RL.7.5 Poetry - Breaking Away

Read the passage and answer the questions.

"Breaking Away"

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RL.7.4 and RL.7.5 Poetry

Multiple Choice

1. Read these lines from the poem.

Pressure descends from every angle.

Pushing and pulling your heart and your mind.

Soon you feel numb and time seems entangled,

Spinning your wheels on the unending grind.

Life feels heavy when you choose to compete,

Focusing always on the top of the heap.

Winning’s the focus—all else takes a backseat.

Now life becomes a chore, and the climb grows too steep.

How are these eight lines of the poem related?

• They reveal the speaker’s feelings about the pressure to achieve.

• They suggest that the speaker is aware of the external sources of stress.

• They identify the speaker’s concern about having to complete many chores.

• They demonstrate that the speaker is committed to always trying to be the best.

Multiple Choice

2. Read these lines from the poem.

But the truth is revealed—

You CAN start to thrive!

Why are these lines important in the poem?

• They introduce an additional problem.

• They present a shift in the speaker’s tone.

• They characterize the speaker as dramatic.

• They express ideas using figurative language.

Multiple Choice

3. Read these lines from the poem.

Victory’s derived from true purpose and fire.

Find your path and craft the life you desire.

What is the poet’s intention for ending the poem with these lines?

• to support that life should be pursued as individuals choose

• to show that all problems in life can be solved with effort

• to prove that past decisions affect individuals’ futures

• to suggest that life is filled with challenges

Multiple Choice

4. How does the structure of the poem contribute to its meaning?

• In the poem, the speaker first lists stressful activities like “spinning your wheels on the unending grind” and “focusing always on the top of the heap,” then explains why each one is important, ending with a question for the reader. The structure shows how daily pressures shape our goals.

• The poem’s structure presents a timeline of competition, starting with “pressure descends from every angle” and moving toward “the climb grows too steep,” using examples to show how competition has worsened over time.

• The poem’s structure repeats key ideas like “pressure” and “victory” after every few lines to emphasize the speaker’s frustration with society, especially in lines such as “winning’s the focus—all else takes a backseat.”

• In the poem, the first part introduces an idea, line nine signals a change in their

  thoughts, and the last part provides a conclusion. The structure contributes to the meaning because the speaker first

  expresses the pressures of competing in this world, then tells how focusing on yourself can lead to freedom from the pressures, and finally ends by encouraging the reader to find their own path to happiness.