Lift Every Voice and Sing

Which of the following best describes the mood or overall feeling of the first stanza?

• surprise at lucky circumstances

• hesitation about what is yet to come

• strength and resolve in the face of difficulty

• disappointment and anger about the pre

In the second stanza, how do the phrases

"a way that with tears has been watered"

and "treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered" affect the meaning of the poem?

• by describing a dark and violent past

• by showing why the singers gave up hope

• by explaining the ways in which history repeats itself

• by foreshadowing how the future will be disappointing

Reread the final lines of the second stanza and answer the question that follows:

Out from the gloomy past,

Till now we stand at last,

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

How do these ending lines build on the mood created earlier in the stanza?

• by creating a sense of hope after the struggle

• by highlighting how things can change very quickly

• by displaying confusion on the part of the sp

• by showing why similar events keep happening in history

Read the following excerpt from “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and answer the question that

follows.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.

How does the repetition in these lines help convey the meaning of the lyrics?

• by suggesting the type of gift the speaker wishes to make to the listener

• by explaining why the speaker fears that the present will be like the past

• by showing how the speaker draws strength from past and present

• by reminding the listener of the subject of the song

Read the following excerpt from “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and answer the question that

follows.

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

What does the phrase "for which our fathers sighed"

tell us about the “place” where they find themselves?

• that the speaker’s ancestors feared it

• that the speaker has been warned about it

• that the speaker has been there previously

• that the speaker’s ancestors wished to arrive there

Which of the following best describes what the poem is about?

• the story of giving up in the face of difficulty

• a lesson in not taking for granted what you have

• the journey of a people who have suffered greatly but persevered

• an explanation of how things can change without people realizing it