Worksheets"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden
Total questions: 23
Worksheet time: 55mins
"Those Winter Sundays" is a poem by (a) .
Written from an _____________ perspective, the poem sees the speaker reflecting on the parenting style of his father.
teenager
child
adult
none of the above
On Sundays (traditionally a day of rest), the father is always the __________ to rise.
first
last
On these harsh winter mornings, he gets up early even though he is tired from his week of hard work outside to ______________________.
go to work.
wake up everyone in order to get all the household chores done.
light a fire and bring warmth to the house.
The poem showcases _______________ acts that the father performs for his son.
selfish
selfless
pitiful
regretful
"lonely offices"- in this, 'offices' refers to-
parental duties
place of work
regretful behaviour of the son
regretful behaviour of the father
The poem talks about ____________________ relationship.
mother-son
mother-daughter
father-son
father-daughter
The speaker regrets his ______________ behaviour towards his father.
indifferent
loving
selfless
possessive
"blueblack cold" is trying to convey that-
his skin was blue in colour.
it was extremely cold.
his father used to beat him up.
the sky is blueblack in colour.
Of the following words, which is the best choice for the poem's tone?
carefree
optimistic
self righteous
regretful
I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call
and slowly I would rise and dress
fearing the chronic angers of that house
What is the tone of the lines?
Happy
Warm
Apprehensive
Angry
Which of the following would be MOST LIKELY to be PART of the theme of this poem?
Friendship
Love and regret
Death
Architecture
Based upon what you can infer from the poem, what was the father’s occupation?
Business Professional
Medical Doctor
Physical Laborer
Prisoner in Jail
Choose the correct statement. (Only one of these is directly supported by the poem.)
The weather was quite warm outside the house.
There were many children in the family.
The poet acknowledged the sacrifices of his father when he, himself , grew up.
The poem was given as a birthday gift to the poet's father.
What was the poet’s attitude towards his father in his childhood?
Thankfulness
Indifference
Fearfulness
Sympathy
What does the line ‘chronic angers of the house’ suggest?
The house was on fire.
No one ever got angry with anyone else.
Occasionally, the family members got angry at each other, but they worked it out.
The people in the house fought constantly.
How does the father show his love?
In an extravagant manner
In a simple way, mostly through little actions
Which pairs of words describe the sounds of the fire?
blanked/blaze
splintering/breaking
blueblack/cold
Sundays/shoes
austere/lonely
The phrase "lonely offices," as it is used in line 14, means
unappreciated duties
dreaded chores
silent rooms
empty hearts
unloved parent
The poet's diction in the last two lines of the poem identifies the father as one who
was cruel and detached
performs his responsibilities with love
is unaware of the pain he is causing
looks toward future rewards
is frivolous and elusive
When you consider the poem as a whole, an idea that emerges is
understanding where there was indifference
fear where there was love
resentment where there was embracing
pity where there was appreciation
contempt where there was respect
The diction in the closing two lines of the poem suggests that the speaker
knows his mother was unhappy
realizes that he was right to resent his father
has a belated feeling of acknowledging his father's love
resents everything his father did for him when the speaker was a child
was aware of his father's feelings toward him
