Cowboy Songs Shared Read Questions

What does the poet convey about his horse through his description of a storm in the poem Chopo?

• Chopo is a dependable and trusted companion.

• Chopo, like other ponies, is frightened and panicky in stormy weather.

• The poet is proud of his pony because he is able to travel great distances.

• Chopo prefers sunny days to violent storms.

In The Biblical Cowboy, the poet helps the reader understand that--

• cowboys preferred to drink strong coffee

• cowboys were more religious than other people

• a cowboy lived with many of the same problems we have today

• a cowboy's life on the prairie was difficult and lonely

Which of the following lines from The Biblical Cowboy best show the poet's use of internal rhyme?

• My fire I kindle with chips gathered round

• My books are the brooks, my sermons the stones

• I carry my wardrobe all on my back

• For want of an oven I cook bread in a pot

The rhyming imagery used in these lines appeal to the reader's sense of --

• sight and touch

• sight and sound

• taste and touch

• sight and balance

In The Cowboys Life, the poet compares the sounds of cattle and coyotes to--

• a noisy town

• pleasant music

• a difficult job

• a fast horse

Which feature from The Biblical Cowboy best helps the reader hear the poem as the lyrics were originally sung?

• The rhyme pattern and meter

• The comparison between living in a house and in nature

• The image of a wolf standing among bones

• The repetition of the word my at the beginning of some lines

From lines 7, 8, and 9 of The Cowboys Life, the reader can tell that--

• cowboys preferred the freedom of living alone on the range to the comforts of town life

• towns in the American west were noisy and unpleasant places to live

• a cowboy preferred to ride into town on an old saddle

• cowboys didn't like to wear uncomfortable hats, like a king's crown

The poet uses repetition in these lines to--

• give the reader a sense of how large the Texas Llanos are

• show that Chopo is smaller than other horses

• emphasize his affection for his pony

• create a rhyme pattern that continues in the rest of the poem