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Poetry for Dummies Trivia Quiz

If you're taking this quiz, there's a good chance you already know a thing or two about poetry. But if you're not sure what the difference between a sonnet and a nonet is then don't fret because this quiz is here to help! Enjoy!

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

Author
cinnabun

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
202,342

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
725

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. I love to smell the flowers in the spring,
I think that it is just the greatest thing.

These lines are an example of a rhyming ________. Hint

octave

sestet

couplet

quatrain

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. One very common type of poetry is haiku. Though most people recognize the name, they are not always familiar with the poem's country of origin. Where did the haiku originate? Hint

China

Taiwan

Thailand

Japan

3. Another type of poem is an epic. An epic is long narrative poem celebrating the adventures and achievements of a hero. Epics
deal with the traditions, mythical or historical, of a nation.

Which of the following is not an example of an epic? Hint

The Lord of the Rings

"The Iliad" and "The Odyssey"

Beowulf

Aeneid

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Some people write this type of poem to glorify or praise another person, place or thing. What type of poem is this? Hint

senryu

ode

clerihew

diamante

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Question 5 of 10

5. This is a wonderful type of poetry in which rhyming is an option. There are nine lines and the first line has 9 syllables in it. The second line has 8 syllables and the third line has 7 syllables. This pattern follows up to the last line which has only 1 syllable. What kind of poem is this? Hint

nonet

septolet

triolet

quatern

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Can an epitaph ever be considered a type of poetry?

Yes

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Often times, poets will write a poem and arrange it so that the poem resembles something, such as a flower or a raindrop or any other kind of figure. What is this type of poetry called? Hint

Object Poetry

Pattern Poetry

Form Poetry

Shape Poetry

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. A limerick is a silly or humorous poem consisting of five lines with a rhyme scheme of a,a,b,b,a. The name "limerick" came from the name of a city in what country? Hint

England

Ireland

Scotland

Iceland

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In this type of poetry, the first letter of each line in the poem spells a word. For instance, the word autumn might be used and so the first line would start with the letter "a", the second line with the letter "u" and so on. Each line may be just one descriptive word or it could be a whole line of words, similar to a sentence. What kind of poem would this be?

Answer: (One Word ( eight letters))

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Read the following poem:

I wish I may, I wish I might
I wish tonight,
For lasting joy
That is not coy.

I wish for happiness in life
Without the strife,
I want to smile
Once in a while.

I wish each night, upon a star
To travel far,
To see it all
Before I fall.

What type of poetry is this? Hint

Swap Quatrain

Kyrielle Sonnet

Minute Poetry

Mirrored Refrain

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. I love to smell the flowers in the spring, I think that it is just the greatest thing. These lines are an example of a rhyming ________.

Answer: couplet

William Shakespeare, famous for his collection of plays, also wrote over 100 sonnets. Almost all of the sonnets are 14 lines long and end in a rhyming couplet which means that the last word of the 13th line rhymes with the last word of the 14th line, such as displayed above.

2. One very common type of poetry is haiku. Though most people recognize the name, they are not always familiar with the poem's country of origin. Where did the haiku originate?

Answer: Japan

A haiku is a poem consisting of 3 unrhymed lines. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables and the third line has 5 syllables. Most often the subject matter of haikus is nature.

3. Another type of poem is an epic. An epic is long narrative poem celebrating the adventures and achievements of a hero. Epics deal with the traditions, mythical or historical, of a nation. Which of the following is not an example of an epic?

Answer: The Lord of the Rings

Probably the most famous of epics is "The Odyssey" by Homer. The hero of the tale, Odysseus, fights in the Trojan War and then spends 10 years trying to return home. He faces great perils and hardships on his journey and encounters many mythical beings along the way.

4. Some people write this type of poem to glorify or praise another person, place or thing. What type of poem is this?

Answer: ode

If a person wrote a poem called "An Ode to Kangaroos" then that poem would express how much that person adores and admires kangaroos.

Answer: nonet

If you really want to write a poem that captures the essence of a subject I suggest a nonet. They are simple and to the point and can be quite fun to create =0)

6. Can an epitaph ever be considered a type of poetry?

Answer: Yes

An epitaph can be found on a tombstone and is a short bit of text praising a person who has died. Though epitaphs are not always written in poetic form, there are exceptions. An elegy is also written about a person who is deceased but that type of poem tends to be more sad than an epitaph.

7. Often times, poets will write a poem and arrange it so that the poem resembles something, such as a flower or a raindrop or any other kind of figure. What is this type of poetry called?

Answer: Shape Poetry

Shape poetry can be really fun to create. For instance if you write a poem about love, you might place the words so that they make the shape of a heart. Many times if you're trying to write a poem and cannot think of anything to write about, you could try picking a shape and then using that shape as inspiration for a poem. Player 57wordsmith (who by the way has a great quiz on poetry terms) was nice enough to let me know that Shape poetry is also known as Concrete poetry. Thanks 57wordsmith!

8. A limerick is a silly or humorous poem consisting of five lines with a rhyme scheme of a,a,b,b,a. The name "limerick" came from the name of a city in what country?

Answer: Ireland

Limericks became very popular when Edward Lear, a 19th century writer and traveller, published a book called "Book of Nonsense". Lear is the author of the well known poem "The Owl and the Pussy Cat".

Answer: Acrostic

Here is are two examples of a acrostic poems.

Creative
Inquisitive
Neighborly
Not-so-neat
Amusing
Benevolent
Unusual
Nice

and

Forked tongues of the devil, or a gift from God?
Intense heat hot enough to burn skin of bones.
Radiant light that is dangerous and mesmerizing.
Embers of amber glowing long after the flames have died out.

10. Read the following poem: I wish I may, I wish I might I wish tonight, For lasting joy That is not coy. I wish for happiness in life Without the strife, I want to smile Once in a while. I wish each night, upon a star To travel far, To see it all Before I fall. What type of poetry is this?

Answer: Minute Poetry

Each stanza in this poem starts with 8 syllables in the first line and then each of the next 3 lines has 4 syllables. I wasn't sure why it was called Minute poetry until fellow player jmpurkis pointed out that there are 60 syllables in the poem and as there are 60 syllables in a minute... well you get the picture! Thanks jmpurkis =0) Hope everyone enjoyed the quiz!

Source: Author cinnabun

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