“swallows” by leonora speyer

they dip their wings in the sunset,
they dash against the air
as if to break themselves upon its stillness:
in every movement, too swift to count,
is a revelry of indecision, 5
a furtive delight in trees they do not desire
and in grasses that shall not know their weight.
they hover and lean toward the meadow
with little edged cries;
and then, 10
as if frightened at the earth’s nearness,
they seek the high austerity of evening sky
and swirl into its depth.

1. in lines 10-11, the poet uses which of the following syntactical devices?
a) caesura
b) enjambment
c) alliteration
d) anaphora
e) parallel structure

2. what is the effect of the syntax in lines 9-12 on the poem's meaning?
a) the meandering lines parallel the bird's freedom
b) the short clauses illustrate the size of the swallows
c) the abrupt phrases show the brevity of the bird's lives
d) the line length mirror the swallows' movement
e) the difference in line length shows the birds' indecision

3. line 3 is an example of which poetic device?
a) allusion
b) assonance
c) imagery
d) irony
e) symbolism

4. how does the form of this poem affect its voice?
a) the free verse creates a poem with broken meter, creating a voice full of longing.
b) the free verse allows for the rhythm to vary, allowing the voice to echo the subject
e) the open form illustrates a contrast, showing the difference between the subject and the speaker

5. the structure of lines 2-3 supports which interpretation of the poem?
a) the birds are cacophonous; they revel in making noise when it is quiet
b) the birds are peaceful; they have finally been freed from a longtime predator
c) the birds are frantic; they have longed to escape but do not know how to
d) the birds are fighting; they have been constrained by manmade structure
e) the birds are wild; their beauty cannot be contained, even by nature

6. how does the structure of the poem influence its tone?
a) the parallel lines create a close and familiar tone
b) the varied meter creates a distant but informal tone
c) the parallel structure creates an insistent, aggressive tone
d) the fixed meter creates a claustrophobic and informal tone
e) the changing structure creates an untrustworthy and flighty tone