Batter Up- Poetry

Read lines 1-3 from the poem.

"I practice my swing as I walk to the plate.

my last at bat still fresh on my mind,

a strike out."

Why does the poet include descriptive language in these lines?

• To describe the speaker’s new bat

• To show that the speaker is not satisfied with their performance

• To emphasize their successful batting

• To explain how the speaker solves their problem

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What is the poetic structure found in this poem?

• Repetition

• Rhyme

• Free Verse

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In line 20, the word billow means-

• a cloud

• to swell or grow larger

• gently touch

• a pillow

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What line from the poem helps the reader understand that the poem is  

first-person point of view?

• My last at bat still fresh on my mind

• The ball swooshes past beyond third base.

• Time to get it done.

• “Strike one,” piped the ump.

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Read lines 10-14 of the poem.

I stare down my big barrel.

Time to get it done.

My heart is pounding like a bass drum.

I watch for the pitch. 

I swing my trusted bat.

What do these lines suggest about the speaker?

• The speaker is focused and ready.

• The speaker does not have self-confidence.

• The speaker is playing the bass drum.

• The speaker has never hit a ball.

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The end of the poem suggests that the speaker feels-

• courageous

• relieved

• proud

• disbelief

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Lines 7 and 15 are important to the poem because-

• They show how time moves slowly.

• They add humor by spelling the word in capital letters.

• They use a sound to describe the speaker’s experience.

• They suggest a negative result of the batter’s actions.

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In line 12, “My heart is pounding loud like a bass drum,” suggests-

• That the speaker’s teammates are shouting too loud

• That the speaker can see everyone’s stares

• That the speaker is nervous, yet determined

• That the speaker can hear the loud fans in the stands

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What is the message of the poem?

• Believe in yourself.

• Baseball is the best sport.

• Sometimes things don’t work out the way you expect.

• Time passes slowly when life is challenging.

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The imagery in line 4 appeals to the reader’s sense of-

• touch

• hear

• taste

• smell

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