MCQs - "When Lilacs last in the Doóryard Bloomed" - by Walt Whitman

MCQs - "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" - by Walt Whitman

1. "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" is a poem written by:
A. Walt Whitman
B. Robert Frost
C. Emily Dickinson
D. Langston Hughes

2. In what year was "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" published?
A. 1855
B. 1865
C. 1875
D. 1885

3. How many lines are there in the poem?
A.106
B.206
C.306
D.406

4. What is the subject of " When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd "?
A. Death
B. Love
C. Nature
D. Politics

5. What event does the poem mourn?
A. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln
B. The sinking of the Titanic
C. The bombing of Pearl Harbor
D. The September 11 attacks

6. Who or what is the "hermit thrush" in the poem?
A. A bird
B. A tree
C. A person
D. A flower

7. Is President Abraham Lincoln's name mentioned in the poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”?
A. Yes, it is mentioned several times
B. Yes, but only in the final stanza
C. No, he is only referred to through symbols and indirect references
D. No, because the poem is not about Lincoln

8. ‘The powerful western fallen star’ is
A. Mars
B. Venus
C. Mercury
D. Jupiter

9. Which of the following statements best describes the tone of the poem?
A. Hopeful
B. Joyful
C. Somber
D. Angry

10." When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd " is an example of:
A. Pastoral Elegy
B. Sonnet
C. Haiku
D. Ballad

11.What season is associated with the setting of the poem?
A. Winter
B. Spring
C. Autumn
D. Summer

12. What is the significance of the "western star" in the poem?
A. It symbolizes the end of the day
B. It represents hope and new beginnings
C. It is a sign of Abraham Lincoln's death
D. It has no significant meaning in the poem

13. The incident of the President Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. was occurred on ............ ?

A. 14th April

B. 14th June

C. 14th March

D. 14th May

 

14. The title of the poem includes the phrase "Dooryard bloomed" What is a "dooryard"?
A. The area in front of a house
B. A type of flower
C. A small garden
D. A type of bird

15. In the poem, what is the speaker's attitude towards death?
A. Fearful
B. Accepting
C. Angry
D. Resigned

16. The poem is divided into how many sections?
A. Ten
B. Three
C. Sixteen
D. Five

17. Which of the following is not a major symbol in the poem?
A. the star
B. the lilac
C. the bird
D. the sky

18. What is the overall theme of "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed"?
A. The beauty of nature
B. The inevitability of death
C. The power of love
D. The resilience of the human spirit

19. Who is the speaker of the poem?
A. A Lilac
B. A star
C. A hermit thrush
D. An unknown narrator

20. Which of the following best describes the structure of "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed"?
A. Free verse
B. Sonnet
C. Ballad
D. Epic

21. The poem is part of which larger collection by Whitman?

A. Drum-Taps

B. Leaves of Grass

C. Song of Myself

D. Memoranda During the War

 

22. What is the significance of the “trinity” of symbols (lilac, star, and thrush) in the poem?

A. They represent the cycle of life, death, and rebirth

B. They symbolize the poet’s personal journey

C. They are unrelated images meant to evoke beauty

D. They critique the political climate of the time 

 

23. What is the primary purpose of Walt Whitman’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d?

A. To celebrate the arrival of spring

B. To mourn the death of President Abraham Lincoln

C. To describe the beauty of lilacs and nature

D. To critique the violence of the Civil War

 

24. Which of the following symbols in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d represents President Lincoln?

A. The lilac

B. The hermit thrush

C. The western star

D. The spring flowers

 

25. What does the lilac symbolize in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d?

A. The inevitability of death

B. Love and resurrection

C. The violence of war

D. The poet’s isolation

 

26. The phrase "sane and sacred death" employs which figure of speech?

A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Oxymoron
D. Personification

 

27. In Whitman's elegy, Lincoln's funeral train travels from:

A. New York to Springfield
B. Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Illinois
C. Washington to Gettysburg
D. Baltimore to Chicago

 

28. How does Whitman structure the poem’s emotional progression?

A. From anger to revenge
B. From grief to acceptance of death
C. From joy to despair
D. From confusion to clarity

 

29. In which collection was the poem first published?

A. Leaves of Grass (1855)
B. Drum-Taps and Sequel to Drum-Taps (1865)
C. Specimen Days (1882)
D. Memories of President Lincoln (1881)

 

30. Which edition of Leaves of Grass first included this poem?

A. First edition (1855)
B. Fourth edition (1867)
C. Deathbed Edition (1891–92)
D. Third edition (1860)

 

31. When did Walt Whitman compose "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd"?

A. Civil War
B. Crimean War

C. Boer War

D. American Revolution

 

32. The opening and closing lines of Whitman's "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" are….?

A.
Opening: "O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done"
Closing: "Exult O shores, and ring O bells!"

B.
Opening: "When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd"
Closing: "I cease from my song for thee"

C.
Opening: "Come lovely and soothing death"
Closing: "The night in silence under many a star"

D.
Opening: "This dust was once the man"
Closing: "Passing the visions, passing the night"

 

33. “O great star disappear’d” refers to

A. Lincoln

B. Emerson

C. Whitman

D. America

 

34. The "dark mother" in the poem refers to:

A. A Lilac
B. Funeral
C. A hermit thrush
D. Death

 

35. The "Western orb" in the poem refers to:

A. A Lilac
B. Whitman

C. A hermit thrush
D. Lincoln

 

36. The "dearest brother" in the poem refers to:

A. A Lilac
B. A star
C. A hermit thrush
D. Lincoln

 

37. The "comrades three" in the poem refer to:

A. Lincoln, Whitman, and the hermit thrush
B. The lilac, star, and bird
C. The coffin, the funeral train, and the cemetery
D. The thought of death, the knowledge of death, and the narrator

 

38. My “departing comrade" in the poem refers to:

A. A Lilac
B. A star
C. A hermit thrush
D. Lincoln

 

39. ‘The waiting depot’ in the poem refers to:

A. Coffin Box

B. the Funeral

C. The people waiting

D. The Train station

 

40. "The gray-brown bird I know" uses which figures of speech?

A. Anaphora
B. Metonymy
C. Epithet
D. Chiasmus

Answers: When Lilacs last in Dooryard Bloom’d
1. A	2. B	3. B	4. A	5.  A	6.  A	7. C	8.  B	9.  C	10.  A
11. B	12. C	13. A	14.  A	15. B	16. C	17. D	18. B	19. D	20. A
21. B	22.  A	23. B	24. C	25.  B	26. C	27. B	28. B	29. B	30. B
31. A	32. B	33. A	34. D	35. D	36. C	37. D	38. D	39. D	40. C