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Worksheets“Sunday Morning Early” and “I wish I was a Poet”
Total questions: 17
Worksheet time: 51mins
22. Which words best help the reader understand the meaning of the word russet in line 8
F blue-black water
G boats, grasses
H gold, sunburnt
J empty blue sky
23. Read the following lines from the poem.
I say, “It’s Sunday, and here we are in the church of the out-of-doors.”
By using this analogy, the poet emphasizes —
A the speaker’s authority as a parent
B the importance of spending time with family
C the speaker’s emotional vulnerability
D the sacredness of nature
24. Read these lines from the poem.
A clap of thunder beyond those hills. How well sound travels over water. . . .
The poet uses these lines to emphasize the importance of —
F truth
G listening
H power
J imagination
25. Which line best explains why the speaker begins to speak at the end of the poem but then stops?
A A clap of thunder beyond those hills.
B it hits me that my daughter is a young woman,
C the russet and gold of late summer’s sunburnt grasses,
D That’s the trick in life—learning to leave well enough alone.
26. What does the poet mean by the lines “suddenly everything is a metaphor for how/short a time we are granted on earth”?
F Nature often serves as a reminder that time does not stand still.
G Time passes differently for different people.
H The future represents uncertainty.
J Ordinary occurrences in nature cannot always be described.
27. What is the most likely reason the poet ends the first stanza after line 13?
A To emphasize the poem’s central message
B To indicate a change in the poem’s setting
C To introduce new details about the poem’s speaker
D To highlight a shift in point of view
28. What is the primary purpose of paragraphs 1 and 11?
F To show how the narrator’s viewpoint changes
G To frame the story with the narrator’s primary conflict
H To contrast the narrator’s opinion with Marge’s opinion
J To highlight the resolution of the narrator’s conflict
29. In paragraph 6, what is the effect of the author’s use of figurative language?
A It highlights the old couple’s naiveté.
B It reveals the clerk’s confusion.
C It shows how reluctant the old man is to pay.
D It emphasizes the tension of the scene.
30. Which sentence best supports the idea that the old couple is still in love after many years?
F No, they were white, and you’ve never seen such a couple in your life—a man and his wife, and they must have been in their seventies.
G Marge, he was lookin’ at her like every woman on earth dreams of bein’ looked at, and her eyes were doin’ the same thing back at him.
H They started over toward the elevator and then the old lady turned away from the man and made her way over to the receptionist’s desk.
J The couple smiled in such a dignified way, and it seemed like they hadn’t noticed a thing.
31. The narrator faces a major conflict over how to —
A capture the beauty and essence of the story she is relating
B communicate effectively with Marge
C succeed in becoming a writer
D find happiness like that shared by the old couple
32. By having the narrator tell the story to Marge, the author allows the reader to function as —
F a firsthand witness
G a second storyteller
H a third-party observer
J an informed participant
33. The author uses ellipses primarily to —
A give the story a conversational tone
B make the reader think that the story will have an unexpected ending
C indicate that the narrator is judgmental
D imply that the reader should act as a participant in the events of the story
34. Which quotation from “I Wish I Was a Poet” best reflects the speaker’s overall experience in “Sunday Morning Early”?
F They were raggedy and kinda beat.
G Everyone kept their eyes dead on her, and the receptionist, who was awfully young and pretty, was almost scared out of her wits.
H Yes, I dropped by to see her last night. . . .
J Sometimes there are poetry things that I see and I’d like to tell people about them in a poetry way. . . .
35. Which two actions in the selections have a similar meaning?
A Paddling identical kayaks in “Sunday Morning Early” and staying at a downtown hotel in “I Wish I Was a Poet”
B Hearing the chirring of grasshoppers in “Sunday Morning Early” and taking out the crumpled dollar bills in “I Wish I Was a Poet”
C Listening to the stillness in “Sunday Morning Early” and smelling the roses in “I Wish I Was a Poet”
D Leaning out of the boat in “Sunday Morning Early” and stringing the beans in “I Wish I Was a Poet”
36. What is one difference between the speaker of “Sunday Morning Early” and the narrator of “I Wish I Was a Poet”?
F The speaker wishes to remain quiet, while the narrator wishes to tell a story.
G The speaker tries to communicate with the daughter, while the narrator tries to exclude Marge.
H The speaker enjoys being in nature, while the narrator enjoys being indoors.
J The speaker has a pessimistic outlook, while the narrator has an optimistic one.
37. The mood of both selections is —
A depressing
B bittersweet
C frightening
D carefree
38 What do the daughter in “Sunday Morning Early” and Marge in “I Wish I Was a Poet” have in common?
F They share the same point of view.
G Neither listens to what is being said.
H They share a passion for bold adventures.
J Neither has a line of dialogue.
