beware: do not read this poem
Authored by Elizabeth Harris
English
10th - 12th Grade
CCSS covered
Used 113+ times
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About
This quiz focuses on literary analysis of Ishmael Reed's poem "Beware: Do not Read This Poem," targeting high school students at the grades 10-12 level. The questions assess students' comprehension of poetic content, their ability to identify and analyze literary devices, and their understanding of tone and theme. Students need strong foundational skills in reading comprehension, particularly the ability to interpret figurative language and understand how poets use literary techniques to create meaning and effect. The quiz requires students to distinguish between different types of figurative language such as personification, metaphor, simile, and repetition, while also analyzing the poet's unconventional style including irregular punctuation and capitalization. Students must demonstrate critical thinking skills to interpret the poem's ominous tone and central themes of isolation and consumption, as well as understand how Reed's experimental approach to poetry creates a sense of unease and meta-textual awareness. Created by Elizabeth Harris, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 10-12. This quiz serves as an excellent tool for formative assessment following a unit on contemporary American poetry or experimental literature, allowing teachers to gauge students' mastery of literary analysis skills and their understanding of Reed's unique poetic voice. The assessment works effectively as a review activity before a larger exam on modern poetry, or as homework to reinforce classroom discussions about unconventional poetic forms and their effects on readers. Teachers can use this quiz for warm-up activities to activate prior knowledge before deeper analytical writing assignments, or as practice for standardized assessments that require literary interpretation skills. The quiz aligns with Common Core standards RL.9-10.4 and RL.11-12.4 for determining figurative meanings, RL.9-10.5 and RL.11-12.5 for analyzing how authors' choices create meaning and tone, and RL.9-10.2 and RL.11-12.2 for determining themes and analyzing their development throughout the text.
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10 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What does the poet refer to in the opening stanza of
the poem "Beware: Do not Read This Poem"?
He offers a statistic from the U.S. Bureau of Missing Persons.
He refers to an episode of the television show Thriller, in which an old woman surrounded herself with mirrors
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.RL.8.10
CCSS.RL.8.5
CCSS.RL.11-12.11
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
In "Beware: Do not Read This Poem", What happens when the villagers break into the old woman’s house?
The old woman disappears into the mirror.
The old woman calls the police and has the villagers arrested.
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.RL.8.10
CCSS.RL.8.4
CCSS.RL.11-12.10
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What does the speaker say is “legendary” in"Beware: Do not Read This Poem"?
the vain woman
the hunger of this poem
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.RL.11-12.8
CCSS.RL.8.5
CCSS.RL.8.4
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
To what does the speaker compare the poem?
a greedy mirror
a young woman
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.RL.8.10
CCSS.RL.11-12.8
CCSS.RL.8.5
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Which of the following literary elements is not used in "beware: do not read this poem"?
end rhyme
personification
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.RL.11-12.8
CCSS.RL.8.5
CCSS.RL.8.4
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What are the characteristics of Ishmael Reed’s writing style?
Reed uses irregular abbreviations and little punctuation
Reed uses a definite rhyme scheme
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.RL.8.10
CCSS.RL.8.5
CCSS.RL.11-12.11
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
''it is a greedy poem'': this is ......
simile
personification
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.10
CCSS.RL.9-10.9
CCSS.RL.8.10
CCSS.RL.11-12.8
CCSS.RL.8.4
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