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.

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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.

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'".

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

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

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

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

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

• A) Hyperbole

• B) Metaphor

• C) Alliteration

• D) Onomatopoeia

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

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

• A) Nostalgic

• B) Humorous

• C) Melancholic

• D) Angry