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Quiz about What Poem are These Verses From

What Poem are These Verses From? Quiz

I will give you a verse, you tell me what the poem is with some additional information in the questions to give you clues.

A multiple-choice quiz by Nammage. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Nammage

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
380,398

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
384

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This first poem comes from Sylvia Plath. It is, perhaps, her most famous poem. It is said of this poem that it is a metaphor for the Holocaust describing with vivid imagery of a sort of allegorical relationship of a daughter with her father. Here's a verse from the poem:

"Bit my pretty red heart in two.
I was ten when they buried you.
At twenty I tried to die
And get back, back, back to you.
I thought even the bones would do."

What Plath poem is this? Hint

Grandfather

Uncle

Daddy

Brother

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. This next poem is written by a man who seemed to like to write consistently in lowercase, even in signing his name. His spacing was atrocious but added a bit of flavor to his storytelling and imagery. The poem itself is simple and clich�, at times. The repetition is redundant but still allows the want of reading it based on the loving description and emotional pull of the entire piece.

"here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart"

What poem does this verse come from? Hint

I Love You

Sunset of Love (Soulful Sunrise)

I Carry Your Heart With Me (I Carry It In My Heart)

True Love Ways

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Matthew Arnold was a sage writer, one who berates and teaches you while you read his work. He once berated himself in a letter to his mother, saying he wasn't as sentimental as Tennyson or intelligent as Browning. He wrote a lyrical poem about a beach that looked over to Calais, France. From this verse, what poem am I describing?

"The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world." Hint

Kent Beach

Dover Beach

Guston Beach

Kingsdown Beach

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. John Banister Tabb was a block runner for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He was captured; while a POW he met the poet Sidney Lanier and they became lifelong friends. Tabb wrote a lot of nature poems, and this one is just one verse:

"Out of the dusk a shadow,
Then, a spark;
Out of the cloud a silence,
Then, a lark;
Out of the heart a rapture,
Then, a pain;
Out of the dead, cold ashes,
Life again."

What is the name of this poem? Hint

Creationism

Fermi Paradox

Abiogenesis

Evolution

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. "This morning, for no reason at all,
I thought of you.
There's no mystery here.
You've been a tiny lump in my throat
all these years,
making house in the dark."

This first verse comes from a poem by Ernesto Trejo. Can you tell me the name of this poem? Hint

Them

You

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. "As I gaze upon a frail old man opposite me
He looks at me and a smile appears on his face
I decide to stop and talk to him for a while
To reflect upon those years gone by
Old man, where has your life gone?"

This opening verse comes from a poem written by the late actor James Dean. What poem of his does this come from? Hint

Emptiness Beguiles My Senses

Fetching Stars from the Sky

Turning Round and Round

Reflection of an Old Man

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Tupac Shakur wasn't just a rapper but he also wrote a book of poetry. This verse comes from one of those poems:

"The world moves fast and it would rather pass by.
Then to stop and see what makes one cry,
so painful and sad.
And sometimes..."

What's the next line which is also the title of the poem? Hint

I Cry

The Sun Shines Anew

Willows Weep

Quiet Mornings Fall to Sleep

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. This next poem is by William Carlos Williams. Published around or in 1933, here's part of the middle verse of the poem:

"the cherry trees
white in all back
yards-
And bare as
they are, the coral
peach trees melting
the harsh air-"

What's the name of this poem? Hint

The Flowers Alone

The Will of the Sun

Chaucer's Window Sill

Cardiff at Sunset

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. This next poem is written by Emma Lazarus, and is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. The last verse probably being the most recognizable:

"'Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!' cries she
With silent lips. 'Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!'"

What is the name of this poem? Hint

Come All Ye Who Enter Passage of New Lands

The Old Do Not Yet Weep

The Young Have Come Home

The New Colossus

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Zhuo Wenjun, a Chinese female poet from around the second century BCE, only has one poem that is attributed to her that seems to have survived. Here's a few lines from the poem:

"My love, like my hair, is pure,
Frosty white like the snow on the mountain
Bright and white like the moon amid the clouds.
But I have discovered
You are of a double mind.
We have come to the breaking point."

What's the English title of this poem? Hint

Song of White Hairs

Moon Pearl

Mountaintop Melody

Koi Seas

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This first poem comes from Sylvia Plath. It is, perhaps, her most famous poem. It is said of this poem that it is a metaphor for the Holocaust describing with vivid imagery of a sort of allegorical relationship of a daughter with her father. Here's a verse from the poem: "Bit my pretty red heart in two. I was ten when they buried you. At twenty I tried to die And get back, back, back to you. I thought even the bones would do." What Plath poem is this?

Answer: Daddy

This poem was published posthumously in Sylvia Plath's "Ariel" book in 1965. She was married to the English poet and playwright Ted Hughes. Plath committed suicide on February 11, 1963. She was only 30 years old.

2. This next poem is written by a man who seemed to like to write consistently in lowercase, even in signing his name. His spacing was atrocious but added a bit of flavor to his storytelling and imagery. The poem itself is simple and clich�, at times. The repetition is redundant but still allows the want of reading it based on the loving description and emotional pull of the entire piece. "here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart" What poem does this verse come from?

Answer: I Carry Your Heart With Me (I Carry It In My Heart)

Edward Estlin Cummings aka e.e. cummings (as many people spell his name) was an American poet. He was also an essayist, artist, and playwright. What some may not know is that he was quite the controversial figure during his time with the eroticism featured in many of his poems and also the racial epithets he used to explain such prejudices. Cummings died on September 3, 1962 at the age of 67.

3. Matthew Arnold was a sage writer, one who berates and teaches you while you read his work. He once berated himself in a letter to his mother, saying he wasn't as sentimental as Tennyson or intelligent as Browning. He wrote a lyrical poem about a beach that looked over to Calais, France. From this verse, what poem am I describing? "The Sea of Faith Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Retreating, to the breath Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear And naked shingles of the world."

Answer: Dover Beach

Matthew Arnold was born in Laleham, Middlesex, England in 1822. His other notable works are "Culture and Anarchy (1867-1868)", "The Scholar Gipsy (1853)" and "Thrysis (1865)". He died in Liverpool, England in 1888.

4. John Banister Tabb was a block runner for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He was captured; while a POW he met the poet Sidney Lanier and they became lifelong friends. Tabb wrote a lot of nature poems, and this one is just one verse: "Out of the dusk a shadow, Then, a spark; Out of the cloud a silence, Then, a lark; Out of the heart a rapture, Then, a pain; Out of the dead, cold ashes, Life again." What is the name of this poem?

Answer: Evolution

After the war Tabb converted to Roman Catholicism in 1872, and became an ordained priest in 1884. He taught Greek and English at Saint Charles College in Maryland. He died on November 19, 1909. His last name is often misspelled as "Bannister".

5. "This morning, for no reason at all, I thought of you. There's no mystery here. You've been a tiny lump in my throat all these years, making house in the dark." This first verse comes from a poem by Ernesto Trejo. Can you tell me the name of this poem?

Answer: You

Ernesto Trejo was born on March 4, 1950 in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico. He wrote his poetry in both English and Spanish. He graduated from California State University with a B.A. and M.A. in Economics. In the late 1970s he returned to Mexico and worked as an Economist for the Mexican government.

He returned to the US in 1983 and taught English and Spanish at California State University and he taught Creative Writing at Fresno City College in Fresno, California until the year before he died in 1991.

6. "As I gaze upon a frail old man opposite me He looks at me and a smile appears on his face I decide to stop and talk to him for a while To reflect upon those years gone by Old man, where has your life gone?" This opening verse comes from a poem written by the late actor James Dean. What poem of his does this come from?

Answer: Reflection of an Old Man

James Byron Dean was born February 8, 1931 in Marion, Indiana. Best known as an actor in such films as "East of Eden" (1955), "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955) and "Giant" (1956), which were his last three films. He also wrote poetry from time to time. He died in a car accident on September 30, 1955. He was only 24 years old.

7. Tupac Shakur wasn't just a rapper but he also wrote a book of poetry. This verse comes from one of those poems: "The world moves fast and it would rather pass by. Then to stop and see what makes one cry, so painful and sad. And sometimes..." What's the next line which is also the title of the poem?

Answer: I Cry

"I Cry" is also known as "Sometimes I Cry". Tupac Shakur's life was cut short in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 13, 1996. He was only 25 years old.

8. This next poem is by William Carlos Williams. Published around or in 1933, here's part of the middle verse of the poem: "the cherry trees white in all back yards- And bare as they are, the coral peach trees melting the harsh air-" What's the name of this poem?

Answer: The Flowers Alone

William Carlos Williams was born on September 17, 1883 in Rutherford, New Jersey. Not only a prolific writer he was also a physician and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He published over 20 books of poetry, around 18 books of novels, essays, and non-fiction works collectively. And also wrote a collection of plays. Williams died on March 4, 1963 in Rutherford, New Jersey.

9. This next poem is written by Emma Lazarus, and is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. The last verse probably being the most recognizable: "'Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!' cries she With silent lips. 'Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!'" What is the name of this poem?

Answer: The New Colossus

Emma Lazarus was born on July 22, 1849 in New York City, New York. Not only a poet but she also translated, edited, wrote adaptations of works by some German writers such as Goethe and Heine. She also wrote a novel "Alide: An Episode of Goethe's Life", in 1874. And two plays "The Spagnoletto", and "The Dance to Death". Tragically Lazarus died of an illness (probably Hodgkin's lymphoma) on November 19, 1887.

She was only 38 years old.

10. Zhuo Wenjun, a Chinese female poet from around the second century BCE, only has one poem that is attributed to her that seems to have survived. Here's a few lines from the poem: "My love, like my hair, is pure, Frosty white like the snow on the mountain Bright and white like the moon amid the clouds. But I have discovered You are of a double mind. We have come to the breaking point." What's the English title of this poem?

Answer: Song of White Hairs

The English version was translated by Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung. Zhuo Wenjun was a poet of the Western Han dynasty. Her second marriage was to the poet Sima Xiangru (c. 179-117 BCE).

Source: Author Nammage

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