Reading Bank 4

Read these lines from the passage. “The distant strains of triumph Burst agonized and clear!” (lines 11 and 12) What setting can you infer from these lines of the poem?

• a graveyard

• a storm shelter

• a funeral

• a battlefield

Which statement best expresses the theme of the passage?

• Success cannot be easily explained to the loser.

• Success is valued most by those who have failed.

• Success is a result of luck and should never be expected.

• Success is valued most by those who defeat their opponent.

Who is the poet referring to in lines 5 and 6? “Not one of all the purple Host Who took the Flag today”

• the thieves

• the defeated

• the decorators

• the victors

What does agonized mean as it is used in line 12? “The distant strains of triumph Burst agonized and clear!”

• uncertain

• comforting

• painful

• puzzling

Fill in a circle in each row to identify the stanza from the poem that best matches the description in the first column. You will fill in three circles.

The winning side in a conflict cannot truly appreciate victory.

• Stanza 1

• Stanza 2

• Stanza 3

Fill in a circle in each row to identify the stanza from the poem that best matches the description in the first column. You will fill in three circles.

The dying soldier best understands what victory really means.

• Stanza 1

• Stanza 2

• Stanza 3

Fill in a circle in each row to identify the stanza from the poem that best matches the description in the first column. You will fill in three circles.

Only the losers in a conflict can appreciate the value of victory.

• Stanza 1

• Stanza 2

• Stanza 3

Which lines from the passage indicate that the speaker and those being addressed may not be human?

• “Awake! awake! for the earliest gleam/Of golden sunlight shines” (lines 1 and 2)

• “Awake! awake! for the low, sweet chant/Of the wild-birds’ morning hymn” (lines 5 and 6)

• “Then spread each wing/And work, and sing” (lines 9 and 10)

• “And lightly they wave on their slender stems/Fragrant, and fresh, and fair” (lines 19 and 20)

Select two lines from the passage that describe flowers blooming.

• “Awake! awake! for the summer wind” (line 15)

• “Hath opened the violet’s soft blue eye,” (line 17)

• “And wakened the sleeping rose.” (line 18)

• “Waiting for us, as we singing come” (line 21)

• “Through the long, bright sunny hours;” (line 25)

How does the author’s point of view about the day affect the description in the passage?

• Only pleasant experiences are described.

• Both morning and evening are described.

• The experiences of many people are described.

• Only things that can be seen are described.