"Elsewhere" Poem Questions (Test Review)

What is suggested about the place referred to as Somewhere in line 8?

• Those who live there are unusually unsympathetic and mean toward others.

• Cruelty is so common there that talking of it has become repetitive and ordinary.

• Tales of horrific treatment are so often fictionalized there that no one believes them.

• Life is so hard there that people long for something to take their minds off their misery.

What is suggested by the comparison of foliage to camouflage in lines 15 and 16?

• It is foolish to be deceived by appearances

• Nature is beautiful even in times of danger

• What once seemed harmless now seems to be a threat.

• Those who feel threatened should not trust their perceptions.

The effect of the personification in line 28 makes the government, or state, seem —

• useless

• brutal

• demanding

• unrepresentative

Which concept presented in the first stanza of this poem is picked up again in the eighth stanza?

• Risk

• Violence

• Resistance

• Confinement

What is the main point the speaker is communicating in lines 33–36?

• Memories are affected by the feelings related to experiences.

• Terrible events in the past tend to fade from memory

• Letting yourself forget people who ought to be forgotten is healing

• Forgetting things you believe you should remember causes confusion.

In line 37, the speaker declares, The world is blameless. Who or what does the speaker suggest is to blame throughout the poem?

• Fate

• Nobody

• People

• Circumstances

The poet uses a variety of sound devices other than rhyme variations in this poem. Which of the following is most prominent in lines 39 and 40?

• Rhythm

• Alliteration

• Assonance

• Consonance

Which two statements describe the effects of the images in this poem?

• When combined, they provide a clear sense of oppression.

• When examined individually, each provides clear information

• Most are examples of figurative rather than literal language

• They appeal to a variety of the five senses.

• They gradually become more shocking as the poem progresses.

What does using the motif (reoccurring themes) of unidentified locations accomplish in this poem?

• It suggests that suffering and cruelty are not limited to any one place.

• It suggests that the public is largely unaware of where tragic events occur

• It stresses the idea that people do not care about events that affect those far away.

• It stresses the idea that the same thing can occur in different places simultaneously.