Poetry Test
This test includes Tcap Item Samplers 1 and 2 and Practice Tests 1 and 2
2013-2014
Spi’s:
1.18 context clues
8. 7 symbolism
8.10 figurative language
5.8 infer/draw conclusion
8.8 effect of sound devices
8.12 purpose
8.5 stated and implied theme
8.9 conflicts
Item sampler 1
The Lighthouse Keeper and the Herring Gull
by Bill Scott
The lighthouse keeper sat on a rock and a sad, salt tear wept he.
‘I’m tired of biscuits and tins of beef, I want a fish for tea!
But I haven’t a hook and I haven’t a line to throw in the salty sea.’
He peered to the east where the breakers broke, he blinked his teary eye.
5 He looked behind where his tower rose like a steeple in the sky
And he saw a wise old herring gull perched on a rock close by.
Said the keeper, ‘A gull has an easy time when he wants a fish to swallow.
He rises up till he spies a shoal where the billows bellow hollow.
He dives down deep and he gulps a fish, with another one to follow.’
10 The keeper found a rusty nail and hammered it into a hook;
He ravelled a string both long and strong from his cozy sea-boot sock;
He baited the line and cast it in with a crafty, hungry look.
He caught a whiting and a bream, he almost caught a whale.
He hooked a crab by its big, round claws and a flathead by the tail,
15 And he tossed each fish behind him, where they fell in an old tin pail.
Then he snavelled a shark that broke his line. He didn’t really care.
He had fish enough to fry for tea, and for breakfast, and to spare,
And even enough for the herring gull that he thought deserved a share.
So he turned around to view his catch with shouts of joy and mirth,
20 But his roar of rage at what he saw was heard from Cairns to Perth 1—
An empty pail, and the fullest, fattest herring gull on earth.
“The Lighthouse Keeper and the Herring Gull” by Bill Scott, © Dolphin Creative. Used by permission.
1
Cairns and Perth: cities on opposite coasts of Australia
Performance Indicator: 0701.1.18 Use context clues and background knowledge of roots and
affixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
49 Read Lines 12 and 13.
He baited the line and cast it in with a crafty, hungry look.
He caught a whiting and a bream, he almost caught a whale.
Based on context, the reader can conclude that a whiting is a
A special food.
B type of fish.
C kind of fishing hook.
D small animal.
Performance Indicator: 0701.8.7 Identify flashback, foreshadowing, and
symbolism within context.
53 The empty bucket at the end of the poem is a symbol of the lighthouse keeper’s
A hopefulness.
B carelessness.
C confidence.
D boredom.
Performance Indicator: 0701.8.8 Analyze the effects of sound (i.e., accent,
alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme, internal rhyme) in context.
54 Which sound device does the author use most often in this poem?
F accent
G onomatopoeia
H repetition
J rhyme
Performance Indicator: 0701.8.9 Identify the kind(s) of conflict present in a
literary plot (i.e., person vs. person, person vs. self, person vs. environment,
person vs. technology).
55 Which conflict is demonstrated in this poem?
A person vs. person
B person vs. self
C person vs. environment
D person vs. technology
Performance Indicator: 0701.8.10 Identify and analyze figurative language (i.e.,
hyperbole, simile, metaphor, personification, pun) within context.
56 Read Line 20.
But his roar of rage at what he saw was heard from Cairns to Perth—
The author uses hyperbole in this sentence to
F express the overwhelming emotions of the lighthouse keeper.
G emphasize how far away the lighthouse keeper is from other people.
H establish how aggressive the herring gull is.
J explain how quickly the herring gull reacted.
-----------------------------------------------Item sampler 2
A View for Few
Blue forever — sprinkled with white clouds on top.
More clouds than the eye can see — no two alike.
Angry clouds race by, wispy clouds creep along, organized clouds,
random clouds,
5 clouds that display power; all posed on a beautiful, brilliant, blue
backdrop.
Cities display a richness of lights woven across the nightscape.
The lights are tendrils of hair outlined with a glimmering aura.
Colored patterns caught in a dimension between geography and culture,
10 Revealing the inventions of mankind.
Later, flashes leap from cloud to cloud, illuminating the sky —
the fireworks of stormy nights.
Some are balls of light, while others are streaks;
An unforgettable view cast in the heights.
15 The night sky is an inky black curtain speckled with diamonds.
Stars surround Earth and wrap her horizon in a blanket of light.
I swim in a sea of beautiful night, captivated by its vastness.
It is an overwhelming, inspiring, amazing delight!
I view all of this from a porthole in space.
20 The blue is not the sky but the ocean.
From my vessel, hovering on the other side of the sky,
I witness the glory of earth as few will ever do.
Earth and the Sun
Performance Indicator: 0701.1.18 Use context clues and background knowledge
of roots and affixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
41 Read Lines 17 and 18.
I swim in a sea of beautiful night, captivated by its vastness.
It is an overwhelming, inspiring, amazing delight!
The underlined word means
A conquering.
B calming.
C astounding.
D puzzling.
Performance Indicator: 0701.5.8 Make inferences and draw conclusions
based on evidence in text.
42 The phrase “inventions of mankind” in Line 10 most likely refers to
F new developments in technology.
G clever solutions to social problems.
H the importance of human civilization.
J the people of modern cities.
Performance Indicator: 0701.8.8 Analyze the effects of sound (i.e., accent,
alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme, internal rhyme) in context.
44 Read this excerpt from Line 5.
. . . all posed on a beautiful, brilliant, blue backdrop.
The sound device used in the excerpt is
F repetition to create a dramatic contrast between colors.
G alliteration to paint memorable imagery in the poem.
H onomatopoeia to describe the scene with playful language.
J internal rhyme to connect the descriptions in a more rhythmic way.
Performance Indicator: 0701.8.10 Identify and analyze figurative
language (i.e., hyperbole, simile, metaphor, personification, pun) within context.
45 Read Lines 2 and 3.
More clouds than the eye can see — no two alike.
Angry clouds race by, wispy clouds creep along, organized clouds, random clouds,
The figurative language used in these lines is
A a simile to clarify the shapes and colors of clouds.
B personification to characterize the uniqueness of clouds.
C hyperbole to emphasize the mysteries of clouds.
D a pun to communicate the size and purpose of each cloud.
Performance Indicator: 0701.8.12 Identify the author’s purpose for writing.
47 The author wrote this poem to
A describe the power of a planet.
B share a rare experience.
C narrate an outer space adventure.
D express feelings about the weather
-------------------------------------------------------Practice test 1
Nothing to Do Stew
One long, long dull day
I had nothing to do,
So I filled up a pot
With a strange sort of stew.
5 It had dreamy ideas
And a lot of big words,
And bright mixed-up colors
And silvery birds.
A piece of a moonbeam
10 Got thrown in the mix,
A chopped-up, old beanstalk,
A house made of sticks.
The yap of a puppy,
A strand of gold hair,
15 The hush of the night owl,
A thump on the stair
Got tossed in together
And cooked all day long,
While I stirred in some spices
20 —It smelled a bit strong.
But I ate it with pleasure,
That odd, crazy stew,
Made out of a dull day
With nothing to do.
21 Which line from the poem indicates the meal is not real?
A With a strange sort of stew.
B And a lot of big words,
C And cooked all day long,
D While I stirred in some spices
22 The stew in this poem is a symbol of
F endless possibilities.
G a hearty portion.
H future happenings.
J an honest approach.
23 The poet’s purpose for writing this poem was most likely to
A teach a lesson about enjoying time alone.
B inform readers how to cook a stew.
C share an experience about making a special meal.
D tell about a person with a vivid imagination.
24 In Stanza 4, the author uses onomatopoeia with the words
“yap,” “hush,” and “thump” mostly likely to
F add a rhyme scheme to the poem.
G emphasize the important idea in the poem.
H support the playful nature of the poem.
J contribute to the details in the illustration.
Vacant Lot
The empty lot down the block,
Is the best place to play,
Full of wood and stray papers,
Loose gravel and clay.
5 We children know better
Just how to create
With the magical treasure
That lies past the gate.
We make imaginary kingdoms
10 From old bricks and rocks
Tarnished pennies, lengths of string,
Weathered wooden blocks
To a grownup, the woodpile
Might look a bit plain,
15 Like a bunch of old junk
Lying out in the rain.
But we kids can see
It is more than just wood.
It’s the span of a bridge
20 To a make-believe neighborhood.
It’s a castle’s tall tower,
A cave dweller’s lair,
It’s a rabbit’s tight burrow,
A creaky old stair.
25 It’s the passage we take
That leads straight to pretending.
You’re welcome to join us;
The game’s never-ending.
63 Read Lines 1 through 4.
The empty lot down the block,
Is the best place to play,
Full of wood and stray papers,
Loose gravel and clay.
The rhyme in these lines occurs on
A Lines 1 and 4.
B Lines 2 and 4.
C Lines 1 and 3.
D Lines 2 and 3.
64 Choose the implied theme of this poem.
F Travel to distant lands requires only a walk and a pair of clear eyes.
G A child learns best in an inspirational environment.
H Work and play do not necessarily need to take place at different times.
J Ordinary items are transformed by an extraordinary imagination.
65 In this poem, the vacant lot is a metaphor for
A emptiness.
B adulthood.
C neglect.
D possibilities.
---------------------------------------Practice test 2
Save My Place
Save my place, would you?
I hate being in line,
Though everyone says that this show is so fine,
I don’t want to be here until I’m one hundred-nine.
5 So please be kind and save my place!
Save my place, would you?
I just need a drink,
It’s as dry and dusty as a desert, I think.
They should put up an awning, or install a sink.
10 I need to cool off but am coming right back!
Save my place, won’t you?
I must get a hat
To protect me from overhead birds that go splat
When they twitter and flitter above our heads — SCAT!
15 There they are! Just please save my place!
Save my place, will you?
I need to sit down,
For my legs are all shaky from standing around,
And I’ve wrinkled my glittery, pretty princess gown!
20 I’m the Queen, so you must save my place!
Save my place, servants!
A queen needs her throne!
You others can stand here, but I sit alone.
While you work at the waiting game, I moan and I groan
25 “Hurry UP! Why can’t we go in?”
Save my place — what happened?
Now where is that line
To get into the show that they say is so fine?
Do you have your ticket? I think I’ve lost mine.
30 I thought you were saving my place!
43 Read Line 20.
I’m the Queen, so you must save my place!
The author uses metaphor in this line to
A show the conceit of the speaker.
B show the acting skills of the speaker.
C explain why others follow the speaker’s orders.
D explain the speaker’s reasons for making requests.
44 The author wrote this poem to
F persuade readers to attend special performances.
G inform readers about proper etiquette while waiting in line.
H describe for readers what it is like to obtain tickets to a special show.
J entertain readers with a funny situation involving the speaker.
48 Which sentence best states the theme of the poem?
F Some people believe they are better than others.
G Waiting patiently demonstrates courteous behavior.
H There are many ways to deal with difficult people.
J Making demands of others shows confidence.
49 Read Lines 27 through 29.
Now where is that line
To get into the show that they say is so fine?
Do you have your ticket? I think I’ve lost
mine.
The sound effect used most in these lines is
A accent to stress the thoughts of the speaker.
B rhyme to emphasize a sense of playfulness.
C alliteration to add excitement to the speaker’s
feelings.
D onomatopoeia to share the concern in the
speaker’s voice.
50 What is the speaker’s main conflict?
F person vs. environment
G person vs. technology
H person vs. person
J person vs. self