"The Drought" (Poetry) by Amy Helfrich

The meter of “The Drought” is most like —.

• a thunderstorm

• a calm heartbeat

• an excited song

• an irregular drumbeat

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.6.4

The poem, “The Drought,” is different from a short story because —.

• the story of the drought and the farmer is incomplete

• the story of the drought and the farmer is in the third person

• the story of the drought and the farmer is told in a few lines

• the story of the drought and the farmer has no moral

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.6.4

Why does the farmer walk quickly—at a sharpened pace—in line 2?

• He wants to feel more alive and hopeful.

• He is eager to get inside, out of the cold.

• He wants to escape from the dust quickly.

• He is hurrying to harvest his wheat crop.

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

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CCSS.RL.8.4

The phrase this season’s bitterness in line 6 is most likely a reference to ___________.

• the soil

• the drought

• the wheat

• the farm

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.6.4

In lines 7 and 8, the use of personification, or giving human qualities to an animal, object, or idea, is intended to show that ____________.

• the soil will be washed away in the first rain

• the farmer does not think that rain will come soon

• the soil will become healthy when the rain returns

• the farmer has waited too long for the rain

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

In the first and third lines of “The Drought,” the poet rhymes plains with the farmer’s veins. What is the effect of this rhyme?

• It connects the farmer to the plains.

• It likens the plains to a river.

• It compares the farmer to a field.

• It relates the plains to the wheat.

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which word best describes the rhyme scheme of “The Drought”?

• random

• missing

• complex

• regular

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

The first eight lines of the poem are one sentence. Which is a possible reason for why the poet chooses to punctuate her sonnet this way?

• The first eight lines underscore the extremes of weather.

• The first eight lines are about the drought only.

• The lines present the issue connecting the farmer to the plain.

• The lines describe the theme of farm life during drought.

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

Read lines 11–14. The farmer would most likely agree with which saying below?

• Look for the silver lining.

• There is no use crying over spilled milk.

• When it rains, it pours.

• Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

The poet uses the word breath in the last line of the poem. What does this word symbolize?

• food

• spring

• rain

• life

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5