Poetry Review

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done

      But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

      On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

 

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;

      At least no one ever has done it;”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat

      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

      Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

 

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

      There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

      The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

      Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing

      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

Who is the 'Somebody' in the passage?

• a parent

• a friend

• the speaker

• anyone who doubts

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done

      But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

      On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

 

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;

      At least no one ever has done it;”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat

      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

      Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

 

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

      There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

      The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

      Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing

      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

In which two ways is the person who tries different from everyone else in the passage?

• He finishes quickly.

• He is cheerful.

• He dislikes others.

• He hides his feelings.

• He succeeds.

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done

      But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

      On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

 

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;

      At least no one ever has done it;”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat

      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

      Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

 

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

      There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

      The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

      Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing

      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

Read line 18 from the passage. 'There are thousands to prophesy failure;' What is the meaning of prophesy as it is used in this line?

• ignore

• speak to

• fight

• predict

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

      There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

      The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

      Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing

      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

How does the last stanza of 'It Couldn't Be Done' differ from the other two stanzas?

• It directly addresses the reader.

• It tells about someone who fails.

• It warns about the dangers of being overly confident.

• It explains how to figure out when something is impossible.

If ever fall appeared without summer before
Waves in autumn would surely never roar.
The flowers would wake with little time to grow
And summer thunderstorms would never blow.

 

If ever spring should follow summer's heat
The cavernous cold of winter would be passed
Without a chance to ski or have a blast
Or sled or wake the frosty world to greet.

And so in life the seasons one by one
Must come and go; for Time, it will not wait.
From youth to old age, life's seasons create
A painting full of sadness and of fun.
You, too, can be an artist of your life––
As the world turns, paint the darks and the bright.

To what does the poet compare a person's life?

• an artist

• a season

• a painting

• a paintbrush

If ever fall appeared without summer before
Waves in autumn would surely never roar.
The flowers would wake with little time to grow
And summer thunderstorms would never blow.

 

If ever spring should follow summer's heat
The cavernous cold of winter would be passed
Without a chance to ski or have a blast
Or sled or wake the frosty world to greet.

And so in life the seasons one by one
Must come and go; for Time, it will not wait.
From youth to old age, life's seasons create
A painting full of sadness and of fun.
You, too, can be an artist of your life––
As the world turns, paint the darks and the bright.

What is a theme of the passage?

• People have different ways of looking at life.

• Both cold and warm seasons can be important.

• Each season or stage of life can add to its beauty.

• Meddling with the order of the seasons would be exciting.

If ever fall appeared without summer before
Waves in autumn would surely never roar.
The flowers would wake with little time to grow
And summer thunderstorms would never blow.

 

If ever spring should follow summer's heat
The cavernous cold of winter would be passed
Without a chance to ski or have a blast
Or sled or wake the frosty world to greet.

What ideas do stanzas 1 and 2 explore?

• The first stanza is about life without summer, and the second stanza is about life without winter.

• The first stanza is about fun things to do in fall, and the second stanza is about fun things to do in winter.

• The first stanza is about not experiencing fall's flowers, and the second stanza is about not experiencing summer's heat.

• The first stanza is about why fall is better than summer, and the second stanza is about why winter is better than spring.

Read lines 11–14 from the passage.

 

From youth to old age, life's seasons create

A painting full of sadness and of fun.

You, too, can be an artist of your life––

As the world turns, paint the darks and the bright.

 

To what does the poet compare a person's life?

• an artist

• a season

• a painting

• a paintbrush