Never Give Up

How does the oak’s response to “many a blast that bowed her” help determine the theme of the poem?

• The oak becomes softer and weaker by letting the wind bend it.

• The oak risks breaking in half by trying to stand tall in the wind.

• The oak grows bigger and stronger by refusing to break in the wind.

• The oak proves its strength by ignoring the wind’s attempts to make it fall.

In the last stanza, what is the meaning of the phrase “easy work you beat”?

• giving up too soon

• finishing in first place

• succeeding without much effort

• keeping time while working with others

Which statement about the oak tree can be inferred from lines 9–12?

• The oak tree takes longer to grow each time its branches break in the wind.

• The oak tree bends without breaking in the wind and continues to grow.

• The oak tree refuses to bend or break no matter the wind’s strength.

• The oak tree is strong but can still fall down with powerful wind.

Which statement summarizes the poem?

• Like birds learning to fly or trees that bend and grow tall, people should not give up when they fail.

• Like birds falling or trees bending in the wind, people should not give up, unless they get hurt when they fail.

• People should not be judged poorly for giving up because everyone fails, including birds and trees.

• People should not give up if they fail, because winning prizes is the best reward for success.

Which is the meaning of sturdy as used in stanza 3?

• short

• tall

• strong

• weak

How does the speaker’s reflections about challenges determine the theme of the poem?

• She shows the importance of patience by describing how to avoid failure.

• She shows the importance of patience by describing when to try something different after failing.

• She shows the importance of not giving up by describing the prizes one wins when passing a test.

• She shows the importance of not giving up by describing how challenges can make a person stronger.

In line 15, what does “gaining victory from defeat” mean?

• Not winning, and being able to learn from it, is the real challenge.

• The more one is defeated, the more one loses.

• Losing can become a happy event.

• Winning really is everything.

What is the theme of the poem?

• Failure in nature is similar to people’s failure.

• Crying after losing is better than giving up completely.

• Earning success through continued effort brings meaningful victory.

• Winning prizes after completing difficult tests can be done through patient trying.