Hornbill (Poem): A Photograph

Topics in this chapter

• Photograph and Family Memory
• Time, Transience, and Loss
• Mother-Daughter Generational Distance
• Themes and Universal Human Experience
• Poetic Form and Literary Devices

Cheat sheet

Practice questions

1. Question 1Q-D35CC0

   What does the photograph in the poem primarily contrast with the changing lives of human beings?

   1. A.The permanence of the sea
   2. B.The changing weather
   3. C.The movement of the beach
   4. D.The growth of the trees
   See the answer and solution
2. Question 2Q-709A82

   Why does the poet describe human feet as 'terribly transient' in 'A Photograph'?

   1. A.Human beings are always travelling from one place to another.
   2. B.Human life is temporary and constantly affected by the passage of time.
   3. C.People lose their balance while walking on the beach.
   4. D.The girls in the photograph are running away from the sea.
   See the answer and solution
3. Question 3Q-E3633A

   What is the most appropriate interpretation of the ending 'Its silence silences' in 'A Photograph'?

   1. A.The poet has forgotten everything about her mother.
   2. B.The photograph has been destroyed and can no longer be seen.
   3. C.The poet's grief is so deep that words fail to express it.
   4. D.The sea has become completely still and quiet.
   See the answer and solution
4. Question 4Q-ED8A61

   Explain how 'A Photograph' presents the relationship between time, memory, and loss.

   See the answer and solution
5. Question 5Q-FFCCC2

   In 'A Photograph', the phrase 'The sea holidaying' is an example of which poetic device?

   1. A.Personification
   2. B.Alliteration
   3. C.Metaphor
   4. D.Onomatopoeia
   See the answer and solution