When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer EOI Review 4th Course

In line 7, why does Whitman most likely choose the word mystical instead of the closely related adjective mysterious?

• mysterious has too many syllables
• he wants to convey a sense of the universe being a big puzzle
• he wants to create alliteration with moist
• mystical has connotations of spirituality

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Which line from the poem contains alliteration?

• "How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick"
• "When I heard the learn'd astronomer"
• "in the mystical moist night air, and from time to time"
• "when the proofs, the figures were ranged in column before me,"

What is the combined effect of the repetition of when in lines 1-4 and the increasing length of these four lines?

• it helps create a sense of how the astronomer's talk got longer and longer
• it helps the reader feel the excitement the poem's speaker felt
• it creates suspense about what will happen next
• it shows how the poem's speaker was worried about the time

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

What causes the speaker of the poem to leave the lecture hall?

• interest in astronomy
• desire to meet the astronomer
• disappointment with the astronomer
• surprise at the astronomer's message

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which of the following expresses the theme of "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"?

• learning is more important than an evening walk
• science alone cannot account for nature's mysteries
• science is visible in nature
• night and death are related

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2