Poetry Forms Quiz

Name:

Date:

Instructions: From sonnets to haiku, test your knowledge of the many beautiful forms poetry can take

1.
How many lines does a traditional sonnet have?
A
16
B
14
C
10
D
12
2.
A haiku is a Japanese poem with how many syllables in its three lines?
A
3-5-3
B
5-5-5
C
7-5-7
D
5-7-5
3.
What is a 'limerick'?
A
A three-line Japanese poem
B
A 14-line poem about love
C
A long narrative poem
D
A humorous five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme
4.
What is an 'epic' poem?
A
A very short poem
B
A poem that does not rhyme
C
A poem written in a single stanza
D
A long narrative poem that tells the story of a hero's adventures
5.
Which of these is a famous epic poem?
A
The Road Not Taken
B
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
C
The Odyssey
D
Daffodils
6.
What is a 'ballad'?
A
A narrative poem or song that tells a story, often with a refrain
B
A poem written in Latin
C
A poem with exactly six lines
D
A poem with no rhythm
7.
What is an 'ode'?
A
A lyric poem that addresses or celebrates a particular subject with elevated style
B
A children's nursery rhyme
C
A poem about death
D
A short, humorous poem
8.
Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' is an example of which poetic form?
A
Ode
B
Haiku
C
Sonnet
D
Limerick
9.
What is an 'elegy'?
A
A humorous poem about animals
B
A poem celebrating a wedding
C
A poem with no fixed structure
D
A poem of serious reflection, typically mourning the dead
10.
A 'villanelle' is a poem with how many lines?
A
19
B
12
C
21
D
14
11.
Which famous poem by Dylan Thomas is a villanelle?
A
The Raven
B
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
C
The Waste Land
D
Howl
12.
What distinguishes a Shakespearean sonnet from a Petrarchan sonnet?
A
The number of lines
B
Petrarchan sonnets are always about love
C
Shakespearean sonnets do not rhyme
D
A Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains and a couplet; a Petrarchan has an octave and a sestet
13.
What is a 'couplet' in poetry?
A
A poem about a couple
B
A pair of poets who write together
C
A poem with two stanzas
D
Two consecutive lines that rhyme
14.
What is a 'sestina'?
A
A complex form with six stanzas of six lines each, plus a three-line envoi, using repeated end-words
B
A poem about the six seasons
C
A poem written for six voices
D
A six-line poem
15.
What is a 'quatrain'?
A
A stanza or group of four lines
B
A poem about the four seasons
C
A poem with four stanzas
D
A four-word poem

Answer Key

Question 1

B. 14

Question 2

D. 5-7-5

Question 3

D. A humorous five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme

Question 4

D. A long narrative poem that tells the story of a hero's adventures

Question 5

C. The Odyssey

Question 6

A. A narrative poem or song that tells a story, often with a refrain

Question 7

A. A lyric poem that addresses or celebrates a particular subject with elevated style

Question 8

A. Ode

Question 9

D. A poem of serious reflection, typically mourning the dead

Question 10

A. 19

Question 11

B. Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

Question 12

D. A Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains and a couplet; a Petrarchan has an octave and a sestet

Question 13

D. Two consecutive lines that rhyme

Question 14

A. A complex form with six stanzas of six lines each, plus a three-line envoi, using repeated end-words

Question 15

A. A stanza or group of four lines

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