The soldier is not named. Why?

It makes the poem universal;he represents all soldiers.

Why is the poem written in the third person?

Makes him seem less individually defined, more universal

Why does the poet deliberately confuse the soldier and his rifle?

To show he has become an instrument of death.

Which of these quotations could be described as ambiguous (two possible interpretations)?

"He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm"

Lots of enjambment is used in this poem. This means...

Many of the lines run on, creating a sense of frantic pace.

In Stanza 2, the unnamed soldier has a sudden realisation. What does he realise?

He's just a cog in a vast machine of death.

Some of the lines use caesurae. This means...

There is punctuation in or near the middle of a line.

In Stanza 1 the 'h' sound is repeated frequently. Why?

To mimic the soldier's heavy breathing.

What makes the soldier's epiphany tragic?

He is about to die so he will never be able to act on it.

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Bayonet Charge

20 termsStudBud Administration915 plays

A quiz about the Ted Hughes poem.

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Questions 20

Answers

1
The soldier is not named. Why?
Soldiers didn't use their names; they were numbers
Yes, he's named in the poem.
It makes the poem universal;he represents all soldiers.
He forgets his own name in the heat of battle.
2
What adverb does the poem start with?
Scarily
Suddenly
Quickly
Surprisingly
3
What dismissive word is used to show how unimportant 'honour' and 'king' are?
Whatever
Yada yada
etcetera
Blah blah
4
What is the fancy name for a sudden realisation?
Epiphany
Ephemeral
Epiphenomenon
Profanity
5
How many soldiers appear in the poem?
Two
Four
One
Three
6
Which of these words best describes the portrayal of war in the poem?
Realistic
Glorified
Idealised
Romantic
7
In which decade was the poem written?
1920s
1970s
1980s
1950s
8
Why is the poem written in the third person?
To make the characte more mysterious.
Makes him seem less individually defined, more universal
To make it more realistic
To contrast with 'Exposure'
9
Why does the poet deliberately confuse the soldier and his rifle?
He was confused when he wrote it.
To make it more confusing
To show how numb he is
To show he has become an instrument of death.
10
Which of these words doesn't describe the poem's portrayal of war?
Gritty
Propagandist
Disturbing
Historically accurate
11
Which of these verbs does not appear in the poem?
Running
Yelling
Stumbling
Charging
12
Which war is the setting for this poem?
First World War
The Cold War
Vietnam War
Second World War
13
How was Ted Hughes personally linked to the First World War?
His grandfather fought in it.
He fought in it.
His father fought in it.
His brother fought in it.
14
Which of these quotations could be described as ambiguous (two possible interpretations)?
"He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm"
"Bullets smacking the belly out of the air"
"Stumbling across a field of clods"
"Suddenly he awoke"
15
Lots of enjambment is used in this poem. This means...
Many of the lines are different lengths.
Many of the lines run on, creating a sense of frantic pace.
Many of the lines have pauses in the middle
Many of the lines are slow-moving.
16
In Stanza 2, the unnamed soldier has a sudden realisation. What does he realise?
He's just a cog in a vast machine of death.
He's left his gun in the trench.
He actually likes Germans.
That he is going to die.
17
Which of these describes the form?
First person
Third person
Direct address
Second person
18
Some of the lines use caesurae. This means...
They run over onto the next line with no punctuation.
All the words are short.
There is punctuation in or near the middle of a line.
All the words are long words.
19
In Stanza 1 the 'h' sound is repeated frequently. Why?
It's accidental.
To mimic the sound of guns firing.
To create a pretty sound pattern.
To mimic the soldier's heavy breathing.
20
What makes the soldier's epiphany tragic?
He is about to die so he will never be able to act on it.
He shows a lack of patriotism.
He is a killer.
He realizes he is not free.

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