Where the Dark Stands Still - Literary Device Quiz

1. The moon is described as "a great silver eye opened wide and watchful." What is the primary effect of this metaphor?

To simply describe the moon's brightness and shape.
To create a sense of being judged or observed, adding to Liska's paranoia.
To suggest the moon has magical powers that will help Liska.
To introduce a character who is watching from above.

2. The wheat stalks are described as "bowing like penitents in contrition." What does this simile reveal about Liska's state of mind?

It shows she is interested in farming and agriculture.
It suggests the wind is blowing very hard across the fields.
It reflects her own guilt and her quest for atonement, projecting her feelings onto the landscape.
It implies the wheat is sad that she is leaving the village.

3. Liska describes her mother, Dobrawa, as being like "Szklana Góra, the glass mountain from the stories that no knight could conquer." What does this powerful metaphor imply about her mother?

That her mother is beautiful and fragile, like glass.
That her mother is wealthy and lives in a large house.
That her mother is emotionally cold, distant, and impossible to get close to or influence.
That her mother is a well-known hero in local legends.

4. The phrase "threatening to devour the flame" is used to describe the wind. What kind of feeling does this personification create?

A feeling of cozy warmth against the cold.
A sense of active malice and danger from the natural world.
A neutral description of a windy night.
A suggestion that the wind is hungry.

5. What is the effect of the author using Polish and Slavic folklore terms like "Kupała," "skrzat," and "kikimora"?

It makes the story harder to understand for non-Polish readers.
It serves no literary purpose and is purely decorative.
It grounds the fantasy story in a specific, authentic cultural world, adding depth and richness.
It suggests that the story is a historical document.

1. The opening line states, "Darkness leaps forth like a predator, swallowing the world." How does this simile set the tone for Liska's journey?

It suggests the journey will be quick and exciting.
It establishes the darkness as an active, hostile force, not just an absence of light, increasing the sense of danger.
It implies that Liska is the predator hunting in the dark.
It makes the forest seem like a safe and comforting place.

2. The feeling of Liska's magic is described as "butterflies trapped in the brittle cage of her ribs." What does this vivid metaphor convey?

A feeling of joy and freedom.
A calm and gentle sensation of power.
A physical, visceral sense of frantic, desperate panic and fragile, contained energy.
That Liska's magic is weak and insignificant.

3. The trees in one part of the wood have "bloodshot eyes. Human eyes. Human eyes that weep yellowed sap..." What is the main literary purpose of this grotesque imagery?

To show that the forest is a beautiful and magical place.
To create a feeling of profound horror by twisting something natural into something monstrous and unnatural.
To indicate that Liska is hallucinating from fear and exhaustion.
To suggest that people have been turned into trees.

4. The song of the *rusałka* is described as being "warm as a kind embrace or a blazing hearth in midwinter." What is the effect of this simile?

It accurately describes the demon's kind intentions.
It creates dramatic irony by contrasting the comforting sound with the demon's deadly nature, showing how it lures its victims.
It suggests that Liska is cold and needs to find a fire.
It highlights that the demon's song is very loud.

5. When the *rusałka* transforms into Liska's mother, Liska knows something is wrong because her mother calls her "słoneczko." Why is this detail significant?

Because "słoneczko" is an insult in Polish.
It shows the *rusałka*'s lack of detailed knowledge; this was her father's term of endearment, not her cold mother's, revealing the illusion's flaw.
Because Liska's mother does not speak Polish.
It proves that Liska's mother sent the demon to help her.

1. The Leszy's voice is described as "sultry and beguiling, smooth as water along a riverbed." What is the connotation of this simile?

It implies his voice is wet and gurgling.
It suggests his voice is natural, calming, and deceptively dangerous, like a smooth current that can pull you under.
It shows that he is a straightforward and honest character.
It means his voice is boring and monotonous.

2. The author uses body horror to describe the Leszy's transformation: "his muscles decomposing as silvery fungi erupt along his flank, then rot in turn." What is the primary effect of this graphic imagery?

To show that the Leszy is very old and sick.
To make his transformation seem beautiful and magical.
To evoke a visceral reaction of disgust and horror in the reader, emphasizing his profoundly inhuman nature.
To explain the scientific process of shapeshifting.

3. The Leszy's interaction with Liska is compared to "a tomcat cornering a mouse." What does this metaphor instantly establish?

That Liska is small and the Leszy is large.
The extreme power imbalance and the Leszy's cruel, predatory enjoyment of her fear.
That the Leszy wants to be friends with Liska.
That the scene is taking place in a barn.

4. Liska realizes the fern flower is a trap, a part of the "net of the Driada's devilry." What does this metaphor suggest about her situation?

That she is literally caught in a hunter's net.
That her quest for a simple solution has led her into a complex, inescapable entanglement with a powerful demon.
That the forest is full of spiders and webs.
That she can easily cut herself free and escape.

5. The Leszy snapping off his antler to create Liska's fetter is described as breaking "not like bone but like a branch." What is the significance of this detail?

It shows his bones are weak and brittle.
It reinforces his connection to the forest, suggesting he is more plant-like than animal and that his very being is part of the wood.
It means the fetter will not be very strong.
It is a random detail with no deeper meaning.

1. The manor is said to cling to its past "like an old woman recalling the vigorous days of her youth." What primary emotion does this simile evoke for the house?

Fear and terror.
A sense of pity, faded grandeur, and sad nostalgia.
Anger and resentment.
Joy and celebration.

2. Why is the name "The House Under the Rowan Tree" ironic?

Because there are no rowan trees near the house.
Because the rowan tree is a symbol of evil in folklore.
Because the rowan tree is a symbol of protection from evil, yet the house is home to a powerful demon.
Because the house is not actually under the tree.

3. Liska's nightmare of a hound that is "half corpse and half hound, huge and gangly with fur black as pitch" serves what literary purpose?

It is a random dream caused by Liska eating bad food.
It symbolizes Liska's fear of dogs.
It serves as foreshadowing, introducing a new, tangible threat that exists beyond her imagination.
It is a metaphor for the Leszy.

4. The dust in the manor is personified, rising in "spirals and whorls, brushing against Liska like an over-affectionate cat." What is the effect of this unusual imagery?

It shows that the manor is simply very dusty.
It makes the manor feel whimsical and friendly, contrasting sharply with its decay and creating an unsettling atmosphere.
It suggests Liska has allergies and is about to sneeze.
It proves that a cat used to live in the manor.

5. What does the detail about the bathroom plumbing being made of "hollowed-out tree roots" reinforce?

That the Leszy is poor and cannot afford metal pipes.
That the manor is ancient and its technology is outdated.
The deep, magical integration of the house with the surrounding forest, blurring the lines between nature and architecture.
That the plumbing system does not work.

1. The Leszy's laugh is described as being "sharp as a needle." What does this simile imply?

That his laugh is high-pitched and quiet.
That his laugh is not a sound of joy, but one that is piercing, painful, and malicious.
That he is a skilled tailor.
That his laugh is warm and comforting.

2. Liska's magic is described as a "mad animal that lashes out on instinct." What does this metaphor reveal about her relationship with her power?

She sees her magic as a loyal pet that she can command.
It suggests her magic is a wild, uncontrollable force that she fears, separate from her own will.
It implies she has the ability to talk to animals.
It shows her magic is growing stronger every day.

3. The word "broken" is used to describe Liska's magic. What is the emotional effect of this word choice?

It makes Liska feel relieved and happy.
It has no emotional impact and is purely a technical description.
It resonates deeply with Liska's own feelings of being flawed, damaged, and not whole, validating her self-perception.
It suggests her magic can be easily fixed with glue.

4. The Leszy states, "I told you that guarding these woods consumed my waking moments..." What does the word "consumed" suggest about his duty?

That his duty is a light and easy task.
That his duty is all-encompassing, demanding all his energy and attention, like a fire devouring fuel.
That he eats parts of the woods to survive.
That he only works during the day.

5. When the Leszy is angered by Liska's failure, branches are described as coiling around her, their bark "dragging painfully against her skin." What does this imagery emphasize?

The comfort and safety of the Leszy's magic.
The violent, painful, and threatening nature of his power when he is displeased.
That the branches are trying to give Liska a hug.
That Liska has very sensitive skin.

1. When the Leszy scolds it, the manor "shudders like a frightened dog." What does this simile reveal about the relationship between the Leszy and the house?

It shows they have a loving, friendly relationship.
It reveals that the manor is sentient and is terrified of its master, establishing a dynamic of fear and dominance.
It suggests there is a dog hiding somewhere in the manor.
It implies the house is poorly built and structurally unstable.

2. The final image of the Leszy shows branches rising from his back "like wings of bone." What is the effect of this paradoxical simile?

It clearly shows he is an angel.
It creates an ambiguous and unsettling image, blending angelic iconography (wings) with macabre, demonic elements (bone), deepening his mystery.
It proves he is part bird and part skeleton.
It suggests he is about to fly away.

3. What does the recurring, disappearing "midnight door painted with stars" most likely symbolize?

An ordinary door that Liska keeps forgetting about.
A portal to another world or a hidden, magical part of the manor that the Leszy wants to keep secret.
A painting of a door that Liska mistakes for a real one.
A construction project that the Leszy has not finished.

4. When the Leszy returns to the manor, he is described as a "swaying silhouette." What does the word "swaying" imply about his physical state?

That he is dancing happily.
That he is strong and confident.
That he is unstable, suggesting he is injured, exhausted, or weakened from a fight.
That he is trying to be sneaky.

5. Liska clutches her broom "like a weapon" when the Leszy confronts her outside. What does this small detail show about her character?

It shows her defiance and her instinct to protect herself, even when faced with an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
It shows that she is a skilled fighter.
It shows her primary job is to keep the porch clean.
It shows she is a witch who can use her broom to fly.

"Where the Dark Stands Still" Quiz

Chapter 1: The Girl Who Entered the Wood

Chapter 2: Trees With Too Many Eyes

Chapter 3: A Not-So-Clever Fox

Chapter 4: The House Under the Rowan Tree

Chapter 5: A Broken Sort of Magic

Chapter 6: Nothing of Interest to a Village Girl