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Quiz about Seamus Heaney Nobel Prizewinning Irish Poet

Seamus Heaney: Nobel Prize-winning Irish Poet Quiz

Seamus Heaney is the greatest living Irish poet. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. How much do you know about his poetry?

A multiple-choice quiz by littlewoman2. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
littlewoman2

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
188,310

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
372

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which poem talks about frogspawn? Hint

Exposure

Death of a Naturalist

Gifts of Rain

Rite of Spring

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which poem makes reference to Bluebeard, the legendary wife-killer? Hint

Act of Union

Blackberry-Picking

Keep Going

Lovers on Aran

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Question 3 of 10

3. What significant event does the narrator attend in "Mid-term Break"? Hint

His mother's remarriage

The funeral of his four-year-old sibling

The birth of his illegitimate son

His handicapped sister's high school graduation

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Question 4 of 10

4. In which poem does Heaney NOT make reference to his father? Hint

Digging

Man and Boy

Follower

The Barn

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which poem is NOT a sonnet? Hint

Strange Fruit

Requiem for the Croppies

Oysters

The Forge

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Question 6 of 10

6. In "Digging," what does the narrator take to his grandfather? Hint

Whiskey

Milk

Water

Tobacco pipe

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Question 7 of 10

7. In "Bogland," which item is NOT found and resurrected from the bog? Hint

Tree trunks

A piece of jewelry

Butter

The Great Irish Elk

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Question 8 of 10

8. In what poem does the narrator admit to being "the artful voyeur"? Hint

Act of Union

Summer 1969

North

Punishment

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which poem begins with these lines: "Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests; snug as a gun"? Hint

A New Song

Digging

From the Frontier of Writing

Alphabets

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Question 10 of 10

10. In which poem does the narrator recall seeing his father "scatter-eyed and daunted, strange without his hat" after his father's horse and rig crashed into the river? Hint

The Haw Lantern

Markings

Seeing Things

The Other Side

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which poem talks about frogspawn?

Answer: Death of a Naturalist

"Death of a Naturalist" is from Heaney's first book of poems, published in 1966 with the same title.

2. Which poem makes reference to Bluebeard, the legendary wife-killer?

Answer: Blackberry-Picking

"Blackberry-Picking" overflows with imagery of lust, color, and zest as it describes the confusion of adolescence. It's one of my favorite Heaney poems.

3. What significant event does the narrator attend in "Mid-term Break"?

Answer: The funeral of his four-year-old sibling

"Mid-term Break" is a beautiful and understated meditation on grief and loss.

4. In which poem does Heaney NOT make reference to his father?

Answer: The Barn

Heaney's father was a frequent topic, especially in his early poems. Heaney's narrator often simultaneously admired and clashed with his rural father.

5. Which poem is NOT a sonnet?

Answer: Oysters

"Oysters" has 25 lines; therefore, it is not a sonnet.

6. In "Digging," what does the narrator take to his grandfather?

Answer: Milk

The narrator reflects on his childhood, watching his father and grandfather digging down for the good turf. He states, "Once I carried him milk in a bottle/Corked sloppily with paper."

7. In "Bogland," which item is NOT found and resurrected from the bog?

Answer: A piece of jewelry

All items are mentioned except for jewelry. Heaney wrote dozens of poems about the bogland, especially during the 1970s.

8. In what poem does the narrator admit to being "the artful voyeur"?

Answer: Punishment

"Punishment" is a captivating and horrific poem in which the narrator views the remains of a woman who was brutally sacrificed several hundred years ago. Her body was partially preserved in a bog and resurrected in the 20th century.

9. Which poem begins with these lines: "Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests; snug as a gun"?

Answer: Digging

"Digging" is one of Heaney's earliest poems, and one of my favorites. Even though he admires his father and grandfather, he solidly establishes the differences between himself and his rural ancestors.

10. In which poem does the narrator recall seeing his father "scatter-eyed and daunted, strange without his hat" after his father's horse and rig crashed into the river?

Answer: Seeing Things

"Seeing Things" is from Heaney's book of poems of the same title, published in 1991.

Source: Author littlewoman2

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