Nefertari British International School Student name:_________________

English Department Year 8 ( )

Poetry – Quiz Date: _______________________

Time allotted: 30 minutes

O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the
people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady Keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up--for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
O Captain! Dear Father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Answer the following questions.

1. The central idea of this poem revolves around the death of a hero. Which line from the poem best
illustrates this central idea? [1]

a. “O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done”

b. “For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning”

c. “The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done”

d. “I, with mournful tread,/Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead”

2. Look at the first stanza of the poem where the word “heart!” is repeated before the line “O the
bleeding drops of red.” What does the speaker emphasize when he repeats these words? What
kind of mood does this repetition create? [2]
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3. Read the first sentence (stanza one). What does exulting mean? Who is exulting, and where are
they? [2]
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4. In the first two stanzas, Walt Whitman is still in denial and doesn’t want to acknowledge the death
of his Captain. Which words or phrases support this viewpoint? [2]
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5. In the second stanza, one phrase is repeated 5 times. What is it? Why do you think Whitman
chose to repeat this phrase? [2]
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6. What is the musical instrument Whitman mentions in stanza two? Why is he so subtle in his use
of this instrument in specific? [2]
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7. Rewrite the last four lines in your own words. [2]
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8. In this poem, Walt 'Whitman expresses his profound sense of grief and admiration for
one of the greatest American Presidents. The poem would not be complete without its extended
metaphors. Mention FOUR examples for the extended metaphors. [4]
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9. Mention TWO different music devices you can find in the poem. Quote the words or phrases to
support your answer. [2]
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10. Find TWO examples for apostrophe. [2]

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11. Write two words that describe the tone of the poem and justify your answer. Support with quotes
from the poem and show their significance. [2]

First mood: Evidence and significance:

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Second mood: Evidence and significance:
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12. Whitman uses powerful visual images to create pictures in the reader’s mind. Pick two images
that appeal to our sense of sight and explain them. [2]

First image: Explanation:

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Second image: Explanation:

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13. What is the rhyme scheme used in the second stanza? [1 bonus mark]

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