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Poetry Unit Review (All Poems)

Total questions: 42

Worksheet time: 42mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which statement best explains the metaphorical meaning of blue skin in the poem "Masks"?

a)

In the poem, only two people in the whole world have blue skin, which means that they must be soulmates.

b)

In the poem, blue skin is such a common trait that people must wear masks in order to appear unique.

c)

In the poem, blue skin represents a quality that people are afraid to share even though it is an important part of their identity.

d)

In the poem, blue skin is prohibited and they will be punished if they reveal their true skin color.

2.

How does the illustration contribute to the meaning of the poem?

a)

The size of the masks in the illustration emphasizes how hard people try to hide their true selves.

b)

The simplicity of the drawing shows that being your true self is easy to do.

c)

The masks facing opposite directions in the illustration show that lying will get you nowhere.

d)

The different hairstyles in the drawing show that just because two people have blue skin doesn’t mean they are alike in every way. The different hairstyles in the drawing show that just because two people have blue skin doesn’t mean they are alike in every way.

3.

Masks: What is the genre of the text?

a)

prose

b)

historical fiction

c)

science fiction

d)

poetry

4.

Masks: How many stanzas?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

5.

Masks: How many lines?

a)

6

b)

7

c)

8

d)

9

6.

Masks: You can infer that if they had removed their masks....

a)

they would be in trouble

b)

they would get in a fight

c)

they would be happy to find one another

d)

they would have no interest in one another

7.

Masks: What are possible themes? Pick 2.

a)

Be yourself and you will meet people like you

b)

Protect yourself from new people, you don't know them well enough to trust

c)

Many people appear one way on the surface, however, their true identity may be different when you really get to know them.

d)

We all should have "masks" that help conceal our true identities.

8.

Masks: What is the author' purpose?

a)

to entertain

b)

to persuade

c)

to inform

d)

to give instructions

9.

The Rose: What is surprising about the rose?

a)

It could move itself around.

b)

It grew in an unlikely place.

c)

It became a human.

d)

It was very beautiful.

10.

How did the rose grow from concrete?

a)

It was taught how to survive.

b)

It was lucky.

c)

It adapted to the environment.

d)

It didn't give up.

11.

Part A: Which of the following identifies a main theme of the text?

a)

All living things need support from others in order to grow.

b)

We must learn and grow from our failures.

c)

People can overcome difficulties and succeed.

d)

Nature can overcome problems better than people.

12.

Part B: Which detail from the poem best supports your answer to part A?

a)

“Did u hear about the rose that grew” ( Lines 1)

b)

“learned 2 walk without having feet” ( Lines 3-4)

c)

“Long live the rose that grew from concrete” ( Line 7)

d)

“when no one else even cared!” ( Line 8)

13.

How does the speaker's point of view influence how the rose is described?

a)

Curious about the rose, the speaker asks several questions about it.

b)

Believing that the rose is not real, the speaker exaggerates its qualities.

c)

Feeling pity for the rose, the speaker lists all of the hardships it has faced.

d)

Impressed by the rose, the speaker explains what makes it so admirable.

14.

To a Daughter Leaving Home: Part A: How does the poet use a simile in lines 15-24?

a)

The poet compares her daughter growing to her being breakable.

b)

The poet compares her daughter's hair to a handkerchief waving goodbye using the word "like".

c)

The poet uses the multiple sounds of the letter P from line 18.

d)

The poet compares her daughter's life to screaming with laughter.

15.

Part B: Which line from the poem supports the answer to Part A?

a)

"as you wobbled away on two round wheels"

b)

"pumping, pumping for your life, screaming with laughter"

c)

"the hair flapping behind you like a handkerchief waving goodbye."

d)

"while you grew smaller, more breakable with distance"

16.

Which literary device does the author use in lines 23 and 34?

a)

personification

b)

metaphor

c)

simile

d)

alliteration

17.

Part B: How do these lines contribute to the development of the poem?

a)

It shows that the handkerchief is blowing around in the wind.

b)

It shows that the handkerchief is waving goodbye.

c)

It shows that the handkerchief is screaming at the daughter.

d)

It shows that the girl is delighted.

18.

Which idea about life does the speaker convey in lines 5-10?

a)

Be able to take life one step at a time.

b)

You should learn how to ride a bicycle.

c)

You never know what someone is capable of.

d)

Riding bicycles make people surprised.

19.

Identity: The use of the words “guarded,” “harnessed,” “clusters,” and "greedy” all indicate that the speaker's tone towards the people referred to as “them” (flowers) in the poem is

a)

Admiration

b)

Jealousy

c)

Annoyance

d)

Dislike

20.

Identify the figurative language in the following line:

"Let them be as flowers"

a)

Simile

b)

Metaphor

c)

Hyperbole

21.

What does the speaker desire in the lines:

"...To have broken through the surface of stone,

to live, to feel exposed to the madness

of the vast eternal sky."

a)

Power to defeat his/her rivals

b)

A life free from social and work responsibilities

c)

Freedom to live life as he/she chooses

d)

Freedom to travel to exotic locations

22.

What does "breaking through stone" in line 7 prove about the speaker?

a)

He/she is destructive

b)

He/she is stubborn

c)

He/she is admired

d)

He/she is determined

23.

Which term best expresses the meaning of the word “seed” as used in the line

"To be swayed by the breezes of an ancient sea,

carrying my soul, my seed, beyond the mountains.."

a)

Body

b)

Scent

c)

Spirit

24.

The overall mood of this poem is

a)

Content

b)

Freeing

c)

Sorrowful

d)

Pessimistic

25.

What effect does the poet achieve by repeating the phrase “I’d rather”?

a)

Rhyme

b)

Thorough explanation of the poem’s title

c)

Reinforcement of the speaker’s personal desire

26.

The author's message in the poem is most likely...

a)

To be beautiful and admired should be a major goal in life.

b)

Beauty and comfort are meaningless without freedom and individuality.

c)

Breaking free from the everyday routine of life will drive a person crazy.

d)

People need to stand up and do what is right by helping to protect the environment

27.

I Ask My Mother to Sing: Which of the following identifies a theme of the poem?

a)

Remembering family history can be both happy and sad.

b)

Leave the past in the past.

c)

Everyone should know their family's history.

d)

You must face the past or you'll never move on.

28.

How do lines 5-9 contribute to the development of the theme of the poem? RL.5

a)

They prove how beautiful and exciting Beijing is.

b)

They show that the speaker wishes he had experienced China.

c)

They describe how impressive the Summer Palace is.

d)

They show much the narrator misses Beijing.

29.

In line 11, the phrase “spilling water into water” describes

a)

the mirroring effect of water in a lake.

b)

raindrops falling into waterlilies.

c)

water pouring from a waterlily into a lake.

d)

raindrops falling into a lake.

30.

Why might the father “play his accordion and sway like a boat?”

a)

the song gives him hope for the future

b)

the song reminds him of tragic events in the past

c)

he misses his family

d)

the song reminds him of fond memories

31.

What is the purpose of lines 10-13?

a)

to introduce a new character

b)

to emphasize the importance of water to his family

c)

to describe an image from the song

d)

to describe what the speaker is seeing

32.

Which of the following details supports a tone of nostalgia (remembering) in the poem?

a)

the mother and daughter sang like young girls

b)

waterlilies filled with rain

c)

the picnickers ran away

d)

the poet begins to cry

33.

What is most likely the reason why the speaker asks his mother to sing?

a)

because he likes his mother’s voice

b)

because he can’t sing himself

c)

because he likes to hear about China

d)

because his father isn’t alive anymore

34.

The most likely reason that the women begin to cry as they sing their song is that

a)

they are touched by their memories of China.

b)

they are scared by what might happen next.

c)

they remember a terrifying event in Peking.

d)

they don’t want the song to end.

35.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers: How does the repeating structure of this stanza (I + verb) contribute to the meaning of the poem?

a)

By connecting the speaker to historical rivers

b)

By describing how rivers have changed over time

c)

By showing why the rivers can cause people to dream

d)

By explaining why the speaker has abandoned the rivers

36.

What does the phrase when dawns were young in line 5 most likely suggest?

a)

The earth was still new.

b)

The days did not last as long.

c)

The speaker was a child then.

d)

The speaker can barely remember.

37.

Reread the line from the poem below:

“I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.”

What is the meaning of lulled as it is used here?

a)

Calmed

b)

Tricked

c)

Frightened

d)

Defended

38.

Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1864, abolishing slavery in the United States. How does the allusion to Lincoln in these lines contribute to their meaning?

a)

By explaining how the river was discovered

b)

By explaining the pain that the river has caused

c)

By explaining the best time of day to visit the river

d)

By explaining why the river has become a site of celebration

39.

What is a theme of the poem?

a)

History can be changed.

b)

Nature presents unique dangers.

c)

Travel can inspire with new ideas.

d)

People are connected to the past.

40.

How does the poet develop this theme?

a)

By warning about the force of different rivers

b)

By connecting humanity and rivers to different periods of time

c)

By describing different trips one can take around the world

d)

By arguing for a different understanding of historical events

41.

The speaker feels a deep connection to...

a)

the future

b)

the rivers

c)

the ancient cities

d)

the earth

42.

Another theme of this poem is...

a)

the past can only drag us down

b)

we are connected through our heritage, culture, and ancestors

c)

getting older makes you think of rivers

d)

our past is more important than our future