Drum Dream Girl Comprehension

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A: Which of the following devices does the author use in the poem to create a drum-like beat in order to emphasize the Drum Dream Girl’s love for music? (Rl2.5)

• Through the use of alliteration

• Through the use of repetition

• Through the use of symbolism

• Through the use of rhyme

Part B: Select at least two lines from the poem that support your answer to Part A.

Your answer choice should demonstrate the author’s use of alliteration. (RL.1.1)

• In a city of drumbeats

• The drum dream girl dreamed

• Of pounding tall conga drums

• Tapping small bongo drums

• And boom boom booming

Select one way in which this figurative language impacts the poem’s meaning. (RL.2.5)

• It gives a hint about how the poem will end.

• It shows that the drum dream girl is good at drumming.

• It shows the sound of the drums and sets a rhythm.

• It suggested that those words work together for an important reason.

What does the third stanza suggest about the island? (RL.2.4)

• Girls on the island are not good at drumming.

• Girls on the island have not been interested in drumming before.

• The people on the island do not want the drum dream girl to drum.

• The people on the island want girls to dance instead of playing instruments.

Select two ways in which the author uses the poem’s structure (stanzas, punctuation, capitalization) to affect the meaning of the poem? (RL.2.5)

• The author doesn’t use a name for the drum dream girl in order to emphasize how important drumming is to her.

• Stanzas 8-12 are only two sentences to help draw the reader through the end of the poem.

• The author uses one period which shows that the reader should stop and pay attention to what is coming next.

• The author uses repetition in stanza nine to emphasize how much the drum dream girl practiced.

• The author uses stanzas to divide sentences in half to confuse the reader.

Part A: How does the author’s description of the Drum Dream girl affect the meaning of the text? Select all that apply.

• The descriptions show that the Drum Dream girl was incredibly passionate about music.

• The descriptions reveal that the Drum Dream girl was pressured to do well by others.

• The descriptions reveal other aspects of the Drum Dream Girl’s personality.

• The descriptions make the reader feel anxious.

• The descriptions create a sad and lonely tone.

Part B: Choose the lines from the poem that best support your answers to Part A.

Correct answers: The author’s descriptions show that the Drum Dream girl was incredibly passionate about music.

The author’s descriptions reveal other aspects of the Drum Dream Girl’s personality.

• She heard the whir of parrot wings//the clack of woodpecker beaks//the dancing tap of her own footsteps//and the comforting pat of her own heartbeat.

• quiet//secret//drumbeat//dreams

• But everyone//on the island//in the city of drumbeats//believed that only boys// should play drums.

• And she practiced//and she practiced//and she practiced.

• And both girls and boys//should feel free//to dream.