On Turning Ten

Which of the following best summarizes a theme of the poem? (Supporting standard: RL.1.2)

• Imagination is constrained by age.

• Nature reflects the human cycle of life.

• Growing old is a universal fear, even though it feels unique to the individual.

• Growing up means letting go of the carefree innocence of childhood.

Which of the following phrases best supports the answer to Question One?

• “But now I am mostly at the window / watching the late afternoon light.” ( Lines 17-18)

• “This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, / ... It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends, / time to turn the first big number.” ( Lines 24-27)

• “The whole idea of it makes me feel / like I'm coming down with something.” ( Lines 1-2)

• “Back then it never fell so solemnly / against the side of my tree house, / and my bicycle never leaned against the garage / as it does today, / all the dark blue speed drained out of it.” ( Lines 19-23)

Read lines 5-7 from the text.

“a kind of measles of the spirit, / a mumps of the psyche, / a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.”

• The speaker feels physically nauseated by age and older people.

• The speaker fears aging because he associates it with sickness and dying.

• The speaker compares his feelings about growing up to sickness, suggesting that he does not have a positive outlook on it.

• The speaker likens aging to sickness, believing it to be a physically arduous process.

Which of the following best describes the tone of stanza 3? (RL.2.4)

But now I am mostly at the window

watching the late afternoon light.

Back then it never fell so solemnly

against the side of my tree house,

and my bicycle never leaned against the garage

as it does today,

all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

• Somber

• Resentful

• Whimsical

• Sarcastic

How does the author reveal the speaker’s view of growing up? (RL.2.6) Select TWO responses from below.

• the author makes contradictory statements to elaborate on his views of getting older

• the author includes research and statistical evidence to support the speaker's argument of growing old

• the author shares anecdotes associated with personal events dealing with fear from the speaker’s past

• the author uses a variety of figurative language devices to compare and contrast the speaker’s perspective to aging

• the author uses words and phrases with negative connotations to display how the speaker dreads getting older

What impact does the following imagery in lines 21 through 23 have on the text? (RL.2.4)

"and my bicycle never leaned against the garage

as it does today,

all the dark blue speed drained out of it."

• to share a sense of loss

• to express anxiety about the future

• to illustrate the speaker’s point of view

• to compare the speaker's feelings about growing up to sickness

What effect does stanza 1 have on the overall structure and meaning of the text?

The whole idea of it makes me feel

like I'm coming down with something,

something worse than any stomach ache

or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--

a kind of measles of the spirit,

a mumps of the psyche,

a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

• It reinforces the speaker's beliefs that he has a virus.

• It emphasizes the ideas that others may have about the speaker.

• It introduces the speaker's uneasiness with aging.

• It reveals the speaker's innermost thoughts and emotions about cake.

How does the final stanza contribute to the overall structure and development of the plot? (RL.2.5)

It seems only yesterday I used to believe

there was nothing under my skin but light.

If you cut me I could shine.

But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,

I skin my knees. I bleed.

• It highlights the speaker’s fears of being injured.

• It uses figures of speech to reveal the speaker’s understanding about growing up.

• It illustrates the difference in mindset between a teenager and a child.

• It uses a flashback to define what the speaker finds confusing about human anatomy.