Interpreting the Language of Anne Bradstreet

Using context clues, determine the meaning of the word, "store," as it is used in the following sentence:

"Here stood that trunk, and there that chest, / There lay that store I counted best"

• a place where items can be purchased

• a shelf upon which things rest

• a storage container

• a collection of belongings

Using context clues, determine the meaning of the word, "succourless," as it is used in the following sentence:

"And to my God my heart did cry / To straighten me in my distress / And not leave me succourless"

• impoverished

• helpless

• grief-stricken

• homeless

Using context clues, determine the meaning of the word, "abide," as it is used in the following sentence:

"And did thy wealth on earth abide? / Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?"

• remain

• burn

• disappear

• renew

Using context clues, select the best synonym for the word, "bereft," as it is used in the following sentence:

"He might of all justly bereft / But yet sufficient for us left."

• taken

• given

• gifted

• received

Based upon your knowledge of Puritan values & beliefs, to whom does the underlined phrase in the following passage refer?

"then, coming out, behold a space / The flame consume my dwelling place. / And when I could no longer look, / blessed His name that gave and took

• the preacher of the speaker's church

• to the person who started a house fire

• to God

• to the speaker's spouse