3.2 Annotations and Assessment Practice

Highlight words and phrases in lines 1–12 that give you clues about the identity of the speaker.

Who do you think the speaker is in this poem? Why?

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In lines 13–21, highlight the phrase that is used again and again in the poem.

What is the purpose of the repeated phrase? What idea does it emphasize in this stanza?

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Two-Part Question: Part A

What inference can you make about the speaker’s response to fears?

• The speaker goes back to sleep.

• The speaker stays inside at night.

• The speaker smiles and makes fun of fears.

• The speaker does not read or listen to scary stories.

Two-Part Question: Part B

What excerpt from the poem most clearly supports the answer in Part A?

• “Mean old Mother Goose / Lions on the loose” (lines 7–8)

• “I just smile / They go wild” (lines 19–20)

• “Tough guys in a fight / All alone at night” (lines 22–23)

• “If I’m afraid at all / It’s only in my dreams.” (lines 35–36)

Select the excerpt that best shows that using your imagination is an important topic in the poem.

• “I make fun / Way they run” (lines 15–16)

• “(Kissy little girls / With their hair in curls)” (lines 30–31)

• “I can walk the ocean floor / And never have to breathe.” (lines 39–40)

• “Life doesn’t frighten me at all / Not at all / Not at all.” (lines 41–43)