From the Ninth Ward

1 Why does the poet use the extended metaphor of the disaster movie at the beginning of the excerpt from the poem “After the Hurricane”?

• A To help readers visualize what a movie set of New Orleans looks like

• B To give readers some additional information about the speaker and her friends

• C To compare the setting of the poem to something readers can understand

• D To introduce readers to the kinds of people who live near Lake George

How does the structure of lines 137 through 148 add to the excerpt from the poem “After the Hurricane”?

• F The regular rhyming pattern helps readers guess what will come next.

• G The sudden and irregular line breaks set the mood for readers.

• H The questions and answers make the narrator sound like she’s singing.

• J The repetition of short questions and answers gives the poem a fast rhythm.

The poet chose an irregular and unpredictable rhyme scheme for the excerpt from “After the Hurricane” most likely to —

• A reflect the music that is a part of the culture in New Orleans

• B mirror the chaos in New Orleans after the hurricane

• C sound alarming like the helicopters that flew over the city

• D build a somber mood like the one people felt after the hurricane

Which two lines from the excerpt from the poem "After the Hurricane" contain imagery that helps the reader visualize the bleak setting of post-Katrina New Orleans? F Line 26 G Line 42 H Line 66

• F Line 26

• G Line 42

• H Line 66

• J Line 78

• K Line 115

Read paragraph 14 in the excerpt from Ninth Ward. Which words help the reader know what the word horizon means?

• F tips, Tops

• G flat, empty

• H houses, trees

• J Lampposts, water

Read what a student wrote about the selection from Ninth Ward.

The narrator and her brother are stuck on the roof of their house. They are waiting for one to come rescue them from the rising flood waters. Hurricane Katrina made it impossible to evacuate.

How could the summary above be rewritten?

• A Change their to his

• B Change They to Them

• C Change her to she

• D Change one to someone

How does the setting of Ninth Ward contribute to the conflict in the selection?

• A The narrator was unprepared for how the humidity would affect the rescue crews.

• B The screams from the other people on their rooftops make the narrator angry.

• C The sun is so hot that the narrator and her brother get sunburns while waiting on the roof.

• D The Mississippi River is flooding, causing the narrator and her brother to have to be rescued.

In paragraph 21 of the excerpt from Ninth Ward, the narrator says, I used to think the Mississippi was beautiful. Not anymore. Using specific information from the selection, explain why the narrator has changed her mind. Select all the true statements:

• The narrator and her brother are stuck on the roof of their home after Hurricane Katrina. As they wait, helicopters fly by but don't stop.

• The Mississippi has flooded their neighborhood and they are waiting to be rescued.

• As they wait, helicopters fly by but don't stop. The water from the river has come so high she can only see “the tips of houses” and “tops or halves of trees.”

• The water is attracting mosquitoes. It is filled with garbage, catfish, and eels. She is upset about her circumstances and blames the river.

In what way are the speaker in the excerpt from the poem “After the Hurricane” and the narrator of the excerpt from Ninth Ward similar?

• A Both feel a sense of despair about what’s happening after Hurricane Katrina.

• B Both feel grateful to spend time with their family members after Hurricane Katrina.

• C Both are worried about being rescued from their homes during the flooding.

• D Both are looking for missing relatives at the Superdome in New Orleans.

The excerpt from the poem “After the Hurricane” and the excerpt from the novel Ninth Ward have some similarities and some differences. Mark the box that correctly categorizes whether the statement reflects the message and theme of the poem only, the novel only, or both the novel and the poem.

The narrator sees things that make her lose hope.

• Poem only

• Novel only

• Both