U1F2B Review Poem: What My Father Said

1. PART A: Which statement expresses the main theme of the poem? (RL.2)

• Working hard is more important than playing with friends.
  

• It can be dangerous to be careless.
  

• It can be rewarding for everyone if a person chooses to follow the crowd.

• Parents often know best, even when we think they don’t.

PART B: Which two details from the poem best support the answer to Part A? (RL.4)

• “We were at that age when bragging rights / shined brighter than Super Bowl rings.”
  

• “They asked if I could kick up the field with them./I frizzled when dad said, No, he’s busy.”

• “Mr. Graham called us out/to see a planted torch blazing/near the two struck matches.”

• “I watched, grateful dad said no, / that accusations weren’t huddled over me”
  

• “Why you lying! You know / you set that fire!”

PART C: How does the author develop the theme throughout the poem? (RL. 2)

• 1. by using the descriptions of the fire to show how a good day can turn bad

• 1. by describing how his friends’ excitement over playing football changed to being angry at each

     other over being blamed for the fire

• 1. by describing how the speaker changes from wanting to be with his friends to being glad that his

     dad didn’t let him go with them

• 1. by using the images of the football games to make the reader understand how much more

     important the game is than working with his dad.

How does stanza 4 contribute to the overall theme of the poem? (RL.2)

• It illustrates the fun that the speaker thinks he will miss because of his dad.
  

• It shows that the speaker thinks football is the most important part of his life.
  

• It illustrates that the speaker likes to daydream about football while he works instead of actually

  playing football.
  

• It shows what the speaker will do after he finally gets done working with his dad

What does it mean when the speaker states that “We were at that age when bragging rights shined brighter than Super Bowl rings” in line 19-20?(RL.4)

• 1. The boys liked to tell everyone that they were so good at football that they would win a Super Bowl one day.

• 1. Football players have the right to brag about all their accomplishments, but especially about their Super Bowl rings.

• 1. The boys were only interested in having fun and do not care who wins or loses their football games.

• The boys felt that having a reason to brag on their achievements was even more of an award than a championship ring is to the football players in the Super Bowl.

What does it mean when the speaker states that “I frizzled when dad said, NO, he's busy.” in line 21?(RL.4)

• He is embarrassed by his father's words.

• He is overheating from all his hard work.

• He is upset he can’t join his friends.
  

• He is shocked by his father's words.

Which statement best describes the main difference between the speaker’s friends and the adults? (RL.6)

• 1. His friends are only concerned with playing with fire while the adults are focused on making them miserable

• 1. His friends are lazy while the adults work hard.

• 1. His friends are only concerned with having a good time while the adults are focused on cleaning

     up.

• 1. His friends like football while the adults hate it.

9.Which of the following best shows the shift in the speaker’s view of his "ruined day"? (RL. 1)

• 1. Therei s no shift; the speaker believes that his dad was wrong for making him help with yard

     work instead of letting him play with his friends.

• 1. The speaker shifts from thinking that he wants to be a professional football player to thinking that

     he wants to be more like his dad

• 1. The speaker shifts from thinking that he is missing out on a great time playing football with his

     friends to realizing that sometimes hanging out with his friends can cause a lot of trouble.

• 1. The speaker shifts from believing that football is the best thing in the world to realizing that

  keeping a clean and orderly yard is better.

What do the images presented in stanza 4 represent to the speaker? (RL.4)

• Becoming a famous football star
  

• A fresh start with new opportunities

• Season tickets to the Super Bowl

• becoming popular to their friends