Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: “Lift Every Voice and Sing"

​Mid Unit Assessment Lift Every Voice and Sing

​Instruction

Read the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Answer the que!ions

below.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following be! describes the mood or overall feeling of the fir!

!anza? (RL.7.4)

• surprise at lucky circum!ances

• hesitation about what is yet to come

• Strength and resolve in the face of di"culty

• disappointment and anger about the present

Multiple Choice

In the second stanza, how do the phrases a way that with tears has been watered and treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered affect the meaning of the poem? (L.7.5, L.7.5a)

• by describing a dark and violent past

• by showing why the singers gave up hope

• by explaining the ways in which history repeats itself

• by foreshadowing how the future will be disappointing

Multiple Choice

Reread the final lines of the second !anza and answer the que!ion that

follows:

Out from the gloomy pa!,

Till now we !and at la!,

Where the white gleam of our bright !ar is ca!.

How do these ending lines build on the mood created earlier in the

!anza? (RL.7.4, L.7.5a)

• by creating a sense of hope after the !ruggle

• by highlighting how things can change very quickly

• by displaying confusion on the part of the speakers

• by showing why similar events keep happening in hi!ory

Multiple Choice

Read the following excerpt from “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and answer the

question that follows.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark pa! has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.

How does the repetition in these lines help convey the meaning of the

lyrics? (RL.7.4)

• by sugge!ing the type of gift the speaker wishes to make to the li!ener

• by explaining why the speaker fears that the present will be like the pa!

• by showing how the speaker draws !rength from pa! and present

• by reminding the li!ener of the subject of the song

Multiple Choice

Read the following excerpt from “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and answer the

que!ion that follows.

Yet with a !eady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

What does the phrase for which our fathers sighed tell us about the

“place” where they find themselves? (RL.7.4, L.7.5, L.7.5a)

• that the speaker’s ance!ors feared it

• that the speaker has been warned about it

• that the speaker has been there previously

• that the speaker’s ance!ors wished to arrive there

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes what the poem is about? (RL.7.4, L.7.5)

• the story of giving up in the face of difficulty

• a lesson in not taking for granted what you have

• the journey of a people who have suffered greatly but persevered

• an explanation of how things can change without people realizing it

Multiple Choice

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

How do the singers emphasize the words brought us (7) in the song?

(RL.7.7)

• by speeding up how they sing them

• by slowing down how they sing them

• by singing them more loudly than other words

• by singing them more quietly than other words

Multiple Choice

Part B

How does this emphasis on the words brought us highlight a theme in the

text? (RL.7.7)

• It shows the fear the speakers feel.

• It shows the importance of community.

• It shows the speakers’ struggle to be heard.

• It shows that the speakers’ journey is just beginning.

Multiple Choice

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

How do the singers emphasize the final four lines of the stanza? (RL.7.7)

• They repeat the lines.

• They cut out some of the lines.

• They sing the lines more slowly than other lines.

• They sing the lines more quickly than other lines.

Multiple Choice

Part B

How does the singers’ emphasis of the final four lines affect the meaning of the text? (RL.7.7)

• It highlights the determination of the speakers.

• It gives a new reason to find hope from the past.

• It suggests that things are not always as they seem.

• It warns about the dangers that the future may bring.

Fill in the Blank

What techniques do the singers use throughout the song? How do these techniques affect the meaning of the song? (RL.7.1, RL.7.7, L.7.6)