“The Wreck of the Hesperus” Poetry Quiz
MCAT
Brianna Dodd
EDC 371 – 02
December 7, 2013
This multiple choice exam was given in an 8th grade English/Language Arts class at Exeter
West Greenwich Junior High. The students read a poem, “The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow, which was in their literature textbook. As a class, we talked about the
poem and then the students took a nine-question quiz. One part of the Common Core State
Standards for 8th grade ELA is being able to comprehend poetry and recognize figurative
language in literature. Longfellow’s poem includes many literary devices, such as simile,
allusion, imagery, and repetitions. Students should also be exposed to different types of
literature, including a variety of poetry, such as Longfellow’s narrative poem. In addition,
students should be able to extract quotes from a text that support an idea. This assessment
addresses the following Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other
texts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature,
including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
Students were given the following quiz:
Name ______________________________________
The Wreck of the Hesperus
For each item, circle the choice that best answers the question. Explain your reasoning for choosing an
answer where it is asked for. If you need more room, use the back of the page. This quiz should take you
about 30 minutes.
Knowledge (1 point for each correct answer):
1. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
A
ABAB
B
ABCB
C
AABB
D
ABCA
2. Who does the skipper bring on the ship?
A
His dog
B
His wife
C
His son
D
His daughter
3. Why does the old sailor tell the skipper to pull into port?
A
He fears a hurricane
B
He forgot something
C
The ship is leaking
D
He is sea-sick
Understanding (1 point for each correct answer, 1 point for each correct explanation):
4. Line 78 of the poem says “The fisherman stood aghast.” Aghast is an adjective meaning “filled
with sudden fright or horror.” Which of the following words is a synonym of aghast that could
also be used to describe the fisherman?
Your Explanation
A
Depressed
B
Ashamed
C
Horror-struck
D
Ambitious
5. Which of the following lines from the poem is a simile?
Your Explanation
A
Last night the moon had a
golden ring
B
Blue were her eyes as the
fairy-flax
C
The lantern gleamed
through the gleaming
snow
D
The salt sea was frozen on
her breast
6. The skipper’s pride causes the ship-wreck. Which of the following lines from the poem shows
the skipper being proud?
Your Explanation
A
“For I can weather the
roughest gale,/That ever wind
did blow.”
B
But the father answered never
a word,/ A frozen corpse was
he
C
The skipper he stood beside
the helm,/His pipe was in his
mouth.
D
“Come hither! Come hither!
My little daughter,/ And do
not tremble so”
Thinking (1 point for each correct answer, 1 point for each correct explanation):
7. Which of the following lines from the poem is a Biblical allusion?
Your Explanation
A
“O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/O
say, what may it be?”
B
To see the form of a maiden fair,/ Lashed
close to a drifting mast
C
Christ save us all from a death like this,/
On the reef of Norman’s Woe!
D
And she thought of Christ, who stilled
the wave,/ On the Lake of Galilee
8. Which of the following is the best piece of advice to give to the skipper?
Your Explanation
A
Find a different profession.
B
Don’t bring women on board ships.
C
Don’t make reckless decisions.
D
Don’t laugh at your sailors.
9. A theme of the poem is that people should respect the power of nature. Which of the following
lines from the poem displays this theme?
Your Explanation
A
“O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/
O say what may it be?/ Tis a fog-bell
on a rock-bound coast!”/ And he
steered for the open sea
B
“Come hither! Come hither! My little
daughter,/ And do not tremble so;/
For I can weather the roughest gale,/
That ever wind did blow”
C
The skipper he stood beside the helm,/
His pipe was in his mouth,/ And he
watched how the veering flaw did
blow/ The smoke now West, now
South
D
It was the schooner Hesperus,/ That
sailed the wintry sea;/ And the skipper
had taken his little daughter,/ To bear
him company.
Feedback:
1. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
A
ABAB
Not quite, the first and third lines of each stanza do not rhyme.
B
ABCB
Good job! The second and last lines of each stanza rhyme.
C
AABB
D
ABCA
Not correct, take a closer look at which words at the end of
each line rhyme with one another.
Close guess, but the first and last lines of each stanza do not
rhyme. Try to look more closely at the last word of each line.
2. Who does the skipper bring on the ship?
A
His dog
No, try looking back at the first stanza of the poem to see who the
skipper brings on board the ship.
B
His wife
No, try looking back at the first stanza of the poem to see who the
skipper brings on board the ship.
C
His son
No, try looking back at the first stanza of the poem to see who the
skipper brings on board the ship.
D
His daughter
Correct! The first stanza of the poem tells us that the skipper
brings his daughter on board.
3. Why does the old sailor tell the skipper to pull into port?
A
He fears a hurricane
Good job! The old sailor knows a storm is coming.
B
He forgot something
No, the sailor didn’t forget anything. Think about the
warning that he gives to the skipper.
C
The ship is leaking
No, the ship is not damaged yet when the old sailor speaks.
Think about the warning that he gives to the skipper.
D
He is sea-sick
No, the sailor isn’t sick, he is used to the sea. Think about the
warning that he gives to the skipper.
4. Line 78 of the poem says “The fisherman stood aghast.” Aghast is an adjective meaning “filled
with sudden fright or horror.” Which of the following words is a synonym of aghast that could
also be used to describe the fisherman?
A
Depressed
The fisherman may be sad when he sees the dead body, but this
is not a good synonym for aghast.
B
Ashamed
Ashamed means embarrassed or guilty. The fisherman is not
ashamed, he is aghast. Think more closely about the definition of
the word and similar meanings.
C
Horror-struck
Correct! The fisherman is struck with horror when he sees the
dead girl’s body.
D
Ambitious
Ambitious describes someone with a strong desire to succeed.
This does not describe the fisherman; try to think more closely
about the definition of aghast and similar meanings.
5. Which of the following lines from the poem is a simile?
A
Last night the moon had a
This phrase describes the moon with figurative language, but it
golden ring
is not a simile – a comparison using like or as. Try to look more
closely at the language of the poem.
B
Blue were her eyes as the
Correct! This simile uses as to describe the daughter’s
fairy-flax
appearance.
C
The lantern gleamed
This phrase uses imagery to describe the lantern and the snow,
through the gleaming snow
but it is not a simile – a comparison using like or as.
D
The salt sea was frozen on
her breast
This phrase uses figurative language to describe the image of the
dead girl, but it is not a simile – a comparison using like or as.
6. The skipper’s pride causes the ship-wreck. Which of the following lines from the poem shows
the skipper being proud?
A
“For I can weather the
Correct! The skipper is boasting about his ability to outroughest gale,/That ever wind
maneuver the storm.
did blow.”
B
But the father answered never This quote shows the consequences of the skipper’s reckless
a word,/ A frozen corpse was
actions, but it is not direct evidence of his pride. Try to think
he
more closely about the skipper’s words and actions.
C
The skipper he stood beside
the helm,/His pipe was in his
mouth.
This quote describes the skipper, but is not evidence of his
pride. Try to think more closely about the skipper’s specific
words and actions.
D
“Come hither! Come hither!
My little daughter,/ And do
not tremble so”
This quote describes the skipper and his protective gesture
toward his daughter, but it is not evidence of his pride. Try
to think more closely about the skipper’s specific words and
actions.
7. Which of the following lines from the poem is a Biblical allusion?
A
“O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/O This quote talks about Church, but is not an allusion
say, what may it be?”
to a Biblical story. Think about other things that the
daughter says, and her mention of specific stories
from the Bible.
B
To see the form of a maiden fair,/ Lashed This quote describes the image of the daughter, but
close to a drifting mast
has no mention of anything from the Bible. Think
about things that the daughter says, and her
mention of specific Biblical stories.
C
Christ save us all from a death like this,/
This quote is the speaker’s final prayer, but is not an
On the reef of Norman’s Woe!
allusion to a Biblical story. Think about things that
the daughter says, and her mention of specific
Biblical stories.
D
And she thought of Christ, who stilled
Correct! The daughter is thinking about the story
the wave,/ On the Lake of Galilee
from Luke Chapter 8 of the Bible, where Jesus calms
a storm on the Lake of Galilee.
8. Which of the following is the best piece of advice to give to the skipper?
A
Find a different profession.
The skipper’s sailing skills were not what caused the
tragedy of the poem. Think more closely about what he
does that puts the ship in danger.
B
Don’t bring women on board ships.
The daughter’s presence on the ship had no effect on
the success of the voyage. Think more closely about
what the skipper does to put the ship in danger.
C
Don’t make reckless decisions.
Great! The proud skipper fails to listen to the advice of
his sailor, and puts the ship in danger because of his
reckless decision-making.
D
Don’t laugh at your sailors.
The skipper is wrong when he laughs at the old sailor
instead of listening to his advice, but this is not the best
advice to give him. Think more closely about what the
skipper does to put the ship in danger.
9. A theme of the poem is that people should respect the power of nature. Which of the following
lines from the poem displays this theme?
A
“O father! I hear the church-bells ring,/
This quote shows the consequences of the
O say what may it be?/ Tis a fog-bell
skipper’s reckless actions; he steers for the open
on a rock-bound coast!”/ And he
sea to try to avoid the rocky reef. Try to think
steered for the open sea
about events that take place before this point in
the poem that might be more specific to the
theme.
B
“Come hither! Come hither! My little Correct! The skipper is boasting about his ability to
daughter,/ And do not tremble so;/
out-maneuver even the roughest storm, which of
For I can weather the roughest gale,/
course ends up badly for him.
That ever wind did blow”
C
The skipper he stood beside the helm,/
His pipe was in his mouth,/ And he
watched how the veering flaw did
blow/ The smoke now West, now
South
This quote describes the skipper before his
reckless decision. Think about events that take
place after this point in the poem that might be
more specific to the theme.
D
It was the schooner Hesperus,/ That
sailed the wintry sea;/ And the skipper
had taken his little daughter,/ To bear
him company.
This quote sets up the conflict between the
skipper and nature to come later in the poem. Try
to think about events that take place after this
point in the poem that might be more specific to
the theme.
Student Example #1
Because Horror-struck is like
being frightened and I feel it
is a close meaning.
Because he didn’t think
about what could happen if
he listened to the sailor, he
was just excited so it was
reckless thinking.
Student Example #2
Student Example #3
Student Example #3
Horror-struck because it’s the most
similar to aghast and it means to be
filled with horror and aghast has the
closest to the same definitions
b because a simile refers to something else
and has the words like or as in them
I chose A because he says “for I can
weather the roughest gale,/ that ever
wind did blow” he says he can go
through the strongest winds
I said C because it sounds like the
most Biblical sentence out of all 4
of them. And Norman’s Woe is
something in the Bible
I said b because women can just
cause such destruction. Also they
may cause you to mess up on
something by trying to correct you
or talking too much.
I said A because it’s showing
when the storm is coming in and
then there is a lot of fog
Based on the results of the exam, it is fairly simple to see which students were paying
attention during our discussion of the poem, and which ones were not. After we read the poem,
the students and I talked about the text, specifically in terms of Longfellow’s use of literary
devices. We discussed his use of simile and metaphor, reviewing the definition and use of these
as literary devices. We talked about the effect of repetition, imagery and allusion. On a more
basic level, we discussed the plot of the narrative poem and I tried to make sure that every
student had comprehended the meaning of the story. Reading comprehension was assessed with
the first few questions on the exam, which virtually every student answered correctly. Therefore,
it can be concluded that they all understood the poem itself. However, some students failed to
identify a simile or a Biblical allusion when confronted with a range of choices. Some also
struggled with identifying the best quote to support a theme of the text. As we talked about these
concepts in some detail before I handed out the quiz, there are a couple of conclusions that I can
draw. Either the students were not paying full attention during the discussion, or they need
further support in developing these skills when it comes to analyzing literature. One of the
biggest focuses of the ELA Common Core State Standards is to teach students to extract
evidence from a text in support of an idea about that text. The last question of the exam
specifically assesses this skill. So, based on the students’ mastery of that question I can get an
idea of how well they are able to apply it individually.
This format of multiple-choice, in which the students have to explain their reasoning for
giving a certain answer, can be particularly useful in ELA classrooms. When students analyze
and respond to literature, the main skill involved is extracting specific textual evidence, and then
explaining in their own words with supporting details. In this multiple-choice format, teachers
can assess two things: one, if students are able to choose effective quotes from a text; and two, if
students are then able to explain that evidence in their own words. As with question number 9 on
this assessment, the students have to find the best supporting quote from a number of different
choices, and then explain the relationship between the evidence and an idea when they elaborate
on their answer. This is a good alternative to extended written responses, especially for younger
students. At the high school level, students should be expected to display these skills in extended
responses and essays. However at the middle school level, students are still learning and honing
these skills. This format is a good way to lead them to the end goal. By providing a range of
answers which students have to sift through, and then requiring them to briefly explain that
answer, we guide students through the literary analysis process. This type of exam will lead
students to be able to look through an entire text on their own, choose appropriate quotes, and
then develop a response in their own words.
After reading all of the quiz results, one thing I noticed in terms of improvements is the
actual answers I chose. Questions 9 and 6 ask students to choose the quote that correctly supports
the idea in the question. However, both answers are the same quote from the poem. Based on the
results, it seems that this might have seemed like a trick to some students. I think they may have
deliberately chosen an incorrect answer to the last question because they thought that it couldn’t
possibly be the same quote that correctly answered question 6. After reviewing the quiz, I
probably would have thought the same thing as a student. This was a design flaw on my part that
I would avoid in future quizzes. In addition, I would probably change some of the
“Remembering” questions to be a little more challenging. The questions that I asked about
simple facts of the story were very simple and no students missed the answers. This is a good
thing in one sense, because it means that the students comprehended the story. However, I
definitely could have challenged them to think a little more deeply.