems Trivia Quiz

Down through the ages some wonderful poems have been written and enjoyed. I hope you enjoy this quiz on them.

A multiple-choice quiz by Mommakat. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Mommakat

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
336,643

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
869

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Banjo Paterson was one of Australia's most famous poets. In which of his poems was there a character named Maginnis Magee? Hint

The Man from Iron Bark

The Geebung Polo Club

A Bush Christening

The Man from Snowy River

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Question 2 of 10

2. Dorothea MacKellar wrote one of Australia's best loved poems,"My Country", but originally it had another title. Which of the following was her first choice? Hint

A Sunburnt Country

Core of My Heart

Australia My Country

The Wide Brown Land

3. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was famous as the author of a collection of poems dealing with the life and times of Hiawatha. Several references are made to "Gitche Gumee". To which of the Great Lakes does this refer? Hint

Huron

Superior

Michigan

Erie

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Question 4 of 10

4. How long did it take Longfellow to complete his book of poems on the life and times of Hiawatha, now published as "The Song of Hiawatha"? Hint

Two years

Less than one year

Three years

Four years

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of the following poems was NOT written by Alfred Lord Tennyson? Hint

The Charge of the Light Brigade

The Soldier

The Brook

The Lady of Shalott

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Question 6 of 10

6. What was the title of the poem by Robert Southey that told of the placing of a warning bell on a marine hazard? Hint

The Bell

The Inchcape Rock

Bell Rock

Storm Warning

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Question 7 of 10

7. "The Wreck of the Hesperus" tells the graphic tale of a ship wrecked in a wild storm. Which of the following poets wrote this? Hint

H.W. Longfellow

Sir Walter Scott

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Robert Frost

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Question 8 of 10

8. Sir Walter Scott wrote many wonderful poems. One of his most famous told the story of an enduring love and the kidnapping of the bride on her wedding day. Which of the following was it? Hint

Lochinvar

The Lady of Shalot

Annabelle Lee

The Maid of Isla

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Question 9 of 10

9. Walter de la Mare is another poet whose works were widely read. One of his best known told of a traveller's attempts to fulfill a promise. Which of the following was the title of that poem? Hint

The Listeners

The Ghost

The Empty House

Moonlight

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Question 10 of 10

10. One of Lord Byron's most famous poems saw the clever use of metaphorical language. Which of the following was it?

Hint

The Eve of Waterloo

The Destruction of Sennacherib

She Walks in Beauty

Prometheus

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Banjo Paterson was one of Australia's most famous poets. In which of his poems was there a character named Maginnis Magee?

Answer: A Bush Christening

"A Bush Christening" told the story of an outback family and the visit of an itinerant preacher who was called upon to christen the son of the family, and the hilarious results of his endeavours.

2. Dorothea MacKellar wrote one of Australia's best loved poems,"My Country", but originally it had another title. Which of the following was her first choice?

Answer: Core of My Heart

"Core of My Heart" is the first line of each of the fourth and fifth verses, but before publication it was decided to change the title to "My Country".

Answer: Superior

"Gitche Gumee" was the name the Native Americans gave to Lake Superior.

4. How long did it take Longfellow to complete his book of poems on the life and times of Hiawatha, now published as "The Song of Hiawatha"?

Answer: Less than one year

He began in the summer of 1854 and completed it by spring of the following year.

5. Which of the following poems was NOT written by Alfred Lord Tennyson?

Answer: The Soldier

"The Soldier" is a sonnet written by Rupert Brooke during the 1914-18 war.

6. What was the title of the poem by Robert Southey that told of the placing of a warning bell on a marine hazard?

Answer: The Inchcape Rock

Off the east coast of Scotland is a notoriously dangerous reef known as Inchcape or Bell Rock. In the 14th century the Abbot from Arbroath is reputed to have placed the bell on the rock as a warning to shipping frequenting those waters. Robert Southey's poem is based on that legend.

7. "The Wreck of the Hesperus" tells the graphic tale of a ship wrecked in a wild storm. Which of the following poets wrote this?

Answer: H.W. Longfellow

"The Wreck of the Hesperus" told the story of a ship's captain who ignored warnings from his crew of a pending storm, which resulted in the loss of all hands including his little daughter whom he had taken on that voyage with him.

8. Sir Walter Scott wrote many wonderful poems. One of his most famous told the story of an enduring love and the kidnapping of the bride on her wedding day. Which of the following was it?

Answer: Lochinvar

This was the story of the successful attempt by a young gallant to retrieve his lady love in spite of her her family's efforts to thwart him.

9. Walter de la Mare is another poet whose works were widely read. One of his best known told of a traveller's attempts to fulfill a promise. Which of the following was the title of that poem?

Answer: The Listeners

This poem is a very good example of a word picture that enables the reader to easily visualise the scene.

10. One of Lord Byron's most famous poems saw the clever use of metaphorical language. Which of the following was it?

Answer: The Destruction of Sennacherib

Metaphorical language involves the likening of one thing to another. If the comparison uses the words 'like' or 'as', it is termed a simile, and Byron made good use of these in this poem.

Source: Author Mommakat

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