The Village Blacksmith

Which of the following describes the style of "Old Ironsides"?

• It is distinctive, innovative, and uniquely American

• It is complex and difficult to understand

• It is experimental and modern

• It is similar to that of many European poems

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Why did Oliver Wendell Holmes write about the USS Constitution when rumors held that the ship was going to be scrapped?

• The ship was one on which Holmes had served during the War of 1812

• Holmes agreed with the decision to scrap the USS Constitution

• The ship was a link to the nation's history and a symbol of it's strength

• Holmes regularly wrote about military history of the United States

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Read this excerpt from the first stanza of "Old Ironsides"

Beneath it rung the battle shout,

And burst the cannon's roar; --

The meteor of the ocean air

Shall sweep the clouds no more.

The battle imagery in this excerpt suggests ________.

• the financial cost of war

• the necessity of war

• the eternal nature of war

• the frenzied danger of war

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By call Old Ironsides the "eagle of the sea" in the poem's second stanza, Holmes uses

• hyperbole to exaggerate the importance of the ship to the United States

• onomatopoeia to link the ship to the sounds it makes when moving in the water

• symbolism to associate the ship with the strength of the United States

• personification to give the ship, an inanimate object, human traits and qualities

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By writing "Old Ironsides," Oliver Wendell Holmes asserted that the United States _______

• was too young to be considered among the great nations of the world

• would be conquered by the nations of Europe if it scrapped Old Ironsides

• was a nation of pious and industrious citizens and a place of great possibility

• was every bit as strong, proud, and important as the older nations of Europe

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In the first stanza of "The Village Blacksmith," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow highlights the central figure's _______

• great intelligence

• physical strength

• sense of humor

• unending curiosity

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After reading the lines "His brow is wet with honest sweat,/He earns whate'er he can," readers are likely to view the blacksmith as ___________

• industrious

• courageous

• pious

• intelligent

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The description of the blacksmith wiping the tears from his eyes after thinking about his late wife shows that he may be physically strong but he is ____________

• bitter and disillusioned

• discouraged by the actions of the government

• fundamentally flawed

• sensitive and caring

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By the end of "The Village Blacksmith", Longfellow makes clear to readers that __________

• the blacksmith will soon retire from his work and enjoy old age

• the blacksmith is someone people would do well the emulate

• the blacksmith is they type of person who is uncommon in America

• the blacksmith has many flaws to balance his virtues

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Why is "The Village Blacksmith" a part of America's national mythology?

• The blacksmith embodies the vast untapped potential and possibility of America as opposed to the limitations of Europe

• The blacksmith embodies many core American values and is the backbone of a typical American community

• The blacksmith represents the proud military history of the United States and its willingness to stand up to tyrants

• The blacksmith represents the technological advances that sparked America's growth and industrialization

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