Poetry Trivia Questions

In case you missed them, here are the past five Columbia Granger's World of Poetry trivia questions of the day.

  • December 28

    Question:

    What famous American poet was Assistant Secretary of State from 1944-45?

    Answer ->

    Archibald MacLeish.

  • December 27

    Question:

    What poet won Pulitzer prizes for both poetry and biography?

    Answer ->

    Carl Sandburg. Historians still refer to his 6-volume biography of Lincoln.

  • December 26

    Question:

    Who read a poem at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration in 1993?

    Answer ->

    Only the second poet to be asked to read at a presidential inauguration, Maya Angelou read her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," which she wrote for the occasion. The first poet asked to read at an inauguration was Robert Frost, who read at Kennedy's inauguration.

  • December 25

    Question:

    Who read a poem at John F. Kennedy's presidential inauguration in 1961?

    Answer ->

    Robert Frost read his poem, "The Gift Outright." President Kennedy asked Frost to change "would" in the last line to "will" and Frost acquiesced, though the printed text was unchanged.

  • December 24

    Question:

    What poem form does Robert Frost's (1874-1963) "Acquainted with the Night" share with Percy Bysshe Shelley's (1792-1822) "Ode to the West Wind"?

    Answer ->

    The terza rima sonnet (aba bcb cdc ded ee). Shelley linked five terza rima sonnets together to form his poem.

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