In the Ebony Room

The poet titled this poem "In the Ebony Room" most likely because -

• the students and teachers fall asleep

• it is raining outside

• the students cannot go outside and play

• the classroom becomes dark

The reader can tell the poem is written in free-verse form because it does not have-

• a serious subject

• plot and conflict

• a rhyming pattern

• a common theme

The paragraph above the title of the poem is included to-

• help readers understand how the students feel about school

• show readers the appearance of the wooden shutters

• encourage the reader to think about their own classroom

• let the readers know why the classroom in Africa is dark

In the second stanza, how does the rain affect the students?

• they are fascinated by the noise of the storm

• they are happy to have a break from their lessons

• they are bored because recess has been cancelled

• they are upset because they must stay in their seats

Read these lines from the second stanza: On wooden desks students rest their heads. On wooden tables teachers rest their heads. The repetition in these lines emphasizes the idea that-

• school work is boring for students and teachers

• the desks are an uncomfortable place to rest

• the storm affects everyone in the classroom

• some students have nowhere to sit

The poet uses lines 29 through 33 to signal that the students change from-

• cheerful to disinterested

• sleepy to frustrated

• anxious to curious

• interested to bored

Line 34 states that the rain has "a mind of its own". Which of the following lines supports this image?

• And the whistling wind

• Stop, rain, stop

• I will rain till I'm through

• So in the dark room we nod and doze

What is a theme of the poem?

• Mother Nature can be cruel and unfair to the Earth.

• Rain often spoils fun for students.

• Students learn best in unpredictable environments.

• Rain is a gift that helps the Earth care for itself.

Which of these lines from the poem helps the reader know what the word pupils means in line 28?

• On the wooden windpanes

• Stop, rain, stop

• Come back another day

• We cannot go home to our parents

What idea does the poet convey through the description of the weather in lines 2 through 9?

• That a rainstorm is coming

• That the teachers are concerned

• That the children are fearful

• That the school is unsafe