“Introduction to Poetry” and “Simile: Willow and the Ginkgo”

"I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive."
In the above lines the speaker:

• complains that people cannot understand poems.
• suggests new ways to reading a poem.
• reveals the reasons that people enjoy poetry.
• compares reading a poem to joyful exploration. 

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What idea does Collins express with this simile:
or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

• Poets refuse to put hidden meaning in poems.
• Poetry reveals new ideas to you as you read.
• Poetry helps you view only the poet’s opinions.
• Poets want you to be confused when you read.

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What idea is the speaker emphasizing?
"I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore."

• A poet must be able to understand others’ appreciation of poems.
• Comparing poetry to sports can help you better understand literature.
• The act of water-skiing is something usually associated with poetry.
• “They” in the poem should have fun with poetry and enjoy it.

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"But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means."
In these lines the speaker's tone is

• curiosity.
• hope.
• excitement.
• frustration.

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"The willow is like an etching,
Fine-lined against the sky.
The ginkgo is like a crude sketch,
Hardly worthy to be signed."
In this stanza reveals that the 

• speaker is an artist.
• plants look very different.
• speaker dislikes both plants.
• plants grow next to each other.

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This stanza helps readers imagine the trees by appealing to
"The willow’s music is like a soprano,
Delicate and thin.
The ginkgo’s tune is like a chorus,
With everyone joining in."

• sight.
• smell.
• sound.
• touch.

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"The willow is sleek as a velvet-nosed calf;
The ginkgo is leathery as an old bull.
The willow’s branches are like silken thread;
The ginkgo’s like stubby rough wool."
In this stanza, the speaker sees the two trees as

• enjoying the speaker’s comments.
• waiting alongside each other.
• competing with each other.
• having opposite qualities.

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The following stanza emphasizes
"The ginkgo forces its way through gray concrete;
Like a city child, it grows up in the street.
Thrust against the metal sky,
Somehow it survives and even thrives."

• beauty of plants in nature.
• dirtiness of many cities.
• strength of the ginkgo.
• love children have for nature.

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In both “Introduction to Poetry” and “Simile: Willow and the Ginkgo," the poets use similes and metaphors that

• highlight the beauty of nature.
• connect nature to larger ideas.
• criticize others for ignoring beauty.
• emphasize the importance of poetry.

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The speakers in both “Introduction to Poetry” and “Simile: Willow and the Ginkgo" discuss something they

• lose.
• love.
• create.
• misunderstand.

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