Name P Reading Poetry Practice Read each poem carefully, twice. Then read each question. Select the BEST answer for each question by circling the letter of your choice. Look back into the poem to check your answers. Grandma Ling by Amy Ling 1 If you dig that hole deep enough, 2 you ll reach China, they used to tell me, 3 a child in the back yard in Pennsylvania. 4 Not strong enough to dig that hole, 5 I waited twenty years, 6 then sailed back, halfway around the world. 7 In Taiwan I first met Grandma. 8 Before she came to view I heard 9 her slippered feet softly measure 10 the tatami floor with even step; 11 the aqua paper-covered door slid open 12 and there I faced 13 my five foot height, high cheeks and wide-set eyes; 14 my image stood before me, 15 acted on by 50 years. 16 She smiled, stretched her arms 17 to take to heart the eldest daughter 18 of her youngest son a quarter century away. 19 she spoke in a tongue I knew no word of, 20 and I was sad and could not understand, 21 but I could hug her. QUESTIONS: 1. The speaker of this poem grew up in a. China b. Pennsylvania c. Taiwan d. Hong Kong
2. Which one of the following sentences does NOT describe both the speaker and her grandmother? a. They are both the same height. b. They both have wide-set eyes. c. They are both excited about their reunion. d. They both speak Chinese. 3. The speaker is unable to understand her grandmother because her grandmother a. speaks only English b. speaks too rapidly c. speaks with an accent d. speaks only Chinese 4. The speaker and her grandmother first meet a. during the speaker s trip to Taiwan b. when the speaker was an infant c. during the grandmother s visit to the United States d. when the speaker s father takes her to China 5. The speaker and her grandmother a. have a long conversation in English b. have nothing to say to one another c. communicate their feelings through a hug d. speak through an interpreter 6. Which of the following examples of sight imagery uses color to describe? a. The speaker is not strong enough to dig that hole. b. Her grandmother s slippered feet softly measured. c. The aqua paper-covered door slid open. d. The grandmother has a square forehead. 7. Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to a. the sense of sight b. any or all of the senses c. one s sense of curiosity d. the sense of touch
8. One possible theme or universal message that this poem expresses is a. You can show another person that you love them. You do not only have to tell them. b. Going half way around the world to meet family is scary, so don t do it. c. Nothing can be gained from meeting relatives who do not speak your language. d. Don t expect to know how a person feels if they do not speak your language. 9. In lines 14-15 the speaker said, my image stood before me/acted on by 50 years. What did the speaker mean by this? a. Grandma was holding a picture of the speaker. b. Grandma looks a lot like the speaker, only older looking. c. The speaker was looking into a shiny mirror. d. Grandma had a welcome sign hanging in the doorway. 10. The tone of this poem is most likely, and causes the reader to feel (mood)? a. angry/frustrated b. humorous/silly c. respectful/hopeful 11. This poem describes the speaker s first meeting with her grandmother. This is the meaning of the poem. a. literal meaning b. figurative meaning c. personal meaning 12. This poem suggests that, even though you may not understand the spoken language of someone, you can still understand him/her through the language of love, symbolized in this poem through the hug as the speaker says, but I could hug her (line 21). This is the meaning of the poem. a. literal meaning b. figurative meaning c. personal meaning
Up-Hill by Christina Rosetti 1 Does the road wind up-hill all the way? 2 Yes, to the very end. 3 Will the day s journey take the whole long day? 4 From morn to night my friend. 5 But is there for the night a resting place? 6 A roof for when the slow dark hours begin. 7 May not the darkness hide it from my face? 8 You cannot miss the inn. 9 Shall I meet other wayfarers at night? 10 Those who have gone before? 11 Then must I knock, or call when just in sight? 12 They will not keep you standing at the door. 13 Shal I find comfort, travel-sore and weak? 14 Of labor you shall find the sum 15 Will there be beds for me and all who seek? 16 Yea, beds for all who come. QUESTIONS: 13. How many speakers does this poem have? a. one b. two c. three d. four 14. How many stanzas does this poem have? a. one b. two c. three d. four 15. What do you think the road symbolizes in this poem? a. a highway b. the journey of life c. death d. happiness
16. Based on the literal meaning of this poem, what does wayfarers most likely mean? a. travelers b. lost people c. nice people d. bad people 17. Based on the figurative meaning of his poem, the other wayfarers on this journey are? a. those who have died before b. drivers on the highway c. loved ones living with the first speaker d. none of the above 18. Which of these lines creates a welcoming feeling about the end of the road? e. You cannot miss the inn. f. Yea, beds for all who come. g. Will the long journey take the whole day? h. May not the darkness hide it from my face? 19. Which of the following words create the impression that the speaker is tired? a. travel-sore b. weak c. a resting place d. all of the above 20. Which of the following choices best describes the mood of this poem? a. angry b. tired, but hopeful c. tired and hopeless d. happy 21. Line 16 of the poem says, Yea, beds for all who come. What poetic device is the word /Yea/ an example of? a. alliteration b. consonance c. assonance d. onomatopoeia 22. The rhyme scheme and rhythm of this poem suggest. a. choppy, stormy b. jazzy, upbeat c. smooth, comforting