Dreams Deferred / Harlem

What is a "dream deferred"?

• a) a dream that is postponed or delayed

• b) a dream that one has to pursue on his own

• c) a dream that is fulfilled

• d) a dream that can only happen with the support of family

Which of the following lines is an example of imagery focusing the sense of smell?

• a) "And then run?"

• b) "Does it stink like rotten meat?"

• c) "Or crust and sugar over"

• d) "Or does it explode?"

What is the meaning of the word "fester" in the the following line: "Or fester like a sore--" ?

• a) to get larger

• b) to rot

• c) to become infected

• d) to heal

What is the author's tone throughout the poem?

• a) excitement

• b) gratitude

• c) loneliness

• d) frustration

Which type of figurative language is represented in the following line:

"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?"

• a) simile

• b) metaphor

• c) personification

• d) hyperbole

Why is the poem Harlem significant to the black community?

• a) It represented the migration of black Americans to Harlem and the success of their dreams after the Civil War

• b) It represented the black view of life in the late 1800s and the postponement of their dreams

• c) all of the above

• d) none of the above

In the poem, the most appropriate synonym for "dream" is?

• a) memory

• b) wish

• c) goal

• d) fantasy

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load

Line 9 and 10 appeal to__________

• a) the sense of taste

• b) the sense of sound

• c) the sense of smell

• d) the sense of sight

The speaker of “Harlem” offers several possible answers to his first question in line 1: “What happens to a dream deferred?” Which statement below best captures the answer he believes in most?

• a) A dream that is not pursued has potentially violent consequences.

• b) A dream that is not pursued makes you empty inside.

• c) A dream that is not pursued makes you even more motivated.

• d) A dream that is not pursued eventually fades away.