The Cycle of Change Poetry Analysis Quiz

How does the poet’s use of personification to describe the river affect the poem?

• It expresses that the river is easily controlled and manipulated.

• It reinforces the sympathetic and emotional plight of the river.

• It illustrates the surprising power of the river over the much larger ocean.

• It draws a connection between the river’s journey and people’s journeys through life.

Which set of lines provides a contrast to the description of the river?

• “Is it yon lake that, sleeping, Calmly seems to wait for you?” (lines 7-8)

• “Will you seek it in the ocean, Mingling with its boundless blue?” (lines 17-18)

• “With its restless billows blending, Tempest-tossed and turned to rain,” (lines 21-22)

• “While the sun continues burning, I, like you, my race must run—” (lines 25-26)

How does the poem’s structure create a sense of urgency?

• Each stanza contrasts the energy of the river with the dull sameness of the lake, inlet, and ocean.

• The descriptions in each stanza progress from the calm of the lake and inlet to the tumult of the ocean.

• Each stanza relays the river’s journey through the lake, inlet, and ocean and ends with its return to the same mountain home from which it began.

• The descriptions in each stanza reveal the river’s desire to escape the confinement of the lake and inlet and to reach the freedom of the ocean.

What does *respite* mean as it is used in lines 14 and 16?

• an unexpected friendship

• a dangerous risk

• an unfulfilled desire

• a break from traveling

How does the word *respite* develop the meaning of the poem?

• It suggests that the river seeks a course to return home.

• It suggests that the river is similar in many ways to the other bodies of water.

• It suggests that the river stops briefly at each place but never stays long.

• It suggests that the river flows gently from one place to the next.

Which is a theme of the poem?

• Nature is unrivaled in its beauty.

• Nothing ever remains the same.

• Exciting events often occur unexpectedly.

• Self-discovery is the ultimate achievement.

Which set of lines from the poem best supports the answer in Part A?

• “Little river! Little river! Why forsake your mountain home,” (lines 1-2)

• “Downward dashing, plunging, leaping, Is it rest that you pursue?” (lines 5-6)

• “Will you seek it in the ocean, Mingling with its boundless blue?” (lines 17-18)

• “The wheel of change forever turning— Nowhere rest beneath the sun!” (lines 27-28)

How does the poet’s use of personification to describe the river affect the poem?

• It expresses that the river is easily controlled and manipulated.

• It reinforces the sympathetic and emotional plight of the river.

• It illustrates the surprising power of the river over the much larger ocean.

• It draws a connection between the river’s journey and people’s journeys through life.

Which set of lines provides a contrast to the description of the river?

• “Is it yon lake that, sleeping, Calmly seems to wait for you?” (lines 7-8)

• “Will you seek it in the ocean, Mingling with its boundless blue?” (lines 17-18)

• “With its restless billows blending, Tempest-tossed and turned to rain,” (lines 21-22)

• “While the sun continues burning, I, like you, my race must run—” (lines 25-26)

How does the poem’s structure create a sense of urgency?

• Each stanza contrasts the energy of the river with the dull sameness of the lake, inlet, and ocean.

• The descriptions in each stanza progress from the calm of the lake and inlet to the tumult of the ocean.

• Each stanza relays the river’s journey through the lake, inlet, and ocean and ends with its return to the same mountain home from which it began.

• The descriptions in each stanza reveal the river’s desire to escape the confinement of the lake and inlet and to reach the freedom of the ocean.