Life Doesn't Frighten Me

What can be inferred about the poem’s speaker from the author’s use of language?

• The speaker is a young girl.

• The speaker is a young boy.

• The speaker is an adult man.

• The speaker is an adult woman.

Read lines 1–2 from the poem. Which two words best describe this setting?

• Silent

• Mysterious

• Creepy

• Distant

• Loud

From which genre does the author borrow the imagery in line 10?

• Fantasy

• Historical fiction

• Humor

Which lines in the poem describe the act of driving off fear?

• Lines 1–5

• Lines 7–11

• Lines 13–20

• Lines 33–36

Which lines describe the most realistic threat to the poem’s speaker?

• Lines 5–6

• Lines 7–8

• Lines 28–29

• Lines 39–40

Why are the last two stanzas important to the poem?

• They are sad words in a fixed meter, used to warn the reader.

• They are silly words in a fixed meter, used to amuse the reader.

• They are hair-raising words in varying meters, used to inspire fear.

• They are sing-song words in varying meters, used to dismiss fear.

When is the poem’s speaker the most defenseless against fear?

• When in a new classroom

• When dreaming

• When on the ocean floor

• When battling lions

Which of these does the poem’s speaker claim as a special source of strength?

• Curly hair

• A magic charm

• Barking dogs

• A stranger in the dark

Which two statements describe the poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”?

• The poem is about a child’s fear of growing up.

• The poem is about a long nightmare.

• The poem uses imagery that appeals to sight, sound, and touch.

• The poem’s title is also used as a refrain.

The speaker in the poem confronts fears by —

• screaming at scary things

• pulling classmates’ hair

• smiling and making fun

• reading nursery rhymes