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Worksheets

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Cage

a)

A box

b)

an enclosure made or wire or metal bars in which birds or animals are kept

c)

A measuring device

2.

Rancor

a)

challenging task

b)

difficult

c)

extreme hatred or ill will

3.

Thoughtful

a)

considerate

b)

not thinking

c)

likes to read

4.

Sparse

a)

quiet

b)

meager, scant; scattered

c)

caged

5.

Rage

a)

response

b)

shaking

c)

violent anger

6.

Sigh

a)

to lift up

b)

to let out one's breath audibly, as from sorrow, weariness, or relief.

c)

sing

7.

Unknown

a)

not known

b)

confusing

c)

understood

8.

Nightmare

a)

a good dream

b)

stars at night

c)

bad dream

9.

Disdain

a)

to look upon with scorn; to refuse scornfully; (n.) a feeling of contempt

b)

to consider

c)

to support fully and completely

10.

What is this poem mainly about?

a)

Freedom and slavery

b)

The lives of birds

c)

Joy and singing

d)

The dreams of birds

11.

Why does the caged bird sing?

a)

It wants to challenge the free bird

b)

It has to make others feel good

c)

It wants to entertain people

d)

It has only one way to express itself

12.

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

a)

He is terribly unhappy.

b)

He prefers to sing rather than to fly.

c)

He does not know how to sing.

d)

Singing is the only way he can talk to other birds.

13.

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

a)

the contrast between being free and confined.

b)

the similarity between the experiences of being free and confined.

c)

the complicated struggle of being free.

d)

the caged bird and free bird are the same species.

14.

According to the poem, the free bird can best be described as

a)

Hungry

b)

Content

c)

Cautious

d)

Thoughtful

15.

The caged bird can be interpreted as a metaphor expressing the importance of

a)

acceptance

b)

helping others

c)

protecting birds

d)

freedom for all

16.

Which words provide a negative connotation?

a)

floats dips claims

b)

shouts sings freedom

c)

clipped stalks rage

d)

worms trill tune

17.

In stanza 2, the only rhyming words are ____________ and _________.

a)

stalks and through

b)

sing and tied

c)

rage and cage

d)

bird and bird

18.

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

a)

the anger that can accompany a lack of freedom

b)

the sadness that can accompany a lack of freedom

c)

that it is possible to feel free even in a cage

d)

that the caged bird cannot sing

19.

What does the caged bird represent?

a)

oppression of African American people

b)

The fight for women's rights

c)

Maya Angelou's loneliness

20.

Used in Stanza 3 the word trill most likely means

a)

that the caged bird cannot sing

b)

A peaceful song

c)

trembling song made by a bird or insect