6th Grade Poetry Practice

Which line from the poem shows the tortoise is changing from being helpless to becoming self-sufficient?

• “You know what it is to be born alone,”

• “To take your first solitary bite”

• “Under its slow lid, tiny baby tortoise,”

• “No one ever heard you complain.”

In the first stanza, what is the poet expressing about the baby tortoise with the phrase “lapsed on earth”?

• It has barely awakened to its new life outside its shell.

• It has forgotten what it is like to be in the shell.

• It is in a stage of rest and silence after birth.

• It is happy to be coming out of its shell.

How does the repetition of the word solitary in lines 19–20 affect the tone of the poem?

• It creates a fragile tone.

• It creates a confident tone.

• It creates a tone of loneliness.

• It creates a tone of excitement.

How does the line “No one ever heard you complain” support the development of the text?

• by showing tortoises lack great intelligence

• by showing tortoises rarely communicate with other animals

• by showing tortoises are born with the instinct to fight for survival

• by showing tortoises come into the world with few troubles to overcome

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

What impact does “Like some iron door” in line 11 have on the meaning of the poem?

• It emphasizes the peaceful nature of the tortoise.

• It emphasizes the fearfulness of the baby tortoise.

• It emphasizes the baby tortoise’s sense of loneliness.

• It emphasizes the tortoise’s sense of courage and strength.

Which line from the poem shows how the baby tortoise has changed from being powerless to being confident?

• “And remain lapsed on earth,”

• “A tiny, fragile, half-animate bean.”

• “And move on your slow, solitary hunt.”

• “So indomitable.”

Which line indicates the turtle’s change from being a helpless creature to becoming a survivor?

• “Like some iron door;”

• “And reach your skinny little neck”

• “And move on your slow, solitary hunt.”

• “Your bright, dark little eye,”

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

How does the description of the turtle in lines 19 and 20 develop the theme of the poem?

• by showing the tortoise is sad because it is alone

• by implying the tortoise is lonely and in need of help

• by showing the actions of the tortoise determine its survival

• by implying the tortoise has to carefully plan each move it makes

How do lines 9–11 contribute to the development of the plot?

• by showing the tortoise’s fear

• by showing the tortoise’s struggle

• by suggesting the strength of the tortoise

• by suggesting the hopelessness of the tortoise

What impact does “tiny, fragile, half-animate bean” in line 8 have on the meaning of the poem?

• It explains that the less mobile a tortoise is, the smaller it will be.

• It explains that the tortoise is small and barely moving when it is first born.

• It explains that critical development takes place as soon as the tortoise is born.

• It explains that the tortoise should be left alone during the early stages of its life.