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Walt Whitman Poetry

Total questions: 13

Worksheet time: 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Whitman’s famous book of poetry that he revised many times over his lifetime is called

(a)  

2.

Define 'free verse'

a)

Poetry with no regular patterns of rhyme or meter

b)

Poetry with regular patterns of rhyme or meter

c)

Poetry written with a precise meter that does not rhyme.

d)

Poetry with three-line stanzas with a 5/7/5 syllable count

e)

Poetry that normally tells a story about a hero or an adventure

3.

Whitman, in addition to free verse, used three other techniques frequently in his writing. Check three of them.

a)

Cataloging

b)

Poeticizing

c)

Repetition

d)

Parallelism

e)

Whitmanizing

4.

The speaker celebrates the differences of Americans in “I Hear America Singing” by describing:

a)

types of workers

b)

cultural traditions

c)

positions in society

d)

work tools

5.

In "I Hear America Singing' lines 2-8, Whitman lists several jobs. What poetic device is he using?

(a)  

6.

Describe the tone of “I Hear America Singing.”

a)

Despondent

b)

Celebratory

c)

Perplexed

d)

Dismissing

e)

Nervous

7.

In “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” the speaker is similar to the spider because he or she:

a)

stands on the promontory

b)

wants to spin a web

c)

is looking for a connection

d)

is launching a filament

8.

Whitman uses a metaphor in “A Noiseless Patient Spider” to compare what two things?

a)

Comparing a spider to a soul

b)

Comparing a spider's web to a net

c)

Comparing a spider's patience to a child's

d)

Comparing a spider's life to a human's

9.

Describe the tone of “A Noiseless Patient Spider.”

a)

The tone is downtrodden and hopeless

b)

The tone is cheerful and optomistic

c)

The tone is wistful and melancholy

d)

The tone is thoughtful and introspective

10.

One message of “Beat! Beat! Drums!” is the:

a)

importance of equality

b)

opportunity for heroic deeds

c)

value of finding truth

d)

need for sacrifice in wartime

11.

Describe the tone of “Beat! Beat! Drums!”

a)

The tone is patriotic and hesitant

b)

The tone is forceful and loud

c)

The tone is concerned and anxious

d)

The tone is strong and critical

12.

What poetic device is Whitman using in the following line: “Would the talkers be talking? Would the singer attempt to sing? Would the lawyer…?”

(a)  

13.

One common element in all three of the above poems is the poet’s attention to the details of:

a)

democracy

b)

everyday life

c)

civil war

d)

young people