"The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop

In line 8, the word "venerable" most likely means...

• respected

• puny

• dead

• angry

"Here and there / his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper," (lines 9-11) is an example of

• alliteration

• metaphor

• simile

• assonance

The simile, "Here and there / his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper," (lines 9-11) implies what about the fish

• its skin is peeling

• it is dying

• it is beautiful

• it is old

The word "infested" in line 18 most likely means...

• scattered

• speckled

• overrun

• sickly

The word "sullen" in line 45 most likely means...

• unblemished or perfect

• glum or unhappy

• cheerful and merry

• terrifying and grim

Which line/s best characterize the fish as tough and resilient?

• They shifted a little, but not / to return my stare. (lines 41-42)

• He was speckled with barnacles, / fine rosettes of lime, (lines 16-17)

• I caught a tremendous fish (line 1)

• with all their five big hooks / grown firmly in his mouth. (lines 54-55)

The simile "Like medals with their ribbons / frayed and wavering, / a five-haired beard of wisdom / trailing from his aching jaw." (lines 61-64) compares the fish to...

• an Olympic swimmer

• a war veteran

• an old wise-man

• a boxer in the ring

The lines, "I stared and stared / and victory filled up / the little rented boat," (lines 65-67) use __________ to reveal _____________.

• a metaphor; the fish is ready to be finally be caught at the end of its long life

• a simile; the speaker feels remorse for catching the fish and will let it go

• a symbol; the speaker has finally triumphed and caught the fish that eluded him/her five times before

• personification; the speaker's admiration for the fish will ensure its freedom

Line 75, "was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!" most likely reveals...

• how much oil has leaked into the water around the boat

• how the speaker is overcome with emotion and awe

• the rainbow overhead has grown larger in the sky

• the scales of the fish are multicolored

What is the effect of using dashes in the poem?

• the dashes seem to isolate moments when the speaker offers the reader further insight on what he/she is observing

• the dashes seem to break the poem into segments so it is easier for young readers to understand

• the dashes are used to set off places where the speaker defines in simpler terms what he/she is doing

• the dashes are used to mimic the effect of the fishhooks caught in the fish's lip, just as the dashes are "hooked" in the poem