Poetry Unit Test

In Clouds, who is the speaker of the poem talking to?

• a flock of sheep

• the sky

• clouds

• a shepherd

Answer explanation

The speaker says, "you" several times and then ends with the question, "Where do you go?" In both cases, the "you" refers to the "white sheep" - which are not really sheep, but are actually clouds (which is why they are on a BLUE hill and they move with the wind).

In Clouds, line 2 contains

• hyperbole

• a metaphor

• a simile

• personification

Answer explanation

Line 2 mentions a "blue hill" - which is actually the sky (actual hills are usually green since they are covered in grass). This is part of the metaphor being used in this poem.

In line 2 of Clouds, the "blue hill" is actually...

• a blue hill

• the sky

• a pond

• a blanket

Answer explanation

The title of this poem hints at the metaphor used in the poem - the "white sheep on a blue hill" are really the puffy white clouds in the blue sky (which explains why the hill is blue not green - it's the sky).

In Clouds, which pair of lines contains the best example of repetition?

• lines 1 and 7

• lines 3 and 5

• lines 1 and 8

• lines 4 and 6

Answer explanation

Lines 1 and 7 both say, "white sheep, white sheep" - in other words line 7 REPEATS what line 1 says....making it repetition.

All of the following are true statements about the poem Seeds, EXCEPT...

• it contains two stanzas

• it contains a simile

• it contains a metpahor

• it has a rhyme pattern

Answer explanation

If you look carefully at the end of each line and listen to the sound of each end word (life, words, said, strong, grew, fruit, etc.) none of them rhyme. This makes this poem free verse.

In line 6 of Seeds, the speaker mentions fruit. Which kind of fruit can readers infer that the speaker is talking about in this line, given the context clue that is mentioned elsewhere in the poem?

• a pineapple

• grapes

• a peach

• an apple

Answer explanation

The title of the poem is "Seeds", so it cannot be talking about a pineapple or a peach, since those two fruits don't have seeds. Grapes grow on a vine, not a tree, which means the only fruit it could be is an apple - and line 9 even mentions this fruit.

Think about lines 1 -4 and line 9. These words suggest that the speaker in this poem is most likely talking to

• a doctor

• a stranger

• a parent

• a neighbor

Answer explanation

If you think carefully about which of these people the speaker might have listened to as they grew up, and also consider what "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" means (the tree and apple are close/alike because the apple COMES from the tree) then it would make sense that it is a parent being described - we listen to our parents' words as we grow up, and we come from our parents so we often end up being like them in some ways.

In Seeds, what is the speaker in this poem saying?

• The speaker is saying they grew a fruit tree by listening to their parent

• The speaker is telling a parent how their words/stories shaped the speaker's life as they grew up.

• The speaker is describing how they became an apple tree as they grew older.

• The speaker is complaining that they were raised in an apple orchard, but were always hungry.

In Eighteen Flavors, which emotion is shown in line 12?

• joy

• pride

• disappointment

• fear

Answer explanation

In this line readers learn that the ice cream cone is now lying on the ground - meaning it can't be eaten. The (sniff) shows that the speaker is upset about this, since they are crying (people who are crying "sniffle").

In Eighteen Flavors, why is (sniff) used in line 12?

• to show that the speaker is upset

• to let the reader know that the ice cream smells delicious

• to confuse the reader

• to suggest that the speaker has a cold