Kindness Poem

Which of these inferences best describes what the first four lines of the last stanza are describing?

• The speaker is preparing a memorial service for someone

• The speaker’s mother has come to help during a time of grief.

• The speaker has suffered loss or sorrow and has had to return to her daily life.

• The speaker does not want to mail letters and purchase bread.

What does the word cloth most likely represent in the following passage?

• The quilt that covers a bed

• The burial cloth someone will need soon

• The number of people who have felt sorrow

• The cover that hides people’s true feelings

Which of these answers states the poet’s main message about kindness?

• Loss and sorrow make you appreciate kindness.

• Everyone, especially travelers, should practice kindness.

• Kindness is all around, if you look carefully.

• Kindness doesn’t last long when people are under stress.

Which of these lines from the poem best support the correct answer to Question 3?

• “Before you know what kindness really is / you must lose things,”

• “Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, / only kindness that ties your shoes”

• “You must see how this could be you, / how he too was someone”

• “and then goes with you everywhere / like a shadow or a friend.”