The Drought

In line 4, why is the subject of the poem trying to "muster some color in his face?"

• He has gone pale because he is upset at what he is seeing in his fields

• He is trying to get a tan

• He is trying to put on a smile

• He is referring to the face of the fields

What does the word "salvage" mean in line 5?

• to separate

• to locate or find

• to abandon or leave

• to save

In line 8, the personification is used to express...

• the idea that as time passes, the farmer will move on to another place

• the idea that time is an enemy

• the idea that as time passes, the rain will return.

• the idea that time passes but everything remains the same

In line 10, what does the poet mean by "twenty acre grave"

• he will die on the farm and be buried with his family

• He is referring to his field as a grave because he is leaving

• His fields have become a grave because everything is dead

• He is tending to the headstones in a graveyard.

In line 14, what is the man doing?

• praying

• thinking about all of the regrets he has from being a farmer

• comparing his fields to a broken bone

• running his hands through the dirt to look for any signs of life or growth

Which evidence from the text expresses a feeling of loss?

• "that looks for breath inside the broken lands" (line 14)

• "and see what he can salvage from the dust." (line 5)

• "the season's bitterness has starved his grain." (line 6)

• "he stops to sift the dusty earth in hands" (line 13)

Which of the following is a them of the poem?

• Even though life brings seasons of loss and disappointment, time brings about new growth and positive change.

• When a person reaches a state of desperation, hope cannot exist.

• Hard work always brings about a positive result

• Never underestimate the power of friendship

In line 6, the personification explains that...

• the crops have been lost because of insects

• the farmer has been unable to work in the fields, so his crops have not grown

• the man has lost all of his life savings because of the conditions

• the season has brought no rain, which has killed the crops

Which line suggests that the man is not giving up?

• "At dusk, he moves among the dying plains"

• "muster up some color in his face"

• "that, often times, there's something left to save"

• "so now he wanders through the field he's turned"

What does the word "sift" mean in line 13?

• to pour out

• to examine closely

• to throw away

• to join together