Hope is the Thing with Feathers

What does the poet describe as the thing with feathers?

• life

• song

• hope

• soul

The poet uses the words "gale" and "storm" as metaphors. What might these words represent?

• times of bad weather

• hard or painful times

• pleasant times

• times of success and growth

Hope is important in times of pain, sorrow, or difficulty.

Which lines from the poem best support this statement?

• Lines 1-2

• Lines 3-4

• Lines 5-8

• Lines 11-12

The poet says that hope "sings the tune without words." Why might the poet have written that the tune has no words?

• To emphasize that hope does not need to be put into words to be felt.

• To suggest that people are unable to express hope.

• To point out that it is difficult for people to express whether they are hopeful.

• To show that people who are hopeful are also forgetful.

What is the theme of the poem?

• People need to work hard to maintain hope.

• Hope can survive even through the toughest times.

• Hope is able to keep people warm.

• People would be better off without hope.

Read these lines from the poem:

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

What does the word "abash" most nearly mean, based on these lines?

• to confuse

• to praise

• to support

• to silence