INVICTUS QUIZ
Multiple Choice
1. What does the "night" symbolize in the first line of "Invictus"?
a. Suffering
b. Freedom
c. Death
d. Happiness
2. What figure of speech is used in the line "Black as the pit from pole to pole"?
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Hyperbole
d. Personification
3. In "Invictus," what does the phrase "my head is bloody, but unbowed" symbolize?
a. The speaker's defeat
b. A sign of surrender
c. The speaker's physical injury but emotional resilience
d. The speaker's submission to fate
4. Which of the following is a metaphor in the poem?
a. "Black as the pit"
b. "My head is bloody"
c. "Out of the night that covers me"
d. "The bludgeonings of chance"
5. What do "wrath and tears" in the poem symbolize?
a. Hardship and suffering
b. Joy and peace
c. Serenity and calm
d. Anger and frustration
6. What is the rhyme scheme of each quatrain in "Invictus"?
a. AABB
b. ABAB
c. ABBA
d. ABCB
7. The phrase "unconquerable soul" in the poem refers to:
a. The speaker's religious faith
b. The speaker’s strength in battle
c. The speaker's soul power
d. The speaker's refusal to give up
8. What major health issue did William Ernest Henley face at the age of 12?
a. Heart disease
b. Polio
c. Pneumonia
d. Tuberculosis of the bone
9. What inspired Henley to write "Invictus"?
a. A near-death experience
b. A severe illness and the amputation of his leg
c. The loss of a loved one
d. A victorious battle
10. Who is the model for Long John Silver, as influenced by Henley's life?
a. Henley’s brother
b. Henley himself
c. A sailor Henley knew
d. Robert Louis Stevenson
TRUE or FALSE
1. The speaker in "Invictus" addresses the gods directly.
2. "Invictus" was written during Henley’s recovery in a hospital.
3. "Out of the night that covers me" is an example of hyperbole in the poem.
4. The "Under the bludgeonings of chance" refers to random challenges in life.
5. The poem’s central theme is the speaker’s submission to fate.
6. "Invictus" reflects Henley’s personal experience with illness and adversity.
7. "How charged with punishments the scroll". The "scroll" in the poem symbolizes the speaker’s
achievements.
8. The rhyme scheme of each stanza follows an AABB pattern.
9. The poem ends with the speaker affirming their control over their own fate.
10. "Invictus" is written in quatrains (four-line stanzas).
Answer Key:
Multiple Choice:
1. a) Suffering
2. a) Simile
3. c) The speaker's physical injury but emotional resilience
4. c) "Out of the night that covers me"
5. a) Hardship and suffering
6. b) ABAB
7. d) The speaker's refusal to give up
e. d) Tuberculosis of the bone
8. b) A severe illness and the amputation of his leg
9. b) Henley himself
TRUE or False
1. False
2. True
3. False (It is a metaphor, not hyperbole)
4. True
5. False (The poem is about overcoming fate, not submitting to it)
6. True
7. False (The "scroll" symbolizes judgment or destiny, not achievements)
8. False (The rhyme scheme is ABAB, not AABB)
9. True
10. True
