Why the Caged Bird Sings

What does the caged bird represent?

• African Americans

• a bird in a cage... dah!

• White Americans

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What is this poem mainly about?

• love and happiness

• the pains and struggles of African Americans

• the importance of music and singing

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The poem alternates between describing the free bird and the caged bird. This structure emphasizes

• how similar freedom and slavery are

• the contrast of being free and being confined

• why birds should be free

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Which line of the poem shows that the caged bird has never been free?

• “his wings are clipped and / his feet are tied / so he opens his throat to sing.” (lines 12–14)

• “his tune is heard / on the distant hill / for the caged bird / sings for freedom.” (lines 19–22)

• “The caged bird sings / with a fearful trill / of things unknown / but longed for still” (lines 31–34)

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Even though none of us will live during the time of racial segregation in the American South, we can gain a ____ understanding of this experience by reading books such as "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

• stance

• affable

• inscrutable

• vicarious

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How does the poet relate himself to the caged bird?

• The poet relates himself to the caged bird as someone who enjoys being confined and restricted.

• The poet relates himself to the caged bird as someone who is indifferent to the pain of being confined and restricted.

• The poet relates himself to the caged bird as someone who is jealous of the freedom of the caged bird.

• The poet relates himself to the caged bird as someone who understands the pain of being confined and restricted.

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What is the main theme of the poem?

• Love and relationships

• Nature and the environment

• Freedom and oppression

• Art and creativity

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What does the caged bird’s singing reveal about him?

• he is using the only way of resistance left for him

• he loves singing

• he is better at singing than the free bird

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Read these lines from the poem. But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage What do these lines reveal about the caged bird?

• the caged bird is satisfied with his condition

• the caged bird is angry at his condition

• the caged bird has problems flying

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What do the rhyming words rage and cage in stanza 2 emphasize?

• the anger that can accompany a lack of freedom

• the sadness that can accompany a lack of freedom

• that it is possible to feel free even in a cage

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