Sick

By Shel Silverstein

My elbow is bent, my spine isn’t straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is – what?

What’s that? What’s that you say?

You say today is…Saturday?

G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

Which of the following is true about the poem?

• The poem has repetition and rhyme.

• The poem is a free verse poem.

• The poem has 4 stanzas and 32 lines.

• The poem has 32 stanzas and 4 lines.

Sick By Shel Silverstein

1“I cannot go to school today,”

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

“I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash, and purple bumps.

5 My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I’m going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox

Read line 7. This is an example of a

• theme

• repetition

• metaphor

• simile

My hips hurt when I move my chin,

My belly button is caving in

My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained,

My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb,

have a sliver in my thumb.

On line 17,which word is a synonym for wrenched?

• fixed

• injured

• not painful

• straight

“I cannot go to school today,” Said little Peggy Ann McKay. “I have the measles and the mumps, A gash, a rash, and purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I’m going blind in my right eye. My tonsils are as big as rocks, I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox ... What’s that? What’s that you say? You say today is…Saturday? G’bye, I’m going out to play!” Which line in the poem shows imagery?

• line 30

• line 32

• line 1

• line 7

How is Peggy Ann able to go outside at the END of the poem?

• She asks her parents to let her.

• She gets help from a friend.

• She takes medicine.

• She was never really sick.

The word "numb" in line 19 of the poem most closely means-

• not able to feel

• smelly

• very big

• full of holes

How do lines 31-32 add to the reader's understanding of the poem?

• They help the reader understand why the speaker was acting sick.

• They help the reader figure out who is speaking in the poem.

• They help the reader know where the poem is taking place.

• They help the reader picture what the speaker looks like.

After reading the last stanza, the reader can conclude...

• The speaker does not feel well and needs medicine.

• The speaker was pretending to be sick in order to miss a day of school.

• The speaker is happy to miss a day of school.

• The speaker is starting to feel sick and has to miss school.

Which of the following is true about this poem?

• It has an ABAB rhyme pattern.

• It is a free verse poem.

• The poem has 4 stanzas and 32 lines.

• The poem has 32 stanzas and 4 lines.

What is the meaning of the word 'sick' in the context of the poem 'Sick' by Shel Silverstein?

• A) Literally ill or unwell

• B) Pretending to be ill

• C) Feeling emotionally upset

• D) Being tired or exhausted