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The Drought

Total questions: 10

Worksheet time: 5mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In line 4, why is the subject of the poem trying to "muster some color in his face?"

a)

He has gone pale because he is upset at what he is seeing in his fields

b)

He is trying to get a tan

c)

He is trying to put on a smile

d)

He is referring to the face of the fields

2.

What does the word "salvage" mean in line 5?

a)

to separate

b)

to locate or find

c)

to abandon or leave

d)

to save

3.

In line 8, the personification is used to express...

a)

the idea that as time passes, the farmer will move on to another place

b)

the idea that time is an enemy

c)

the idea that as time passes, the rain will return.

d)

the idea that time passes but everything remains the same

4.

In line 10, what does the poet mean by "twenty acre grave"

a)

he will die on the farm and be buried with his family

b)

He is referring to his field as a grave because he is leaving

c)

His fields have become a grave because everything is dead

d)

He is tending to the headstones in a graveyard.

5.

In line 14, what is the man doing?

a)

praying

b)

thinking about all of the regrets he has from being a farmer

c)

comparing his fields to a broken bone

d)

running his hands through the dirt to look for any signs of life or growth

6.

Which evidence from the text expresses a feeling of loss?

a)

"that looks for breath inside the broken lands" (line 14)

b)

"and see what he can salvage from the dust." (line 5)

c)

"the season's bitterness has starved his grain." (line 6)

d)

"he stops to sift the dusty earth in hands" (line 13)

7.

Which of the following is a them of the poem?

a)

Even though life brings seasons of loss and disappointment, time brings about new growth and positive change.

b)

When a person reaches a state of desperation, hope cannot exist.

c)

Hard work always brings about a positive result

d)

Never underestimate the power of friendship

8.

In line 6, the personification explains that...

a)

the crops have been lost because of insects

b)

the farmer has been unable to work in the fields, so his crops have not grown

c)

the man has lost all of his life savings because of the conditions

d)

the season has brought no rain, which has killed the crops

9.

Which line suggests that the man is not giving up?

a)

"At dusk, he moves among the dying plains"

b)

"muster up some color in his face"

c)

"that, often times, there's something left to save"

d)

"so now he wanders through the field he's turned"

10.

What does the word "sift" mean in line 13?

a)

to pour out

b)

to examine closely

c)

to throw away

d)

to join together