CMA Review #2

What is the meaning of the word 'chronic' as it is used in the second stanza of the poem 'Those Winter Sundays' by Robert Hayden?

• ongoing over time, constantly recurring

• short, abrupt

• heated, controversial

• dealing with the past

What is the author’s most likely reason for describing the "angers of the house" as chronic?

• To depict that some feelings harbored inside the family are ongoing over time, recurring day after day.

• To emphasize just how angry the family was in that heated moment.

• To downplay the significance of one fight, as it can be just one of many.

• To suggest that time inevitably heals all wounds.

Which of the following literary devices is used in the following lines from the third stanza of the poem: "What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?"

• Allusion

• Assonance

• Repetition

• Consonance

What might the author’s purpose be for using this figurative language device in the lines "What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?"

• To stress the fact that the speaker actually does know more than they are letting on.

• To convey cyclical thoughts of life and family, as they continue to consume the speaker’s mind over time.

• To denote the fact that the speaker is deep in contemplation over loneliness.

• To convince the reader that the speaker knows much about love.

Which option best captures the kind of love depicted in this passage?

• selfish and materialistic

• lusty and physical

• familial and genuine

• romantic and true

Which quotation most captures the theme of love in the poem?

• Sundays too my father got up early / and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold

• What did I know, what did I know / of love’s austere and lonely offices?

• Speaking indifferently to him, / who had driven out the cold

• I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

As it is used in the sentence, the word "austere" most nearly means:

• harshness and strictness

• beauty and embrace

• never-ending

• cyclical nature

Which line from the passage most aligns with the meaning of "love’s austere"?

• “then with cracked hands that ached / from labor in the weekday weather made / banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.”

• “Sundays too my father got up early / and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,”

• “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.”

• “When the rooms were warm, he’d call, / and slowly I would rise and dress,”

What can we infer about the father’s character traits based on his actions?

• He is lazy and often procrastinates. He would rather be out in town enjoying life than spending time performing everyday tasks with his family.

• He is a tireless worker, who is dedicated to performing tasks regardless of the amount of appreciation he receives from the family. He believes in “tough love” and hard work.

• He sleeps in late, even on Sundays, and is likely suffering from chronic depression.

• He is a family man who loves his family, but has some difficulty with holding others accountable.

What does the act of the father polishing the speaker's shoes symbolize?

• The father's attention to detail

• The father's care and love for his son

• The speaker's neglect of his belongings

• The father's desire for order