Psalm of Life

Who is the speaker in Longfellow's poem " A Psalm of Life"?

• A Narrator

• A Young Man

• A Psalmist

• God

Which of the following statements tells about the lesson we can get from "Psalm of Life"?

• Act as heroes amidst earth's strife.

• Our purpose in life is to be happy.

• People's goal is to live happily before they die.

• Wait for the perfect timing.

In the first sentence, who is the narrator speaking to when he remarks, “Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream!”?

• Psalmist

• His friend

• His uncle

• No one

Answer explanation

The answer choice, Psalmist, is correct because the other choices are either too specific or completely false such as "No One." The title, "The Psalm of Life," hints that a psalmist would be the one who would be reading this poem.

In stanza one, the line “For the soul is dead that slumbers” refers to

• People who lie in their beds for too long

• People who do too much with their spare time

• People who do too little and are in a “sleep-like state”

• People who live life to the fullest

Answer explanation

“For the soul is dead that slumbers,” we can eliminate the 2nd and 4th answer choice. The 1st choice, "People who lie in their beds for too long" could be a plausible answer, however. the rest of the stanza addresses life in general, not lying in bed. So, "People who do too little and are in a 'sleep-like state'” is a more general answer for people still living life, but doing too little, which makes the most sense in Stanza 1.

In stanza 3, the line “But to act, that each to-morrow/ Find us father than to-day” best reflects the theme of action and growth as being defining concepts to live one’s life.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

“But to act, that each to-morrow/ Find us father than to-day” does in fact show the theme in a brief statement of action and growth being primary components to live one's life because it is basically saying that one must act to progress farther and farther each day.

Who does the narrator reference in stanza 7 that should be an inspiration to us?

• Great men

• Shipwrecked brother

• The soul

• The readers

Answer explanation

"Great men" is the correct answer because 1) it establishes relevancy between human relationships, and 2) the other answer choices are not in Stanza 7.

Who is the speaker in Longfellow's poem " A Psalm of Life"?

• A Narrator

• A Psalmist

• A Young Man

• God

Which of the following statements tells about the lesson we can get from "Psalm of Life"?

• Act as heroes amidst earth's strife.

• People's goal is to live happily before they die.

• Our purpose in life is to be happy.

• Wait for the perfect timing.

Which statement expresses the THEME of the poem?

• It is important to make the most of your life and live and be present.

• People can improve their lives by planning ahead.

• The most fulfilling life is the life of an artist.

• The fear of death can often distract people from living their best life.

Which detail from the text best supports the answer to the previous question about theme?

• "art is long, and time is fleeting" Lines 13-14

• "Act,- act in the living present!/ Heart within..." Lines 23-24

• "a forlorn and shipwreck.." Line 31

• "seeing, shall take the heart again" Line 32