"A Poison Tree" by William Blake

Which inference about the speaker of the poem is best supported by the text?

• A. The speaker steals an apple from his foe’s garden.

• B. The speaker is a gardener.

• C. The speaker is consumed by anger and bitterness.

• D. The speaker doesn’t have many friends.

Answer explanation

Correct. The speaker “water’d” his garden in “fears” and with “tears,” which is the central metaphor for the speaker’s anger towards his foe.

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Which of the following statements would the author of the poem most likely agree with?

• A. Fear causes a person to be more uncertain about their beliefs.

• B. Repressed anger can lead to terrible outcomes.

• C. Kindness towards each other creates friendships.

• D. Forgiveness isn’t always possible in some friendships.

Answer explanation

Correct. It is the anger of the speaker that leads to the death of his enemy.

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Which inference is best supported by the poem?

• A. Stealing from others has troubling consequences for a thief.

• B. Enemies can build a lasting friendship by sharing possessions.

• C. Resolution of conflict is possible when people express their feelings.

• D. A garden must be tended with water, sun, and care so that fruit grows.

Answer explanation

Correct. In the first stanza, the speaker shows that expressing his feelings to his friend leads to the dissolution of anger while holding on to anger for an enemy leads to vengeance.

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Arrange the following line from the poem into a rhyming couplet.

"And I water’d it in fears,"

• I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

• Night & morning with my tears;

• Till it bore an apple bright;

• And he knew that it was mine,

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CCSS.RL.6.4

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Arrange the following line from the poem into a rhyming couplet.

"And it grew both day and night,"

• Night & morning with my tears;

• I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

• Till it bore an apple bright;

• When the night had veil’d the pole;

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

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Arrange the following line from the poem into a rhyming couplet.

"And my foe beheld it shine,"

• And he knew that it was mine,

• When the night had veil’d the pole;

• Night & morning with my tears;

• I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

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Arrange the following line from the poem into a rhyming couplet.

"And into my garden stole"

• I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

• Till it bore an apple bright;

• Night & morning with my tears;

• When the night had veil’d the pole;

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From stanza 1, who is the speaker angry with at first?

• a friend

• a foe

• a tree

• himself

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In stanza 1, what does line 3 through 4 tell the reader?

• The speaker has a difficult time speaking with people.

• The speaker’s unwillingness to share their frustration with their enemy causes their anger to increase.

• The speaker wishes he could share with his friend how irritated he is.

• The speaker has an increasing amount of furry towards their friend and enemy.

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The second stanza shows that the speaker

• does not want to stay mad at his foe.

• cannot help becoming angrier.

• gets pleasure from hating his foe.

• has a forgiving nature.

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