Sick by Shel Silverstein

Sick

by Shel Silverstein

Multiple Choice

*** Scroll down to read entire poem and question

Sick By Shel Silverstein

1“I cannot go to school today,”

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

“I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash, and purple bumps.

5 My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I’m going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox

And there’s one more – that’s seventeen,

10 And don’t you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut, my eyes are blue -

It might be instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I’m sure that my left leg is broke -

15 My hips hurt when I move my chin,

My belly button is caving in

My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained,

My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb,

20 have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

25My elbow is bent, my spine isn’t straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is – what?

30 What’s that? What’s that you say?

You say today is…Saturday?

G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

How many stanzas are in this poem?

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

Multiple Choice

The poet most likely titled this poem "SICK" because-

• it is about a girl that fakes being sick to get out of going to school.

• it is about a girl that has been sick for her whole life.

• it is about a girl whose parents are afraid to send her to send her to school in fear that she might get sick.

• he lists all the symptoms that a very brave and strong girl faces while fighting a disease.

Multiple Choice

Sick By ......

Who is the author?

• Peggy Ann McKay

• Sick

• Shel Silverback

• Shel Silverstein

Multiple Choice

What is the genre of the poem?

• fiction

• nonfiction

• prose

Multiple Choice

1“I cannot go to school today,”

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

“I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash, and purple bumps.

5 My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I’m going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox

...

30 What’s that? What’s that you say?

You say today is…Saturday?

G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

Which line in the poem shows imagery?

• line 30

• line 32

• line 1

• line 7

Multiple Choice

Sick By Shel Silverstein

1“I cannot go to school today,”

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

The reader can conclude that the main character

• Dislikes getting sick and staying in bed all day

• Does not want to miss school

• Enjoys going to school and learning

• Does not enjoy going to school and wants to stay home

Multiple Choice

15 My hips hurt when I move my chin,

My belly button is caving in

My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained,

My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb,

20 have a sliver in my thumb.

On line 17,which word is a synonym for wrenched?

• fixed

• injured

• not painful

• straight

Multiple Choice

Sick By Shel Silverstein

25My elbow is bent, my spine isn’t straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is – what?

30 What’s that? What’s that you say?

You say today is…Saturday?

G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

What does the speaker realize at the end of the poem?

• The speaker realized that there was no school that day.

• The speaker realized that his back and feel were hurting.

• The speaker was pretending to be sick when he actually was really sick.

• The speaker will get into a lot of trouble for lying.

Multiple Choice

Sick By Shel Silverstein

25My elbow is bent, my spine isn’t straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is – what?

30 What’s that? What’s that you say?

You say today is…Saturday?

G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

After reading this last stanza, the reader can conclude

• The speaker does not feel well and needs medicine.

• The speaker was pretending to be sick in order to miss a day of school.

• The speaker is happy to miss a day of school.

• The speaker is starting to feel sick and has to miss school.

Multiple Choice

Sick By Shel Silverstein

1“I cannot go to school today,”

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

“I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash, and purple bumps.

5 My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I’m going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox

Read line 7. This is an example of a

• theme

• repetition

• metaphor

• simile

Multiple Choice

What causes the girl in the poem to feel better at the end?

• medicine

• a warm bath

• she is taken to a hospital

• that it is Saturday

Multiple Choice

Which line from the poem uses imagery?

• I cannot go to school today

• I'm sure that my left leg is broke

• A gash, a rash and purple bumps

• My hips hurt when I move my chin

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the speaker of the poem?

• sad and worried

• mean and aggressive

• tricky and dramatic

• disappointed and let down

Multiple Choice

Which of the following lines rhyme in the poem?

• "I cannot go to school today,"

  "I have the measles and the mumps,

• My tonsils are as big as rocks,

  I've counted sixteen chicken pox

• I think my hair is falling out.

  My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight

• There is a hole inside my ear.

  I have a hangnail, and my heart is-what?

Multiple Choice

Drawing Conclusions: At the beginning of the poem the narrator thinks it is:

• a school day

• the weekend

• not enough information

Multiple Choice

Tone: Which word best describes the tone of this poem?

• sad

• excited

• playful

• disappointed

Multiple Choice

"My tonsils are as big as rocks" is an example of...

• a simile

• mood

• alliteration

• a metaphor

Multiple Choice

How does the narrator change from the beginning to the end of the story.

• At the beginning she feels sick. At the end she finds out that her friends are coming over

• At the beginning, she thinks she has to go to school. At the end, she realizes it is Saturday.

• At the beginning, she thinks that she has to go to school. She is excited because all of her friends will be at school that day. At the end she got sick and couldn't go to school.

Multiple Choice

Which is the best short summary of the poem?

• A little girl cannot go to school because she is very sick.

• A little girl pretends to be sick so she doesn't have to go to school.

• A little girl is trying to convince her mom to take her to the doctor.

Multiple Choice

From which point of view is this poem writtten?

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

Multiple Choice

What is the author's primary purpose for writing this poem?

• To explain

• To inform

• To persuade

• To entertain