Saturday's Child

“My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson (poem)

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see; I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup; But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head, Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

What does the speaker’s shadow do when he jumps into bed?

• gets taller

• gets little

• jumps before him

• sticks to him

Based on the context of the final stanza, what does the word "errant" mean in line 15?

• corrupt

• dishonest

• naughty

• rowdy

Which statement best describes how the second and third stanzas have similar central ideas?

• Both stanzas describe how the boy thinks his shadow is fun

• Both stanzas describe how the boy thinks his shadow is peculiar

• Both stanzas describe how the boy thinks his shadow is daring

• Both stanzas describe how the boy thinks his shadow is cheerful

What tone do lines 15-16 contribute to the poem?

• Affectionate

• Amused

• Angry

• Anxious

What is the meaning of the simile in line 7?

• The child's shadow is sometimes as tall as a ball can bounce

• The child's shadow is not growing as it should

• The child's shadow is experiencing some sort of problem

• The child's shadow is pretending to play a game with him

What statement best analyzes the author's use of vocabulary to characterize the speaker of the poem?

• The author uses formal language to characterize the speaker as an adult who is remembering his childhood

• The author uses formal language to characterize the speaker as an adult who is watching his own child play with a shadow

• The author uses informal language to characterize the speaker as a child who is still trying to learn how to deal with the good and the bad

• The author uses informal language to characterize the speaker as a child who often misbehaves and gets in trouble for it

From which point of view is the poem told?

• The poem is told entirely from first person

• The poem is told entirely from the second person

• The poem begins in third person but changes to first at the end

• The poem begins in first person but changes to third at the end

Read the line below from the poem. He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play. In the sentence, the word notion probably means:

• Need

• Turn

• Sight

• Clue

The poem is MAINLY about

• a boy who likes to tell funny stories.

• . a boy who teaches his shadow a lesson

• a boy who tells about his shadow.

• a boy who gets up before the sun.

Which word BEST describes the speaker’s shadow?

• playful

• angry

• hopeful

• tricky