HOW TO EAT A POEM – QUIZ

1. How to Eat a Poem is written by
   A. Maya Angelou
   B. Eve Merriam
   C. Emily Dickinson
   D. Sylvia Plath
2. Eve Merriam is best known for writing
   A. novels
   B. plays
   C. poetry for children
   D. essays
3. The poem How to Eat a Poem is written in
   A. sonnet form
   B. blank verse
   C. free verse
   D. couplets
4. Eve Merriam’s life and writing were shaped mainly by her
   A. love for nature
   B. political beliefs
   C. deep love for language
   D. interest in history
5. One of Merriam’s main goals was to help children
   A. analyse poems deeply
   B. memorise poems
   C. feel joy and excitement in poetry
   D. avoid poetry
6. The central idea of the poem compares reading poetry to
   A. cooking food
   B. eating ripe fruit
   C. growing plants
   D. drinking water
7. The poem suggests that poetry should be
   A. difficult and serious
   B. formal and strict
   C. natural and joyful
   D. carefully memorised
8. The line “Don’t be polite” advises readers to
   A. be rude
   B. ignore manners
   C. avoid fear and formality
   D. stop reading poetry
9. “Bite in” means readers should
   A. criticise poetry
   B. read poetry boldly
   C. analyse poetry deeply
   D. memorise poetry
10. The images “lick the juice” and “run down your chin” appeal mainly to
    A. sight
    B. sound
    C. taste and touch
    D. smell
11. These images suggest that poetry should be enjoyed
    A. quietly
    B. emotionally and freely
    C. carefully and slowly
    D. formally
12. Feeling emotional while reading poetry should
    A. be avoided
    B. cause embarrassment
    C. be considered natural
    D. be criticised
13. “It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are” means that poetry
    A. changes with time
    B. needs preparation
    C. is always ready for the reader
    D. is seasonal
14. The “knife or fork or spoon” in the poem symbolise
    A. food habits
    B. discipline
    C. rules and techniques
    D. emotions
15. The poet believes poetry does NOT require
    A. interest
    B. emotions
    C. formal tools or settings
    D. readers
16. The list “core, stem, rind, pith, seed, skin” shows that
    A. poems are complicated
    B. poems have waste parts
    C. every part of a poem matters
    D. poems are long
17. “Nothing to throw away” suggests that
    A. poems are perfect
    B. poems are short
    C. poems have no meaning
    D. poems are boring
18. The main message of the poem is that poetry should be
    A. feared
    B. memorised
    C. felt and enjoyed
    D. strictly analysed
19. Eve Merriam disagrees with the idea that poetry must be
    A. read aloud
    B. deeply analysed
    C. enjoyed
    D. shared
20. Too much analysis, according to Merriam, can
    A. improve poetry
    B. confuse readers
    C. reduce enjoyment
    D. increase interest
21. Merriam strongly supported
    A. silent reading
    B. writing poetry only
    C. reading poetry aloud
    D. translating poetry
22. The poem is admired mainly for its
    A. complexity
    B. seriousness
    C. simplicity and warmth
    D. sadness
23. The use of simple language makes poetry
    A. boring
    B. difficult
    C. friendly and approachable
    D. meaningless
24. Enjambment means
    A. repeating sounds
    B. rhyming words
    C. continuing a line into the next without pause
    D. ending every line with punctuation
25. An example of enjambment from the poem is
    A. “Don’t be polite”
    B. “Bite in”
    C. “lick the juice that / may run down your chin”
    D. “ready and ripe”
26. Repetition of the word “or” shows that
    A. the poet is confused
    B. nothing in a poem is unnecessary
    C. poems are repetitive
    D. poems are long
27. Alliteration refers to
    A. repetition of vowel sounds
    B. repetition of consonant sounds
    C. repetition of words
    D. repetition of lines
28. “Ready and ripe” is an example of
    A. imagery
    B. metaphor
    C. alliteration
    D. simile
29. Fruit and food in the poem symbolise
    A. hunger
    B. childhood
    C. poetry
    D. knowledge
30. The tone of How to Eat a Poem is
    A. angry and serious
    B. sad and reflective
    C. playful and encouraging
    D. cold and distant

Answer Key

1. B
2. C
3. C
4. C
5. C
6. B
7. C
8. C
9. B
10. C
11. B
12. C
13. C
14. C
15. C
16. C
17. A
18. C
19. B
20. C
21. C
22. C
23. C
24. C
25. C
26. B
27. B
28. C
29. C
30. C

Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan

Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.