Rachel Doboga
Poetry Unit Test
Match the following terms with the examples of each element. (2 points each, 8 points total)
1.
2.
3.
4.
“He is the breath in my lungs.”
“The wind bit my face, angry and mean.”
“Her eyes were clear like crystals.”
“I am dying of my love for you.”
A. Allusion (Distracter)
B. Hyperbole (4)
C. Metaphor (1)
D. Personification (2)
E. Simile (3)
Read the following poem and answer the questions below: (4 points each, 24 points total)
“As I Awake” (Author Unknown)
As I awake
All of my senses are met by the morning
As I awake breathing in a new day,
Here by the window I opened last evening,
How the world changed while I drifted away.
Darkness is gone, though it seemed it would never;
Sunlight is smiling and nature survives.
I can believe that we all live forever
When I observe how the morning arrives.
Birds sing their concert and children are playing;
Flowers have scented the air and it's free;
Life is renewed and it seems to be saying
There is a place in its promise for me.
There are some times in our lives when we savor
Being a part of a much larger plan.
Life is a feast and we each add a flavor;
I'll make it better, believing I can.
5. There are many examples of figurative language in this poem. What is an example of
personification?
a. Birds sing their concert
b. Life is a feast
c. Seems to be saying
d. Sunlight is smiling
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Rachel Doboga
6. According to the poet, one person can change the world by:
a. Adding flavor by being part of a larger plan
b. Enjoying life by noticing the glories of nature
c. Meditating on the beauty of the world
d. Waking up and truly living
7. The last lines of the poem, “There are some times……much larger plan,” are loaded with
meaning and emotion. These lines are examples of:
a. Extended metaphor
b. Irony
c. Satire
d. Simile
8. What is the message conveyed by the poet in the first four lines of the poem, “All of my
senses are met by the morning……How the world changed while I drifted away”?
a. Coming of the morning signifies that nature’s beauties are short-lived.
b. Coming of the morning signifies that nature is merciless.
c. Coming of the morning signifies that nature is full of darkness and sorrow.
d. Coming of the morning signifies that nature is full of happiness and life.
9. Examine the poet’s word choice carefully. What is the tone of this poem?
a. Depressed and troubled
b. Discouraged and pessimistic
c. Optimistic and hopeful
d. Sorrowful and sad
10. Look at your answers for the previous two questions (#9 and #10). How does the tone
relate to the message (meaning) of the poem?
a. The tone undermines the message, throwing doubt on the sincerity of the poet.
b. The tone supports the message.
c. The tone is unrelated to the message.
d. The tone and message are the same.
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Rachel Doboga
Read the following poems and answer the questions below. (4 points each, 20 points total)
“Bereft,” by Robert Frost
“Alone,” by Edgar Allen Poe
Where had I heard this wind before
Change like this to a deeper roar?
What would it take my standing there for,
Holding open a restive door,
Looking down hill to a frothy shore?
Summer was past and the day was past.
Sombre clouds in the west were massed.
Out on the porch's sagging floor,
Leaves got up in a coil and hissed,
Blindly striking at my knee and missed.
Something sinister in the tone
Told me my secret must be known:
Word I was in the house alone
Somehow must have gotten abroad,
Word I was in my life alone,
Word I had no one left but God.
From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow—I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone—
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev’ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ’round me roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view—
11. Although different in many ways, these poems share a common theme. That theme is
________.
a. Isolation
b. Nature
c. Religion
d. Secrets
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Rachel Doboga
12. Frost relies heavily on symbolism in the poem “Bereft.” What does the line “Sombre
clouds in the west were massed” symbolize?
a. Something bad is about to happen to the narrator.
b. Summer is over and “passed.”
c. The narrator should head east to avoid the clouds.
d. The weather is turning bad and the narrator should go into his house.
13. Each poet relies heavily on repetition of ideas and phrases to create meaning. Frost uses
repetition of words with dark connotations to create a fearful mood. In “Alone,” Poe lists
the various emotions and senses that could not be awakened by a common source. What
purpose does repetition serve in Poe’s poem?
a. The narrator is explaining that he has trouble engaging with the world around him
because nothing stimulates him.
b. The narrator is complaining that he cannot feel or sense anything because no one
understands him.
c. The narrator is saying he should find somewhere he can fit in and be amongst
people like himself.
d. The narrator is demonstrating that he does not think or feel as others do and
is fundamentally different.
14. In “Alone,” Poe writes: “my childhood – the dawn of a most stormy life.” What main
idea in the poem does this line portray?
a. It shows that the narrator considers his childhood one of the most important times
of his life.
b. It shows that the narrator’s childhood is the beginning of a very difficult life.
c. It shows the narrator’s unwillingness to speak directly.
d. It tells the reader to look for an extended metaphor about weather as he/she reads.
15. In “Alone,” the line “Of a demon in my view” is full of meaning and concludes the poem
by explaining the narrator’s curse. This line is an example of:
a. Allusion
b. Hyperbole
c. Imagery
d. Symbolism
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Rachel Doboga
Read the following poems and answer the questions below. (4 points each, 20 points total)
“Old Love and New” by Sarah Teasdale
“And Day Brought Back My Night,” by
Geoffrey Brock
In my heart the old love
Struggled with the new,
It was ghostly waking
All night through.
It was so simple: you came back to me
And I was happy. Nothing seemed to matter
But that. That you had gone away from me
And lived for days with him—it didn’t
matter.
That I had been left to care for our old dog
And house alone—couldn’t have mattered
less!
On all this, you and I and our happy dog
Agreed. We slept. The world was worriless.
Dear things, kind things
That my old love said,
Ranged themselves reproachfully
Round my bed.
But I could not heed them,
For I seemed to see
Dark eyes of my new love
Fixed on me.
Old love, old love,
How can I be true?
Shall I be faithless to myself
Or to you?
I woke in the morning, brimming with old
joys
Till the fact-checker showed up, late, for
work
And started in: Item: it’s years, not days.
Item: you had no dog. Item: she isn’t back,
In fact, she just remarried. And oh yes, item:
you
Left her, remember? I did? I did. (I do.)
16. These two poems share great similarities in terms of theme and emotional conflict. However,
the poets’ styles are vastly different. When comparing Brock’s style to Teasdale’s, which
statement is true?
a. Brock does not rely on repetition to create meaning like Teasdale does.
b. Brock relies less on figurative language than Teasdale.
c. Brock, like Teasdale, is devoted to a traditional poetic form.
d. Brock takes a more narrative approach to poetry than Teasdale.
17. In each poem, dialogue with an absent or imaginary figure is used to create meaning. In
Teasdale’s poem, dialogue is used to portray the narrator questioning her old love; it shows
her inner struggle. Brock uses dialogue much differently. What purpose does his dialogue
serve in his poem?
a. To help the narrator come to terms with his pain.
b. To mock the narrator and make him feel bad about himself.
c. To remind the narrator of the reality of his situation.
d. To wake the narrator up from his dream.
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Rachel Doboga
18. Brock’s narrator experiences inner conflict about his divorce. What does this conflict tell us
about the narrator?
a. He cannot face reality and what actually happened.
b. He does not understand how his marriage ended.
c. He feels he deserves a second chance.
d. He is angry that he is not able to live in a dream.
19. Teasdale frequently uses poetic elements like rhyme and alliteration while Brock takes a
more conversational approach. What effect does the alliteration in Teasdale’s poem have?
a. It creates a visually pleasing sensation for the reader.
b. It creates rhythm and flow parallel to the narrator’s thoughts.
c. It makes the poem more difficult to recite.
d. It makes the poem more traditional and valuable in the eyes of critics.
20. Teasdale relies heavily on the characters in her poem to create meaning. The narrator’s old
love is a prominent figure. From what the narrator says about and to her old love, what can
the reader determine about her feelings for him?
a. She feels guilty for moving on and is haunted by him.
b. She feels she has listen to what her old love told her and be true to him at all
costs.
c. She loves him less that the new man in her life.
d. She no longer has feelings for him but still feels committed.
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Rachel Doboga
Essay Question: (12 points) By now, you are familiar with many poetic elements such as
metaphors, alliteration, repetition, rhythm, and rhyme. You are also familiar with different forms
of poetry (sonnets, haikus, ballads, etc.). Use your knowledge to decide whether or not the song
lyrics you brought in to class are poetry. Defend your decision in essay format (at least three
paragraphs). Start with a strong thesis stating your position followed by at least five concrete
examples supporting your opinion (mention poetic elements, forms, etc.). Remember, your
opinion is valid as long as you can support it with a well-reasoned argument!
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