Sonnet Ballad

Which of these is most likely the reason the speaker says that death has “possessive arms and beauty (of a sort)” in line 11?

• Most people would not consider death beautiful.

• . Many people think of death as having arms and legs.

• Most people would not understand that the speaker is talking about death.

• Few people can see the beauty in possessive arms.

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

Which of these is most closely a major theme of the poem?

• comedy

• beauty

• grief

• fidelity

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

With which of these statements would the poet most likely agree?

• Happiness is a natural part of the grieving process.

• The people who are most affected by war are the politicians.

• Epic poems that glorify war are largely accurate

• The impacts of war last long after the actual war has ended.

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

Which passage from the poem best supports the correct answer to the previous question?

• “Oh mother, mother, where is happiness? / They took my lover's tallness off to war, / Left me lamenting.”

• “Now I cannot guess / What I can use an empty heart-cup for.”

• “Some day the war will end, but, oh, I knew / When he went walking grandly out that door / That my sweet love would have to be untrue.”

• “And he will be the one to stammer, ‘Yes.’ / Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?”

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

Reread lines 9–14 of the poem. Then answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.

From “the sonnet-ballad” by Gwendolyn Brooks

9 Would have to be untrue. Would have to court

10 Coquettish death, whose impudent and strange

11 Possessive arms and beauty (of a sort)

12 Can make a hard man hesitate—and change.

13 And he will be the one to stammer, “Yes.”

14 Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?

How does the repetition of the phrase would have to affect the meaning of the poem?

• It emphasizes the idea that the speaker’s lover could not deny death.

• It shows that men must always go to battle to defend their country.

• It communicates that losing her lover to the war was not the speaker’s choice.

• It highlights just how much the speaker admires her lover for fulfilling his duty as a soldier.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

Reread lines 9–14 of the poem. Then answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.

From “the sonnet-ballad” by Gwendolyn Brooks

9 Would have to be untrue. Would have to court

10 Coquettish death, whose impudent and strange

11 Possessive arms and beauty (of a sort)

12 Can make a hard man hesitate—and change.

13 And he will be the one to stammer, “Yes.”

14 Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?

What is most likely the reason that the poet chose to repeat the first line as the last line of the poem?

• A. Repetition is one of the standard rules of a Shakespearean sonnet.

• B. The line emphasizes the importance of the speaker’s mother.

• C. The choice develops the theme that losing a loved one is painful.

• D. The word happiness shows that the speaker will recover from her loss.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

Who is the speaker addressing in the poem?

• her love

• herself

• her mother

• a solider

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

What happened to the speaker's love in the poem?

• nothing

• he has come home from war

• he has gone off to war

• he has died

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

"Can make a hard man hesitate —and change. "

As used in line 12 of the poem, what does hesitate mean?

• to change

• to pause

• to be untrue

• to stammer

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

As used in line 10 of the poem, what does impudent mean?

"Coquettish death, whose impudent and strange..."

• to hesitate

• to stammer

• to grieve and feel sad

• bold and disrespectful

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5