Growing Pains

The title of the poem refers to -

• physical pain associated with growing older

• emotional pain associated with growing up

• pain that grows worse over time

• pain that only grown-ups understand

Every line of the poem comes to a complete stop. The poem contains many short lines. This structure suggests that the poem's speaker is -

• struggling to make sense of events.

• breathless with rage over her encounter with her mother.

• trying to express the humdrum nature of an ordinary day.

• using sentence variety to make sure her ideas come across clearly.

The repetition in lines 1-6 helps the reader -

• understand why the mother is angry with her.

• visualize the details of the setting of the poem.

• focus on the speaker's point of view.

• appreciate the persistence of the mother's complaints.

What is the central message or theme the poet presents in the poem?

• Worry can sometimes cause a person to lash out against a loved one.

• Adults can sometimes behave like children.

• Young people can feel scared when they realize that parents have problems of their own.

• Parents should not share their personal problems with their children.

The metaphor in the first stanza is used to emphasize that -

• the mother is not happy with the poem's speaker.

• the poem's speaker has a messy bedroom.

• the mother's nagging causes the poem's speaker to cry.

• the poem's speaker does not like to cry in public.

"Growing Pains" is a narrative poem (storytelling poem) because -

• expresses the thoughts and feelings of the speaker.

• tells a story with characters and conflict.

• lacks a rhythm or rhyme scheme.

• describes the adventures of a hero.