Without Title Poetry

Reread lines 1–2. What do the arrow, the buffalo, and the shaman represent in this stanza?

• fun memories from the father’s childhood.

• leisure activities that the father has no time for.

• the traditions of the father’s culture.

• the father’s vivid imagination.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

When the speaker says in line 3 that “my father went out each day to hunt,” it means that he

• went to work to provide for his family.

• hunted for buffalo every day.

• pretended to go buffalo hunting.

• was unemployed and looking for a job.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In line 7, “No one marked his first kill,” the word marked means

• drew a symbol on.

• witnessed directly.

• evaluated the event.

• celebrated with a ritual.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Readers can infer that the “buffalo song” in line 8 refers to

• a song sung at funerals in the father’s culture.

• a chant performed to ensure a successful buffalo hunt.

• a ceremony performed when a boy kills his first buffalo.

• a call used by hunters to attract buffalo.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Why does the speaker point out that his or her father came to the city “Without a vision” (line 9)?

• to suggest that he should have given the decision more thought

• to emphasize the lack of spiritual meaning in his life

• to imply that he would have been happier in a different city

• to question his motives for choosing the life he did

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Readers can infer that the speaker’s mother

• loves the family’s life in the city.

• disapproves of the work her husband does.

• is a tidy housekeeper who dislikes clutter.

• does not appreciate her husband’s feelings.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

The description of the father leaving the house in lines 14–17 creates a tone of

• sadness, because the father’s life is so far removed from his values.

• irony, because a car’s aerial is nothing like a bow string.

• optimism, because city life has some similarities with the father’s culture.

• terror, because the speaker sees a dangerous wildness in the father.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Which lines create a vivid sensory image for readers?

• “but my father went out each day to hunt / as though he had them” (lines 3–4)

• “No one marked his first kill, / no one sang his buffalo song” (lines 7–8)

• “I remember the animal tracks of his car / backing out the drive in snow and mud” (lines 14–15)

• “Without a vision he had migrated to the city / and went to work in the packing house” (lines 9–10)

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Why can’t the speaker see “the red buffalo painted on his chest” (line 19)?

• The buffalo represents the father’s heritage that is buried beneath the surface of his modern life.

• The speaker is too young to understand the traditional values that are important to the father.

• The father has never discussed the significance of the buffalo hunt with his family.

• The speaker does not want to embarrass the father by asking to see the red buffalo.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Which statement best expresses the theme of the poem?

• Connections to one’s cultural heritage and to nature give meaning to life.

• It is impossible to appreciate food unless one has experienced hunting.

• Human beings are more like animals than modern society allows us to see.

• Life in a city can be fulfilling, but only if one is willing to forget the past.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2