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Quiz about A World of Women Poets
Quiz about A World of Women Poets

A World of Women Poets Trivia Quiz


Her name, birth country, birth year, the title of (or a line from) one of her poems. I'll give you three (I'm generous like that) and you pick the fourth. The real objective is to learn more about these well-versed women. For the poetry-obsessed only!

A multiple-choice quiz by LilahDeDah. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
LilahDeDah
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
189,456
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
12 / 20
Plays
1251
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: sarahpplayer (18/20), Froya (14/20), SixShutouts66 (10/20).
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Question 1 of 20
1. Her story is one of the earliest examples of Hebrew poetry, dating from the 2nd half of the 12th century BCE. Who wrote "I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates:"? Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. Sappho of Lesbos is considered the most important lyric poet of Western antiquity. She was born in Greece in the 7th-6th century BCE. Which of the following was written by Sappho? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. Within her masterwork, "The Tale of Genji", this Japanese author placed a number of stunning poems. She was born in 974. Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. The traditional songs and poems of many cultures were written by women whose names are lost to us. The poetic form called "jarcha" flourished in this country in 1000-1300. Jarchas were written in Arabic or Hebrew, with a last stanza in the country's native tongue. Their subject is often women's carnal side, as in the following:
"I will make love
with you,
but only if you hold me
so my earrings
touch the jewelry
on my ankles."
In what country with both a rich Jewish and a rich Arab heritage were these poems written by now-anonymous women?
Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. Africa, of course, has a rich oral poetic tradition in its many languages. A Hottentot woman created the undated poem "Song of the Lioness for her Cub" in what present-day country? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. Born around 1460, Gwerfyl Mechain is one of the very few early poets from this country whose work has been preserved. One of her best-known poems is "The Lady of the Ferry Inn". Her country? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. Vittoria da Colonna epitomized the Italian Renaissance. Like her friend Michelangelo, her preferred poetic form was the sonnet. One of her most famous begins, "I live on this depraved and lonely cliff".
In what year was this noble lady born?
Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. Born sometime in the 16th century, Lal Ded was a wandering mystic who wrote the words,
"To learn the scriptures is easy,
to live them hard.
The search for the Real
is no simple matter."
Through which Asian country did Lal Ded wander?
Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. Although she was born in the mid-seventeeth century, this first important literary figure of the New World wrote poems that still ring true today. What is the name of the Mexican nun who wrote "She Proves the Inconsistency of the Desires and Criticisms of Men Who Accuse Women of What They Themselves Cause"? Hint


Question 10 of 20
10. This woman endured much during her life, including the suppression of her work by the Soviet Union and the execution of her ex-husband. She was born in 1889, and one of her best-known poems is "Requiem 1935-1940". Name this Russian survivor. Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. Despite her short life (1892-1938), Alfonsina Storni published several volumes of beautiful and tragic poetry. Perhaps not surprisingly, this author of "I Am Going to Sleep (Suicide Poem)" drowned herself at Mar del Plata. She was born in Switzerland, but which country did Alfonsina call home from the age of four? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. Another writer who died an untimely death (of TB, when she was only 31), was this woman, who was born in Russia, lived in Finland, and wrote in German and Swedish. Two of her best-known poems are "What Is Tomorrow?" and "Vierge Moderne". Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. Born in 1916, Anne Hébert wrote in French and published novels, short stories, and screenplays in addition to poetry such as 1953's "Le Tombeau des Rois" ("The Tomb of the Kings"). Which country is proud to claim Mlle. Hébert? Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. Judith Wright is the only Australian woman ever considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature. In addition to her poems such as "South of My Day's Circle", she also supported environmental reform and Aboriginal rights. In what year was she born in Queensland? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. Although this poet and activist emigrated to the USA, she was born in England in 1923. She wrote "Overheard over S.E. Asia" and one of her most famous, "The Ache of Marriage". Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. Our next poet is the Nobel Prize-winning Wislawa Szymborska, also born in 1923. While you try to guess her native country, you may enjoy this moving excerpt from "Tortures".

"Nothing has changed.
The body shudders as it shuddered
before the founding of Rome and after,
in the twentieth century before and after Christ.
Tortures are as they were, it's just the earth that's grown smaller,
and whatever happens seems right on the other side of the wall."
Hint


Question 17 of 20
17. Born in Nicaragua in 1924, this woman wrote (and was exiled because of) her revolutionary poetry in El Salvador. One of her most moving poems is "Accounting" (sometimes translated as "Summing Up"). Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. Born in 1942, Sharon Olds was the New York State Poet Laureate from 1998-2000. Her appointment was controversial, perhaps because of her honest and frank examination of "women's issues". Which of the poems below was written by Ms. Olds? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. Great new poetic voices continue to be heard. Emma LaRocque, born in 1949, educates both as a professor and in her writings, which often deal with Metis and First Nations themes. A beautiful example is "The Red in Winter". Where does Dr. LaRocque live and teach? Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. Finally, we arrive at the last and youngest of our transcendent female poets...Joy Harjo, whose work is modern and touching and important. Native American themes (she is a member of the Muskogee Nation) are prominent in Ms. Harjo's work, such as the moving "She Had Some Horses". In what year was Joy born? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Her story is one of the earliest examples of Hebrew poetry, dating from the 2nd half of the 12th century BCE. Who wrote "I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates:"?

Answer: Deborah

The Biblical passage quoted is from Judges 5:7-8, known as the "Song of Deborah". It is not known how many of the various Songs of "The Old Testament" were written by women.
2. Sappho of Lesbos is considered the most important lyric poet of Western antiquity. She was born in Greece in the 7th-6th century BCE. Which of the following was written by Sappho?

Answer: Prayer to Aphrodite

"Prayer to Aphrodite" is one of the few Sapphic verses which survives in its entirety, as most of Sappho's work has been lost or destroyed in the intervening centuries. All of the incorrect choices are by modern American poet Sylvia Plath.
3. Within her masterwork, "The Tale of Genji", this Japanese author placed a number of stunning poems. She was born in 974.

Answer: Murasaki Shikibu

Lady Murasaki also wrote poems in Chinese. The incorrect choices are all modern Japanese female poets.
4. The traditional songs and poems of many cultures were written by women whose names are lost to us. The poetic form called "jarcha" flourished in this country in 1000-1300. Jarchas were written in Arabic or Hebrew, with a last stanza in the country's native tongue. Their subject is often women's carnal side, as in the following: "I will make love with you, but only if you hold me so my earrings touch the jewelry on my ankles." In what country with both a rich Jewish and a rich Arab heritage were these poems written by now-anonymous women?

Answer: Spain

The "jarchas" of Judeo-Islamic Spain continue to influence modern writers, among them the celebrated author Federico Garcia Lorca.
5. Africa, of course, has a rich oral poetic tradition in its many languages. A Hottentot woman created the undated poem "Song of the Lioness for her Cub" in what present-day country?

Answer: South Africa

The traditional poem begins:
"Fear the one
who has sharp weapons
who wears a tassel of leopard tail,
he who has white dogs--
O son of the short-haired lioness!"
6. Born around 1460, Gwerfyl Mechain is one of the very few early poets from this country whose work has been preserved. One of her best-known poems is "The Lady of the Ferry Inn". Her country?

Answer: Wales

Very little is known about Gwerfyl Mechain, but her poetry is timeless and beautiful. Alas, most of the websites dealing with her work are (not really surprisingly) in Welsh.
7. Vittoria da Colonna epitomized the Italian Renaissance. Like her friend Michelangelo, her preferred poetic form was the sonnet. One of her most famous begins, "I live on this depraved and lonely cliff". In what year was this noble lady born?

Answer: 1490

Vittoria also inspired the artwork and poetry of others, including some beautiful sonnets written to her by Michelangelo.
8. Born sometime in the 16th century, Lal Ded was a wandering mystic who wrote the words, "To learn the scriptures is easy, to live them hard. The search for the Real is no simple matter." Through which Asian country did Lal Ded wander?

Answer: Kashmir (modern India)

The poem quoted above finishes:
"Deep in my looking,
the last words vanished.
Joyous and silent,
the waking that met me there."
9. Although she was born in the mid-seventeeth century, this first important literary figure of the New World wrote poems that still ring true today. What is the name of the Mexican nun who wrote "She Proves the Inconsistency of the Desires and Criticisms of Men Who Accuse Women of What They Themselves Cause"?

Answer: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

The history of Sor Juana's life is a fascinating one. Among her many accomplishments is the distinction of being the first woman in North America to publicly insist that women be educated equally with men. The incorrect choices are all modern Mexican women poets of note.
10. This woman endured much during her life, including the suppression of her work by the Soviet Union and the execution of her ex-husband. She was born in 1889, and one of her best-known poems is "Requiem 1935-1940". Name this Russian survivor.

Answer: Anna Akhmatova

This question may have been a bit easier if you recognized that the incorrect choices were all heroines from Russian novels.
11. Despite her short life (1892-1938), Alfonsina Storni published several volumes of beautiful and tragic poetry. Perhaps not surprisingly, this author of "I Am Going to Sleep (Suicide Poem)" drowned herself at Mar del Plata. She was born in Switzerland, but which country did Alfonsina call home from the age of four?

Answer: Argentina

Not surprisingly, this was Alfonsina's last poem before she walked into the sea and drowned. Because you may be a little tired of looking up all these poems by now, here is "I Am Going to Sleep".

"Teeth of flowers, hairnet of dew,
hands of herbs, you, perfect wet nurse,
prepare the earthly sheets for me
and the down quilt of weeded moss.

I am going to sleep, my nurse, put me to bed.
Set a lamp at my headboard;
a constellation; whatever you like;
all are good: lower it a bit.

Leave me alone: you hear the buds breaking through ...
a celestial foot rocks you from above
and a bird traces a pattern for you

so you'll forget ... Thank you. Oh, one request:
if he telephones again
tell him not to keep trying, for I have left ..."

(Translated by Aliki and Willis Barnstone)
12. Another writer who died an untimely death (of TB, when she was only 31), was this woman, who was born in Russia, lived in Finland, and wrote in German and Swedish. Two of her best-known poems are "What Is Tomorrow?" and "Vierge Moderne".

Answer: Edith Södergran

Edith Södergran's family were part of Finland's Swedish-speaking minority. Here are the first few lines of "Vierge Moderne".

"I am no woman. I am a neuter.
I am a child, a page-boy, and a bold decision,
I am a laughing streak of scarlet sun..."
13. Born in 1916, Anne Hébert wrote in French and published novels, short stories, and screenplays in addition to poetry such as 1953's "Le Tombeau des Rois" ("The Tomb of the Kings"). Which country is proud to claim Mlle. Hébert?

Answer: Canada

Anne was born in Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, Quebec. Much of her work, which tends toward tortured and dark themes, is available in English. She died in 2000.
14. Judith Wright is the only Australian woman ever considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature. In addition to her poems such as "South of My Day's Circle", she also supported environmental reform and Aboriginal rights. In what year was she born in Queensland?

Answer: 1915

Ms. Wright died in 2000 at the age of 85. A week before her death she participated in the Reconcilation March in Canberra.
15. Although this poet and activist emigrated to the USA, she was born in England in 1923. She wrote "Overheard over S.E. Asia" and one of her most famous, "The Ache of Marriage".

Answer: Denise Levertov

Ms. Levertov has written, "In our time, a political poetry untinged with anguish...is unimaginable."
The incorrect choices are all notable American poets of the 20th century whom I would have loved to include questions about, had space permitted.
16. Our next poet is the Nobel Prize-winning Wislawa Szymborska, also born in 1923. While you try to guess her native country, you may enjoy this moving excerpt from "Tortures". "Nothing has changed. The body shudders as it shuddered before the founding of Rome and after, in the twentieth century before and after Christ. Tortures are as they were, it's just the earth that's grown smaller, and whatever happens seems right on the other side of the wall."

Answer: Poland

Many of Ms. Szymborska's works have been translated into English by a fellow Nobel Laureate and countryman, Czeslaw Milosz.
17. Born in Nicaragua in 1924, this woman wrote (and was exiled because of) her revolutionary poetry in El Salvador. One of her most moving poems is "Accounting" (sometimes translated as "Summing Up").

Answer: Claribel Alegria

The incorrect choices are again modern American poets, although Ms. Inez was born in Belgium to American parents. Here is the beautiful text of "Accounting" by Claribel Alegria.

"In the sixty-eight years
I have lived
there are a few electrical instants:
the happiness of my feet
skipping puddles
six hours in Macchu Pichu
the ten minutes necessary
to lose my virginity
the buzzing of the telephone
while awaiting the death of my mother
the hoarse voice
announcing the death
of Monsignor Romero
fifteen minutes in Delft
the first wail of my daughter
I don't know how many years
dreaming of my people's liberation
certain immortal deaths
the eyes of that starving child
your eyes bathing me with love
one forget-me-not afternoon
and in this sultry hour
the urge to mould myself
into a verse
a shout
a fleck of foam."

Translated from the Spanish by D.J. Flakoll
18. Born in 1942, Sharon Olds was the New York State Poet Laureate from 1998-2000. Her appointment was controversial, perhaps because of her honest and frank examination of "women's issues". Which of the poems below was written by Ms. Olds?

Answer: Sex Without Love

The incorrect choices, which were all written by American poet Anne Sexton, are also heartbreakingly beautiful.
19. Great new poetic voices continue to be heard. Emma LaRocque, born in 1949, educates both as a professor and in her writings, which often deal with Metis and First Nations themes. A beautiful example is "The Red in Winter". Where does Dr. LaRocque live and teach?

Answer: Canada

In addition to poetry, Dr. LaRocque has written numerous essays on social criticism. She is a professor at the University of Manitoba, Canada. "The Red in Winter" may be read at
http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/issues/lit-imag-e.html
20. Finally, we arrive at the last and youngest of our transcendent female poets...Joy Harjo, whose work is modern and touching and important. Native American themes (she is a member of the Muskogee Nation) are prominent in Ms. Harjo's work, such as the moving "She Had Some Horses". In what year was Joy born?

Answer: 1951

"She Had Some Horses" can be read at
http://www.joyharjo.org/poems/Horses.html

Twenty women, twenty nations, twenty very different ways of writing their worlds. Twenty sisters. I hope you have enjoyed their voices.
Source: Author LilahDeDah

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