The Drought

The meter of “The Drought” is most like —.

• a thunderstorm

• a calm heartbeat

• an excited song

• an irregular drumbeat

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

The poem, “The Drought,” is different from a short story because —.

• the story of the drought and the farmer is incomplete

• the story of the drought and the farmer is in the third person

• the story of the drought and the farmer is told in a few lines

• the story of the drought and the farmer has no moral

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Why does the farmer walk quickly—at a sharpened pace—in line 2?

• He wants to feel more alive and hopeful.

• He is eager to get inside, out of the cold.

• He wants to escape from the dust quickly.

• He is hurrying to harvest his wheat crop.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

The phrase this season’s bitterness in line 6 is most likely a reference to ___________.

• the soil

• the drought

• the wheat

• the farm

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

In lines 7 and 8, the use of personification, or giving human qualities to an animal, object, or idea, is intended to show that ____________.

• the soil will be washed away in the first rain

• the farmer does not think that rain will come soon

• the soil will become healthy when the rain returns

• the farmer has waited too long for the rain

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

In the first and third lines of “The Drought,” the poet rhymes plains with the farmer’s veins. What is the effect of this rhyme?

• It connects the farmer to the plains.

• It likens the plains to a river.

• It compares the farmer to a field.

• It relates the plains to the wheat.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Which word best describes the rhyme scheme of “The Drought”?

• random

• missing

• complex

• regular

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

The first eight lines of the poem are one sentence. Which is a possible reason for why the poet chooses to punctuate her sonnet this way?

• The first eight lines underscore the extremes of weather.

• The first eight lines are about the drought only.

• The lines present the issue connecting the farmer to the plain.

• The lines describe the theme of farm life during drought.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

Read lines 11–14. The farmer would most likely agree with which saying below?

• Look for the silver lining.

• There is no use crying over spilled milk.

• When it rains, it pours.

• Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

The poet uses the word breath in the last line of the poem. What does this word symbolize?

• food

• spring

• rain

• life

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4