For My People / Incident

About whom is the poem "For My People" written?

• It is written about all immigrants.

• It is written about African Americans.

• It is written about Hispanic immigrants.

• It is written about all American citizens.

What feelings does the speaker express at the end of "For My People"?

• The speaker expresses relief and joy.

• The speaker expresses anger and hate.

• The speaker expresses militancy and hope.

• The speaker expresses love and forgiveness.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

In "Incident," what is the speaker remembering?

• neighbors gathering to celebrate Christmas Eve

• a very bad dream the speaker once had

• the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross on the lawn

• a hurricane striking the neighborhood

After telling the story, why does the speaker in "Incident" say "nothing really happened"?

• The men put out the fire; the house was not in danger from the fire.

• The men did not physically hurt anyone; they burned the cross and went away.

• The men looked at the cross and left; they did not cause any damage.

• The men were having a celebration; they did not mean to frighten anyone.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

In "Incident," what did the speaker's family do when the men dressed in white came? Choose two options.

• They went to a neighbor's house.

• They darkened their rooms and lit lamps.

• They ignored the men on the lawn.

• They called the police to come.

• They watched from behind drawn shades.

In which situation is someone most likely to be bewildered?

• when the person is not sure what is happening

• when the person is too frightened to take action

• when the person is determined to do something

• when the person knows that nothing can be done

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

If someone is blundering about in the dark, what is happening?

• The person is walking slowly but confidently.

• The person is standing still and refusing to move.

• The person is moving about blindly and with uncertainty.

• The person is calmly waiting for the light to come back on.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

In which case is someone most likely to start trembling?

• Friends are planning a picnic.

• The temperature is becoming hot.

• Something very scary is happening.

• The sun has come out from behind the clouds.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

Why did Margaret Walker most likely write the poem "For My People"?

• She wrote the poem to celebrate the complex lives and potential of African Americans.

• She wrote the poem to justify the joy in the lives of African Americans.

• She wrote the poem to mourn the tragic lives of everyday African Americans.

• She wrote the poem to explain the origin of the blues and other songs of African Americans.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Read this last stanza from "Incident." When they were done, the men left quietly. No one came. Nothing really happened. By morning all the flames had dimmed. We tell the story every year. If nothing happened, why does the speaker's family tell the story every year?

• It was the closest that the speaker ever came to witnessing something scary.

• It was a very unusual event in their otherwise peaceful community.

• It happened during the speaker's childhood, and childhood events stay with us forever.

• It frightened the family very much at the time, and the fear remains a part of them.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.2