Edge Level C Unit 7 Cluster 3 Poems for the Earth 1. Which statement best expresses the main idea of There Will Come Soft Rains? A. The poem addresses the continual progression of the seasons, from summer to autumn and through winter then finally into spring. B. The poem addresses the atrocity of battle from the perspective of nature of birds and frogs and trees whose lives will go on even if human beings obliterate themselves from the planet. C. The poem was written to describe the sights and sounds of nature that occur throughout the world regardless of what humankind is doing to itself. D. The poem was written as the author s way of expressing her fascination with nature and the beauty of its sights and sounds especially during the poet s favorite time Spring. LA.910.1.7.3 The correct answer is B. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because they represent incorrect interpretations of the main idea. Option A is incorrect because this is not the main idea of the poem. The only season mentioned in the poem is Spring. Option B is correct because this is the main idea of the poem. This statement is found at http://www.enotes.com/come-soft. Option C is incorrect because this is not the main idea of the poem. This is an expression of part of the main idea, but not the entire main idea. Option D is incorrect because this is not the main idea of the poem. 2. Look at the artwork that accompanies the four poems in Poems for the Earth. Read a quotation from one of the artists. I am fascinated by the life of plants. I pore over the growth that inhabits my back garden and surrounding neighborhood in Oakland, California. For the past eight years my paintings have been, in a sense, portraiture: faithful renderings of my botanical subjects. What began as an exploration of the visible: plant, bloom and sky Which artist said this quotation? F. Stephen Morath G. Wayne Thiebaud H. Yvette Molina I. Maurice de Viaminck LA.910.6.2.2 The correct answer is H. Options F, G, and I are incorrect because they represent incorrect synthesis of information. Copyright 2010 The Hampton-Brown Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The National Geographic Society, publishing under the imprints National Geographic School Publishing and Hampton-Brown. Teachers are authorized to reproduce this material in limited quantities and solely for use in their own classrooms.
Option F is incorrect because this is not a quotation from Stephen Morath who creates colorful paintings of the American Southwest as found on page 709. Option G is incorrect because this is not a quotation from Wayne Thiebaud who creates objects of mass culture such as the streetscape the reader sees on page 711. Option H is correct because this is a quotation from Yvette Molina found at http://yvettemolinacom/testsite/statement. As the reader sees on page 713, of the four artists, her painting is the most realistic rendering of a plant which looks like it could be a photograph. The subject of the artwork is a plant from a more northern part of the United States. Option I is incorrect because this is not a quotation from Maurice de Viaminck whose paintings are not realistic, but instead are more impressionistic as the reader sees on page 714. 3. Read the quote below by one of the poets in Poems for the Earth. It's interesting to me that though I lived in a very bilingual community, Spanish was never mentioned at school. Many of my friends also came from bilingual homes or, certainly from homes where Spanish was spoken. And I visited those homes, just as I visited the homes of my monolingual English friends; but Spanish and being of Mexican descent and being part of the border experience was never part of my educational experience. Based on the information included in the poems and in the About the Poet sections, who said this quote? A. Robert Frost B. Sara Teasdale C. Margaret Tsuda D. Pat Mora LA.910.6.2.2 The correct answer is D. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because they represent incorrect synthesis of information. Option A is incorrect because neither the poem by this poet or the accompanying About the Poet section contain any information that relates to this quotation. Option B is incorrect because neither the poem by this poet or the accompanying About the Poet section contain any information that relates to this quotation. Option C is incorrect because neither the poem by this poet or the accompanying About the Poet section contain any information that relates to this quotation. Option D is correct because this is a quote from Pat Mora in an edited transcript of an interview found at http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/mora/transcript. Students should note the reference in the quotation to the border experience and relate it to the information included in the About the Poet section found on page 709, A native of El Paso, Texas, Mora s writing often focuses on the theme of feeling alienated by living near borders. In addition, the quotation speaks of Spanish bilingualism and the poem s title as well as three words that appear in italics typeface are in Spanish while the majority of the poem is in English. 4. Read There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale on page 712. Which literary device does the author frequently use? Hampton Brown Edge Level C, Unit 7, Cluster 3 2 of 6
F. irony by saying that nature would not care if mankind disappeared G. mood by using images that create a depressing and dark feeling in the reader H. onomatopoeia by writing about the sounds that the forest animals make in Springtime I. alliteration by repeating same beginning consonant sounds in several lines LA.910.2.1.7 The correct answer is I. Options F, G, and H are incorrect because they represent inaccurate interpretations of descriptive language or figurative language. Option F is incorrect because the poem does not contain an example of irony. Irony is defined at length on page 896, Literary Terms or in dictionary.reference.com as the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. Option G is incorrect because the poem does not contain an example of mood. Mood is the overall feeling or atmosphere a writer creates in a piece of writing (page 897, Literary Terms). Option H is incorrect because the poem does not contain an example of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate the sounds they refer to (page 897, Literary Terms). Option I is correct because the poem contains several examples of alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of the same sounds (usually consonants) at the beginning of words that are close together (page 892, Literary Terms). The author repeats the /s/ sound in lines 1, 2, and 3 as well as the /f/ sound in line 5 and the /wh/ sound in line 6. 5. Read the lines from the poem Hard Questions by Margaret Tsuda. Why not mark out the land into neat rectangles squares and clover leafs? Put on them cubes of varying sizes according to use - What does the author mean by cubes of varying sizes? A. offices B. buildings C. city blocks D. parking spaces LA.910.1.6.8 The correct answer is B. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because they represent incorrect meanings of assessed phrases found within the excerpted text. Option A is incorrect because this is not the meaning of the assessed phrase. Office buildings are one example of a cube of varying size. Option B is correct because this is the meaning of the assessed phrase. The author is suggesting that various sized buildings, from single family homes to multi-story office buildings could be placed on the land that has been marked out by roads and highways. Option C is incorrect because this is not the meaning of the assessed phrase. The roads would create city blocks which would be square or rectangle in shape forming Hampton Brown Edge Level C, Unit 7, Cluster 3 3 of 6
a two-dimensional surface. A cube, however, is three-dimensional. A cube is defined by dictionary.reference.com/browse/cube as a solid bounded by six equal squares, the angle between any two adjacent faces being a right angle. Option D is incorrect because this is not the meaning of the assessed phrase. Parking spaces would be rectangular in shape and only twodimensional. 6. Which poem has an optimistic, positive tone? F. Hard Questions G. There Will Come Soft Rains H. Fire and Ice I. I Was Born Today Edge Level C Unit 7 Cluster 3 I was Born Today/Touching the Earth LA.910.1.7.2 The correct answer is I. Options F, G, and H are incorrect because they represent incorrect interpretations of the author s purpose or perspective. Tone is a writer s or speaker s attitude toward his or her topic or audience or toward him- or herself. A writer s tone may be positive, negative, or neutral. The words the writer chooses, the sentence structure, and the overall pattern of words convey the intended tone (page 901, Literary Terms). Optimistic is defined by http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/optimistic as disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome. Option F is incorrect because this poem does not have an optimistic, positive tone. Tsuda is pessimistic for the future of nature. She feels that mankind is over-building the land and that soon there will be children who will grow up in cities not having experienced the wonders of nature. Option G is incorrect because this poem does not have an optimistic, positive tone. Teasdale is optimistic for the continuation of plant and animal life, but pessimistic for human life because she thinks that humans will destroy themselves in war. Option H is incorrect because this poem does not have an optimistic, positive tone; it has a pessimistic, negative tone. Frost is talking about the end of the world and asks whether it will end due to fire or ice. Option I is correct because this poem has an optimistic, positive tone. The poet tells the reader to forget yesterday and take joy in each new day. 7. Look at the photograph by Johannes Seewald on page 717. Which excerpt from the poems could NOT be illustrated by the photo? A. I say tease me. She sprinkles raindrops in my face. B. There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, C. The rain that scatters its crystal drops D. Their joy, my joy; My crystal tear Hampton Brown Edge Level C, Unit 7, Cluster 3 4 of 6
LA.910.2.2.1 The correct answer is B. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because they represent plausible distractors based on text features. Option A is incorrect because this excerpt could be supported by the photo. The excerpt is from Mi Madre by Pat Mora. It is found on page 708, lines 3 and 4. Option B is correct because this excerpt could not be supported by the photo. The excerpt is from There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale. It is found on page 712, line 1. The photo shows water drops on a leaf over water; however, the excerpt is talking about rain falling on the land. Option C is incorrect because this excerpt could be supported by the photo. The excerpt is from I Was Born Today by Amado Nervo. It is found on page 717, line 8. When the viewer looks at the photo, one s eyes are immediately drawn to the sparkling drop of water. Option D is incorrect because this excerpt could be supported by the photo. The excerpt is from I Was Born Today by Amado Nervo. It is found on page 718, lines 30 and 31. When the viewer looks at the photo, one s eyes are immediately drawn to the sparkling drop of water which could be considered a symbol for a teardrop shed in joy. 8. If bell hooks, the author of Touching the Earth, were asked to select a poem that expresses a similar feeling about the earth, which poem would she select? F. Mi Madre G. Hard Questions H. Fire and Ice I. I Was Born Today LA.910.1.7.2 The correct answer is F. Options G, H, and I are incorrect because they represent facts and details that do not support the author s purpose or represent the author s perspective. Option F is correct because this poem by Pat Mora also reflects the appreciation for the bounty of the earth as shown by bell hooks in Touching the Earth. Option G is incorrect because this poem by Margaret Tsuda does not reflect the appreciation for the bounty of the earth as shown by bell hooks in Touching the Earth. Instead, this poem speaks about the danger of overdeveloping the land and diminishing the presence of nature. Option H is incorrect because this poem by Robert Frost does not reflect the appreciation for the bounty of the earth as shown by bell hooks in Touching the Earth. Frost is wondering if desire or hatred, fire or ice, will destroy the world. Option I is incorrect because this poem by Amado Nervo does not reflect the appreciation for the bounty of the earth as shown by bell hooks in Touching the Earth. In his poem, Nervo wrote about how quickly life passes. 9. Read the sentence from the essay. As a child I loved playing in dirt, in that rich Kentucky soil, that was a source of life. Which word is most opposite in meaning to rich as it is used in the sentence. Hampton Brown Edge Level C, Unit 7, Cluster 3 5 of 6
A. plentiful B. abundant C. depleted D. fertile LA.910.1.6.8 The correct answer is C. Options A, B, and D are incorrect because they represent incorrect meanings (synonyms) of the word being assessed. The excerpt is found on page 544. Definitions are from http://dictionary.reference.com which defines rich as producing or yielding abundantly. Option A is incorrect because this word is similar in meaning to the word being assessed. Plentiful is defined as yielding abundantly. Option B is incorrect because this word is similar in meaning to the word being assessed. Abundant is defined as richly supplied. Option C is correct because this word is most opposite in meaning to the word being assessed. Depleted is defined as to decrease seriously or exhaust the abundance or supply of. Option D is incorrect because this word is similar in meaning to the word being assessed. Fertile is defined as bearing, producing, or capable of producing vegetation, crops, etc., abundantly; prolific. 10. Read the sentence from the essay. I could stand with my grandfather Daddy Jerry and look out at fields of growing vegetables, tomatoes, corn, collards, and know that this was his handiwork. Which best restates the meaning of the sentence above? F. The author stood with her grandfather as they looked out at the many crops he had planted and grown that would soon be ready for harvest. G. bell hooks could stand with her grandfather and her father looking at the crops in the field knowing that they d have to give some of the crops to the landowner. H. Crops are grown in fertile fields only if the farmer works hard to cultivate the fields. I. Vegetables, such as corn, tomatoes, and collards are grown in fields in Kentucky. LA.910.1.6.8 The correct answer is F. Options G, H, and I are incorrect because they represent incorrect meanings of assessed phrases found within the excerpted text. Option F is correct because this is a restatement of the sentence. Option G is incorrect because this is not a restatement of the sentence. The author was not standing with her father. She called her grandfather Daddy Jerry. The sentence does not make reference to the practice of sharecropping which meant that part of the harvest would go to the landowner. Option H is incorrect because this is not a restatement of the sentence. This is a general statement about agriculture; it does not have any personal reference to bell hooks. Option I is incorrect because this is not a restatement of the sentence. This is a general statement about agriculture; it does not have any personal reference to bell hooks. Hampton Brown Edge Level C, Unit 7, Cluster 3 6 of 6