Billy Collins

Think about the poem- do you think Billy Collins likes when students pick apart a poem to try to figure out what it means? Explain your answer using an evidence from the poem.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

In stanza 2, Collins asks the reader of a poem to "press an ear against its hive." A hive is where bees live and make honey and wax. So if that metaphor compares a poem to a hive, what similarity (a sameness) is Collins wanting us to see?

• the noisiness of bees and the noise in a poem.

• the work of bees making honey and the work of a poet writing a poem.

• the action and sounds in a hive and the action and sounds in a poem.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.7

Choose the correct punctuation

• Do you know Billy Collins's poem "On Turning Ten," she asked.

• "Do you know Billy Collins's poem On Turning Ten", she asked.

• "Do you know Billy Collins's poem 'On Turning Ten'?" she asked.

• She asked if "you know Billy Collin's poem 'On Turning Ten'".

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Read the following line: "I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out." Thinking from the speaker's perspective, a mouse could be symbolic for--

• a house infested with diseased rodents

• a difficult maze

• the speaker

• a concept or an idea working its way to the forefront

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Read the following stanza:

"I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore."

The speaker most likely intends for his audience to take note of the author because--

• the reader should quickly scan the poem one time before beginning to paraphrase it

• the reader should slowly skim the poem to unpack the figurative language embedded in each line

• if the reader recalls and understands the author's background, it may shed light on the poem's meaning

• everything in a poem is subject to being tested

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

What is a common theme in Billy Collins' poetry?

• A) The complexity of human emotions

• B) The simplicity of everyday life

• C) The intricacies of political systems

• D) The mysteries of the universe

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

In Billy Collins' poem 'Introduction to Poetry,' what does the speaker want the reader to do with a poem?

• A) Analyze it line by line

• B) Memorize it

• C) Experience it playfully

• D) Ignore it

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

Which literary device is frequently used by Billy Collins in his poetry?

• A) Hyperbole

• B) Metaphor

• C) Alliteration

• D) Onomatopoeia

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

In the poem 'The Lanyard,' what does the lanyard symbolize?

• A) A simple gift

• B) A complex relationship

• C) A forgotten memory

• D) A childhood dream

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

What is the tone of Billy Collins' poem 'Forgetfulness'?

• A) Nostalgic

• B) Humorous

• C) Melancholic

• D) Angry

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5