Caged Bird by Maya Angelou

From the caged bird's point of view, what does the world outside the cage represent?

• spring

• freedom

• happiness

• death

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

According to the speaker in “Sympathy,” how does the caged bird feel?

• bright, happy, perfumed

• alarmed, shamed, fearful

• constrained, oppressed, imprisoned

• faint, clinging, ill

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Which of the following BEST explains the title “Sympathy”?

• The speaker feels bad for the caged bird because of its injuries.

• The speaker also shares the caged bird’s desire for freedom.

• The speaker is critical of the caged bird’s reasons for singing.

• The speaker admires the caged bird’s courage.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

"But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, " what prayer do you think the bird is saying?

• asking for forgiveness

• asking for liberation

• asking for a life in the cage

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

"Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;" Why has the bars turned red? Explain in your own words.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

"they pulse again with a keener sting—

I know why he beats his wing!" these lines in the poem “Sympathy” suggest that...

• the bird is so crippled it will never be able to enjoy freedom.

• the bird has not given up hope despite a lifetime of captivity.

• as the bird gets older, its desire for freedom increases.

• the bird could enjoy its captivity if only it would stop fighting.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, And the river flows like a stream of glass, what does these lines refer to?

• the imaginary land of the bird

• the outside world is beautiful and allows freedom

• the world of the cage saves the bird from being attacked

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Caged Bird: Caged Bird conveys

• birds of different forms and behaviour

• a free bird that soars through the sky

• the frustration and suffering of those who are oppressed

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Caged Bird: Why do the caged bird "stalks" his prison in Stanza 2?

• because he is trapped not by simple cage bars, but "bars of rage

• because finds it difficult to see out from inside his cage

• because he is surrounded by constant reminders of his narrow and oppressive life

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Caged Bird: The caged bird is a symbol of

• the freedom of the people

• the plight of Black American people

• the desire of the Black American people

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9