Twas the Night Before Christmas Comprehension Questions

Name:

1.What is the genre of this selection?

• historical fiction
• folktale
• poetry
• fable

2. Who is most likely the speaker in this selection?

• Mamma
• St. Nicholas
• Clement Clarke Moore
• Father

3. Based on the way it is used in line 9, what is the best meaning of the word "clatter"?

• a loud noise
• a bright light
• a shout
• a sleigh and reindeer

4. Why does the speaker refer to the sleigh as "miniature" in line 16?

• It is very tiny.
• It looks small because of the distance it is away.
• It is a toy.
• It is imaginary.

5. In line 29, what does "twinkling" mean?

• a shining star
• a bright light
• a moment in time
• a soft sound

6. What is the rhyme pattern of this selection?

• AABBCC
• ABABCDCD
• AABBAABB
• ABCDABCD

7.Which word best completes the graphic organizer?

• jolly old elf
• nice
• smiling mouth
• nose like a cherry

8. "The beard on his chin was as white as the snow" is an example of what literary technique?

• metaphor
• personification
• simile
• alliteration

9. What led the narrator to know he had nothing to dread?

• St. Nick laid his finger aside of his nose.
• St. Nick gave a wink of his eye and a twist of his head.
• St. Nick was chubby and plump.
• St. Nick made a promise.