All My Babies Are Gone Now

Beginning with paragraph 7, the author's tone shifts from...

• complimentary to condescending

• optimistic to cynical

• lighthearted to reflective

• academic to conversational

By saying that one of her sons "can walk too well" in paragraph 5, the author implies that...

• her son has become overconfident

• she is very proud of her son's accomplishment

• she is not ready for her son to leave her

• her son is unusually graceful and agile

In which line does the author use passive voice to generalize her experience?

• The nightmare sleepover

• That's what the books never told me.

• I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.

• Believe me, mistakes were made.

In the last sentence of paragraph 9, the reader can infer that "the experts" the author refers to are...

• her own children

• the authors of parenting books

• the women on the playground

• her own parents

In which line does the author use an analogy to convey her changing philosophy of parenting?

• How much influence did I really have over the personality of the former baby who cried only wen we gave parties and who today, as a teenager, still dislikes socializing and crowds?

• Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay.

• One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can only be managed with a stern voice and a time-out.

• I remember fifteen years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active.

The author's purpose for writing the selection was most likely to...

• imply that new parents should trust their instincts and enjoy raising their children

• defend herself against the suggestion that she made mistakes when raising her children

• poke fun at so-called experts who claim to be authorities on child development

• blame herself for the choices she made as a parent

Use "Those Winter Sundays" and "All My Babies Are Gone Now"...What is the primary difference between the poem and the essay?

• The events described in the essay took place many years ago, while those int he poem are current.

• The essay focuses on fewer people than the poem does.

• The poem is told from the perspective of a child, while the essay is from that of a parent.

• The issues explored int he essay are more important than those in the poem.

Use "Those Winter Sundays" and "All My Babies Are Gone Now"...What emotion is expressed in the last two lines of the poem and paragraph 7 of the story?

• regret

• fear

• confusion

• joy