Worksheets"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"
Total questions: 8
Worksheet time: 4mins
How does the repeating structure of the lines in the first stanza contribute to the meaning of the poem?
By connecting the speaker to historical rivers
By describing how rivers have changed over time
By showing why the rivers can cause people to dream
By explaining why the speaker has abandoned the rivers
What does the phrase when dawns were young in line 5 most likely indicate about the time period being discussed?
The earth was still new.
The days did not last as long.
The speaker was a child then.
The speaker can barely remember.
Reread the line from the poem below and answer the question that follows:
“I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.”
What is the meaning of lulled as it appears in the text?
Calmed
Tricked
Frightened
Defended
Reread these lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
Part A
What is the connotation of muddy?
Negative
Positive
Neutral
How does the phrase turn all golden relate to the word muddy?
It shows the destruction by fire of nature’s beauty.
It shows the transformation to something beautiful.
It shows how both the earth and the sun are ruined.
It shows how both the earth and the sun are celebrated.
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1864, freeing the slaves in the United States. How does the allusion to Lincoln in these lines contribute to their meaning?
By explaining how the river was discovered
By explaining the pain that the river has caused
By explaining the best time of day to visit the river
By explaining why the river has become a site of celebration
What is a theme of the poem?
History can be changed.
. Nature presents unique dangers.
Travel can inspire with new ideas.
People are connected to their pasts.
How does the poet develop this theme?
By warning about the force of different rivers
By connecting black people to different periods of time
By describing different trips one can take around the world
By arguing for a different understanding of historical events
