Poetry Review

A. Match the following terms to their correct definitions. a. alliteration 1. _____a message about life or human nature that the writer b. assonance shares with the reader; a universal truth about life c. personification or big idea 2._____ a direct comparison not using like/as of two unlike things

3. _____ giving human characteristics to non-human things d. metaphor 4. _____ occurs when the sound of the word gives the meaning e. allusion of the word or the sound of the word echoes the word's meaning f. simile 5. _____ the pattern of end sounds for the lines of poetry in g. onomatopoeia a stanza; noted by letters of the alphabet h. theme 6. _____ the creation of an instant identification by referring to i. rhyme scheme a well-known person, place, or thing from literature, j. hyperbole history, religion, mythology, pop culture, etc. k. symbol 7. _____ uses like or as to compare two unlike objects l. repetition 8. _____ the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings m. free verse of words n. refrain 9. _____ lines of poetry that do not contain regular patterns of o. consonance rhyme or rhythm; sounds like everyday speech p. internal rhyme 10. _____ an object, person, place, or action that has its own meaning q. end rhyme but also stands for something beyond itself r. slant rhyme11._____ the repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words s. imagery

"It had tacks in it."12._____ An exaggeration used for emphasis or effect13._____ rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry14._____ repetition of consonant sound within and at the end of words: "lonely afternoon"15._____approximate rhyme: sky/signed16._____technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect, emphasis, or unity17._____rhyme that occurs in the last word of a line of poetry18._____ a repeated part of a poem, particularly when it comes either at the end of a stanza or between two stanzas19._____figurative language that appeals to one of the five senses

B. Answer the following questions about poetry and poems.20. Read the following excerpt from “The Tiger” by William Blake.

When the stars threw down their spears,And watered heaven with their tears,Did he smile his work to see?Did he who make the lamb make thee?

_____ What is the rhyme scheme of the preceding stanza?a. a b a b b. b c b b c. a b c d d. a a b b

21. Read the following excerpt from Langston Hughes.1. Golden girl2. in a golden gown3. in a melody night4. in Harlem town.

_____ Which lines contains an example of alliteration?a. 1 and 4 b. 1 and 2 c. 2 and 3 d. 2 and 4

22. _____ “The sun was eaten by the storm clouds” is an example of a. assonance b. personification c. simile d. metaphor

23. Read the following excerpt from Lucille Clifton.When I watch youwrapped up like garbagesitting, surrounded by the smellof too old potato peels

_____ Which of the following lines contains a simile?a. “When I watch you” c. “sitting, surrounded by the smell”b. “wrapped up like garbage” d. “of too old potato peels”

24. Read the following poem “Fog” by Carl Sandburg.The fog comeson little cat feet.It sits lookingover harbor and cityon silent haunchesand then moves on.

_____ “The fog comes / on little cat feet” is an example ofa. metaphor c. alliterationb. simile d. rhyme

25. Read the following excerpt from “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe.Hear the sledges with the bells, Silver bells!What a world of merriment their melody foretells! How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, In the icy air of night!

_____ The underlined words above are an example ofa. personification c. onomatopoeiab. simile d. apostrophe

26. _____The following line from “My Madeline”, “Much may my melting music mean,” is an example of a. metaphor b. alliteration c. personification d. onomatopoeia

27. Read the following excerpt from “Miniver Cheevy” by Edwin Arlington Robinson.Miniver sighed for what was not, And dreamed, and rested from his labors;He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot, And Priam’s neighbors.

_____ “He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot” is an example of a. alliteration b. allusion c. personification d. apostrophe

28. Read the following excerpt from “The Princess” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.The moan of doves in immemorial elms,And murmuring of innumerable bees.

_____ The underlined words above are an example of a. allusion b. refrain c. assonance d. metaphor

29. Read the following poem “I Wish” by Gelett Burgess.I wish that my room had a floor;I don’t so much care for a door, But this walking around Without touching the groundIs getting to be quite a bore!

_____ What type of rhyme is illustrated in the underlined sections?a. internal c. endb. slant d. approximate

30. _____ Which of the following lines contains an example of alliteration?a. “We / Lurk late. We / Strike straight. / We sing sin. / We thin gin.”b. “Nature the gentlest mother is, / Impatient of no child…”c. “When the hounds of spring are on winter’s traces,…”d. “Down the assembly line they roll and pass / Complete at last, a miracle of design;”

Read the following excerpt and answer the question that follows.Excerpt from “The West Wind” by John Masefield It’s a warm wind, the west wind, full of birds' cries;

2 I never hear the west wind but tears are in my eyes. For it comes from the west lands, the old brown hills. And April's in the west wind, and daffodils.

5 It's a fine land, the west land, for hearts as tired as mine, Apple orchards blossom there, and the air's like wine. There is cool green grass there, where men may lie at rest, 8 And the thrushes are in song there, fluting from the nest.

31. _____ Which of the following underlined portions from the lines above show consonance? a. “It’s a warm wind, the west wind, full of birds cries;”b. “I never hear the west wind but tears are in my eyes.” c. “It’s a fine land, the west land, for hearts as tired as mine.”d. “And the thrushes are in song there, fluting from their nest”

“Dreams” by Langston Hughes1 Hold fast to dreams2 For if dreams die3 Life is a broken-winged bird4 That cannot fly.5 Hold fast to dreams6 For when dreams go7 Life is a barren field8 Frozen with snow.

32. Which best describes the tone of this poem?a. aggravated b. seriousc. appreciatived. joyful

33. Which of the following lines includes a metaphor?a. line 6 c. line 1b. line 3 d. none of the lines above include a metaphor

34. Which best describes the theme of "Dreams"?a. Dreams can be stolen away by friends. b. We must cling to our hopes and dreams because life becomes nothing without them.c. We should remember that dreams can be compared to nature. d. Dreams

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)We Wear the Mask

We wear the mask that grins and lies,It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes—This debt we pay to human guile;With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,In counting all our tears and sighs?Nay, let them only see us, while          We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our criesTo thee from tortured souls arise.We sing, but oh the clay is vileBeneath our feet, and long the mile;But let the world dream otherwise,          We wear the mask!

35. The rhyme scheme in stanza two of “We Wear the Mask” isa. DDEFb. FFHIc. AABDd. ABCD

36. The bold-print lines are examples ofa. METAPHORb. SIMILEc. END RHYMEd. REFRAIN

36. How many stanzas are in the poem “We Wear the Mask”?a. 0 b. 1 c. 2 d. 3

37. From "The Widow's Lament in Springtime" By William Carlos William

                    "masses of flowers                     load the cherry branches                     and color some bushes                     yellow and some red..."                      (William Carlos Williams) The imagery in the above lines appeals to the sense of a. sightb. soundc. tasted. touche. smell

Read the excerpt by W. H. Auden and answer the question that follows the poem.As I Walked out one Evening by W.H. Auden

As I walked out one evening,        Walking down Bristol Street,The crowds upon the pavement        Were fields of harvest wheat.

And down by the brimming river        I heard a lover singUnder an arch of the railway:        "Love has no ending.

"I'll love you, dear, I'll love you        Till China and Africa meetAnd the river jumps over the mountain        And the salmon sing in the street.

"I'll love you till the ocean        Is folded and hung up to dryAnd the seven stars go squawking        Like geese about the sky.

38. The underlined sections of the poem are examples of a. symbol b. hyperbole c. repetition d. free verse

Read the poem "The Road Not Taken"?by Robert Frost and answer the question that follows.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference. 

39. What is the literal and symbolic meaning of the two roads in "The Road Not Taken"?40. Read the following poem. Underline three examples of repetition.

What is the theme of the poem and how does repetition help develop the theme?

Fear by Gabriela Mistral I don’t want them to turn my little girl into a swallow. She would fly far away into the sky and never fly again to my straw bed, or she would nest in the eaves where I could not comb her hair.I don’t want them to turn my little girl into a swallow.

I don’t want them to make my little girl a princess. In tiny golden slippers how could she play on the meadow?And when night came, no longer would she sleep at my side.I don’t want them to makemy little girl a princess.

And even less do I want them one day to make her queen.They would put her on a throne where I could not go to see her. And when nighttime came I could never rock her … I don’t want them to make my little girl a queen!

41. Read the following poem, "This is just to Say" by William Carlos Williams. Why is this a free verse poem?I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe icebox

and whichyou were probablysavingfor breakfast

Forgive methey were deliciousso sweetand so cold

42. Read the following excerpt from "The Raven" by Poe. Underline four examples of refrain. Circle two examples of internal rhyme.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrowFrom my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtainThrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -Darkness there, and nothing more.

http://www.thehypertexts.com/The%20Best%20Free%20Verse%20Poems%20of%20All%20Time.htm

Key1. J 14. D2. D 15. B3. C4. G5. I6. E7. F8. A9. L10. K11. B12. H13. M

16. B17. B18. B19. A20. C21. B

22. D23. B24. C25. A26. A27. D

28. D29. A