Unit 3 Preview

Which pair of phrases from the poem best reveals that Mike was disappointed about working in Manhattan?

• “The land of opportunity” (line 2) and “The beats of a drummer in a big city parade” (line 12)

• “roads paved with gold” (line 2) and “Trucks, big ones, delivered the menu, soup to nuts” (line 18)

• “Cluttered with cars, buses, and promises” (line 3) and “Food was a bounty, not a delight” (line 24)

• “Arrived in Manhattan, ready to make his mark” (line 7) and “‘Hey, kid, Joe’s wife went into labor early’” (line 37)

What can be inferred from the images described in lines 1–7?

• Mike is living in a chaotic environment.

• Mike is anxious about his journey home.

• Mike is reluctant to leave his small town.

• Mike is excited about his move to the big city.

Which metaphor from lines 1–7 best supports the response to Part A?

• “The call came”

• “Cluttered with cars”

• “frying fish made him a local celeb”

• “ready to make his mark”

Read the excerpt from the poem.

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--Where’s the sense in serving a quick concept
With no heart in the presentation (lines 32–33)----

How does the poet use figurative language to illustrate Mike’s emotion in these lines? Select two ways the poet uses figurative language to illustrate Mike’s emotion in these lines.

• The poet uses symbolism to reveal the love Mike puts into his cooking

• The poet uses irony to emphasize the regret Mike feels about his cooking.

• The poet uses hyperbole to explain that Mike is frustrated about his cooking.

• The poet uses alliteration to describe Mike’s attitude about how quickly he has to cook.

• The poet uses a metaphor to illustrate Mike’s struggle with the type of food preparation he is expected to do.

What figurative language used early in the poem foreshadows a conflict that is developed later in the poem?

• “Where frying fish made him a local celeb” (line 5)

• It was his time to shine like a city star in the skyline.” (line 6)

• “Dinner crowd’s coming; we got fish to fry.” (line 10)

• “Hustle was the lead character on this stage” (line 15)

Which line from the poem indicates a change in how Mike feels about his role at the restaurant?

• “at the sting of his compromised soul” (line 28)

• “Mike’s Big City Culinary Dream began to fade” (line 34)

• “the manager’s voice panicked and shrill” (line 36)

• “a few shivers and onward” (line 39)

A Nebraska Prairie Speaks: Which two lines from the poem best suggest that the narrator feels a personal connection to a group of people from the past?

• “I gaze at these vast, ancient/prairie lands.” (stanza 1)

• “Look here—ask us—/We are part of a story” (stanza 2)

• “Recognizing the thoughts of a now-invisible generation/As my own.” (stanza 3)

• “These determined and courageous people/Who forged a dreamed-of-destiny.” (stanza 5)

• “I touch the same earth,/I see the same sky,” (stanza 6)

Which is the best summary of the poem?

• The Nebraska prairie plays a significant role in the narrator’s past, and she walks around the prairie, reflecting on the memories.

• The wide-open vastness of the prairie grass reminds the narrator of the ocean, and the ocean is a place that has significant meaning to her

• The narrator feels a closeness to the future generations of the people of the Nebraska prairie lands, and she wants them to be successful in life.

• The narrator walks around a Nebraska prairie, viewing relics from the past and contemplating the people who lived there while also thinking about her own future.

What is the author referring to with the metaphor “an ocean of gold and yellow waves” in stanza 1?

• a creek

• sunlight

• tree leaves

• prairie grass

Why does the author use the metaphor in Part A?

• to imitate a sound found in nature

• to give human characteristics to an object

• to compare the prairie grass to a vast ocean

• to enlist the reader’s senses of sight and sound