Grade 5. Practice Test. The Road Not Taken Birches

Transcription

1 Name Date Grade 5 The Road Not Taken Birches

2 Today you will read two passages. Read these sources carefully to gather information to answer questions and write an essay. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost 1 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 2 And sorry I could not travel both 3 And be one traveler, long I stood 4 And looked down one as far as I could 5 To where it bent in the undergrowth; 6 Then took the other, as just as fair, 7 And having perhaps the better claim, 8 Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 9 Though as for that the passing there bk Had worn them really about the same, bl And both that morning equally lay bm In leaves no step had trodden black. bn Oh, I kept the first for another day! bo Yet knowing how way leads on to way, bp I doubted if I should ever come back. 1 of 10

3 bq I shall be telling this with a sigh br Somewhere ages and ages hence: bs Two roads diverged in a wood, and I bt I took the one less traveled by, ck And that has made all the difference. 1. Part A What does the word diverged in Lines 1 and 18 of The Road Not Taken mean? A ended B forked C ran D zigzagged How does the meaning of the word diverged contribute to the theme of the poem? A It describes ways the two roads are different. B It explains why the narrator was in the woods. C It shows why the narrator had to make a decision. D It tells about the person who is narrating the poem. 2. Part A Which two lines in the first stanza of The Road Not Taken help create the setting? A Two roads diverged in a yellow wood B And sorry I could not travel both C And be one traveler, long I stood D And looked down one as far as I could E To where it bent in the undergrowth Which two lines in the third stanza of The Road Not Taken help create the setting? A And both that morning equally lay. B In leaves no step had trodden black. C Oh, I kept the first for another day! D Yet knowing how way leads on to way, E I doubted if I should ever come back. 3. How does the phrase yellow wood contribute to the setting? A It tells the season. B It tells the time of day. C It describes the two paths. D It describes the lay of the land. 2 of 10

4 4. Part A Which sentence summarizes the narrator s thoughts in The Road Not Taken? A He hates getting lost. B He is proud of his life. C He does not like walking in the woods. D He wishes he could have taken both roads. Which two lines from the poem show evidence of the correct answer to Part A? A Two roads diverged in a yellow wood B And sorry I could not travel both C In leaves no step had trodden black. D Oh, I kept the first for another day! E I took the one less traveled by 5. Part A Which statement is the best summary of the last stanza (lines 16-20)? A The speaker recalls a similar decision in the past. B The speaker thinks this is an important choice that will affect the rest of his life. C The road the speaker took turned out to be much longer than the road not taken. D The roads were probably alike after all. Which detail from the poem supports the correct answer to Part A? A The speaker took a lot of time to make this decision. B The road not taken was not so nice. C The roads were more alike than different. D The speaker was planning to come back and take the other road anyway. 3 of 10

5 Birches by Robert Frost 1 When I see birches bend to left and right 2 Across the lines of straighter darker trees, 3 I like to think some boy s been swinging them. 4 But swinging doesn t bend them down to stay. 5 Ice-storms do that. Often you must have seen them 6 Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning 7 After a rain. They click upon themselves 8 As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored 9 As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. bk Soon the sun s warmth makes them shed crystal shells bl Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust bm Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away bn You d think the inner dome of heaven had fallen. bo They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load, bp And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed bq So low for long, they never right themselves: br You may see their trunks arching in the woods bs Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground bt Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair ck Before them over their heads to dry in the sun. cl But I was going to say when Truth broke in 4 of 10

6 cm With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm cn (Now am I free to be poetical?) co I should prefer to have some boy bend them cp As he went out and in to fetch the cows cq Some boy too far from town to learn baseball, cr Whose only play was what he found himself, cs Summer or winter, and could play alone. ct One by one he subdued his father s trees dk By riding them down over and over again dl Until he took the stiffness out of them, dm And not one but hung limp, not one was left dn For him to conquer. He learned all there was do To learn about not launching out too soon dp And so not carrying the tree away dq Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise dr To the top branches, climbing carefully ds With the same pains you use to fill a cup dt Up to the brim, and even above the brim. ek Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish, el Kicking his way down through the air to the ground. em So was I once myself a swinger of birches. en And so I dream of going back to be. 5 of 10

7 eo It s when I m weary of considerations, ep And life is too much like a pathless wood eq Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs er Broken across it, and one eye is weeping es From a twig s having lashed across it open. et I d like to get away from earth awhile fk And then come back to it and begin over. fl May no fate willfully misunderstand me fm And half grant what I wish and snatch me away fn Not to return. Earth s the right place for love: fo I don t know where it s likely to go better. fp I d like to go by climbing a birch tree, fq And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk fr Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more, fs But dipped its top and set me down again. ft That would be good both going and coming back. gk One could do worse than be a swinger of birches. 6 of 10

8 6. Part A Based on the text, the speaker in Birches is a. A young boy B young girl C grown man D grown woman Which line from the poem shows evidence of the correct answer to Part A? A Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair. B One by one he subdued his father s trees. C So was I once myself a swinger of birches. D But dipped its top and set me down again. 7. Part A Read the following lines, 21 24, from the poem. 21 But I was going to say when Truth broke in 22 With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm 23 (Now am I free to be poetical?) 24 I should prefer to have some boy bend them What is the logical relationship between lines and lines 23-24? A Lines tell the effect of what is described in lines B Lines tell what happened first and lines tell what happened next. C Lines tell a main idea in Birches and lines include supporting evidence. D Lines contrast what really happened with what the speaker wishes happened in lines How does the correct answer to Part A support a theme in Birches? A It shows a sequence of events that leads to bent birches. B It shows how the author contrasts reality and imagination. C It shows how the author uses cause and effect to explain what happens to birch trees. D It shows how the author uses details about birch trees to support a main idea about growing older. 7 of 10

9 8. How does line 42 shift the mood of the poem? A It marks a change in the setting. B It makes the poem more personal. C It changes the tone from happy to thoughtful. D It moves the action from the past to the present. 9. Part A Based on Birches and The Road Not Taken, which is most likely true about Robert Frost? A He lived in the 1700s. B He was an expert on trees. C He spent time in the countryside. D He had many regrets about his life. What is it about both poems that supports the correct answer to Part A? A Both poems seem sad. B Both poems refer to trees. C Both poems sound old-fashioned. D Both poems include images from nature. 8 of 10

10 10. Poets often use figurative language, stanzas, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and other conventions when writing poems. Write a paragraph that compares and contrasts the conventions of poetry Frost uses in The Road Not Taken and Birches. Use examples from both poems to support your ideas. 9 of 10

11 : Answer Sheet 1. Part A 2. Part A E E Part A E 5. Part A 6. Part A 7. Part A Part A 10. Constructed Response 10 of 10