Unit 1.2 Review - "Foul Shot"

1. Read line 4 and lines 11-15 in Foul Shot.

“Squeezed by silence” (line 4)

“Calms it with fingertips,

Breathes,

Crouches, 

Waits, 

And then through a stretching of stillness” (lines 11-15)

How do the line breaks in line 4 and lines 11-15 work together in the poem? 

• They work together to slow the pace of the poem to create the image of the player’s heartbeat, which helps the reader to understand that he was under a lot of pressure.

• They work together to explain what the basketball player taking the foul shot did to prepare themself to take the shot, then speed the pace of the poem to show how quickly the moment can be over.

• They work together to explain the pressure that the basketball player feels, then slows the pace of the poem to represent them calming their nervousness before taking the foul shot.

• They work together to speed up the pace of the poem by presenting short lines that explain how nervous the player felt since the entire team was depending on him to make the winning point.

2. Read lines 17-24 in Foul Shot. 

“The ball

Slides up and out, 

Lands,

Leans,

Wobbles,

Wavers, 

Hesitates, 

Exasperates,

Plays it coy” (lines 17-24)

To play it coy means to act as if you are shy, and not wanting to do something. How do the line breaks in lines 17-24 work together to convey the meaning of “play it coy?”

• The line breaks are applied at the end of long lines, which speeds up the pace of the poem to create a feeling of suspense. The words in each line help to explain how shy the player is, because he doesn’t want to throw it in the net.

• The line breaks are applied at the end of long lines, which slows the pace of the poem to create a feeling of excitement. The words in each of the lines help to explain how shy the basketball player feels as the basketball goes.

• The line breaks are applied at the end of very short lines, which speeds up the pace of the poem and creates a feeling of being rushed. The words in each line help to explain how shy the audience felt as they watched the ball go in.

• The lines breaks are applied at the end of very short lines, which slows the pace of the  poem to create suspense. The words in each line helps to explain that the ball doesn’t directly go into the hoop as if it wanted to, but was too shy.

2. This question has two parts. First answer Part A. Then Answer Part B.

Part A.

Read lines 1-4 in Foul Shot.

“With two 60’s stuck on the scoreboard

And two second hanging on the clock,

The solemn boy in the center of eyes,

Squeezed by silence,” (lines 1-4)

Which choice best defines the word solemn, as used to describe the boy in line 3?

• sad

• serious

• frustrated

• alone

What does the idiom squeezed by silence help you understand about the solemn boy?

• He is serious because he is concentrating on making the shot, while everyone concentrates on him.

• He is sad because he is afraid to miss the shot while everyone is watching and cheering for him.

• He is frustrated because because his team is going to lose the game and everyone watching will blame him.

• He is alone because he was chosen to make the foul shot and his team has left him to be alone in the middle of the court while everyone watches.

5. Read line 26 in Foul Shot.

“Until every face begs with unsounding screams-” (line 26)

Using the prefix, what does the word unsounding mean, as it is used in the line?

• making small noises

•  too much noise

• making no noise

• a lot of noises

Read line 7 in Foul Shot. 

“Gently drums the ball against the floor” (line 7)

What does the suffix in the word gently tell you about the part of speech of the base word?

• the word is a noun

• the word is an adjective

• the word is an adverb

• the word is a verb

Using the suffix -ly in the word gently, select the best definition for the word.

• in a way that is gentle

• without being gentle

• full of being gentle

• the past tense of gentle

8. Read lines 1-2 from Foul Shot.

“With two 60’s stuck on the scoreboard

And two seconds hanging on the clock” (lines 1-2)

Which analysis supports how the events in lines 1 and 2 of Foul Shot contribute to the plot of the poem?

• The author includes these events to help the reader understand that the scores are tied and there is not much time left in the game. This contributes to plot because it leads to the nervousness felt by the crowd as they watch the foul shot.

• The author includes these events to let the reader know how the time and scoring works in a basketball game. This contributes to the plot because it causes the players to relax because they are all winners.

• The author includes these events to let the reader know that even though the scores are tied, there is plenty of time left for one team to win. This contributes to the plot because after the foul shot, the players will have more time to get more points.

• The author includes these events so that the reader can feel like they are participating in the game. There is no contribution to the plot, but it is important for the readers to feel like they are a part of the story.

9. How does the personification in line 26 contribute to meaning in the text?

“Until every face begs with unsounding screams-” (line 26)

• It creates the image in the reader’s mind about how everyone looked as they waited anxiously to see if the ball would go into the hoop to score the point. This helps to support the feeling of suspense.

• It creates a comparison in the reader’s mind about how the screams of the audience can be loud or soft. This helps to support the feeling of happiness.

• It emphasizes the way that the audience sounds so that the reader can understand just how important it is for him to make the shot and win the game.

• Personification does not contribute to the meaning of this poem. A personification is just a human quality given to something that is not human.