The Runaway

In "The Runaway" what feelings does the colt arouse in the speaker?

• Protective and caring
• angry and bitter
• fearful and intimidating
• joyful and pleasant

All of the following words describe the colt in "The Runaway" except

• little
• frightened
• winter-broken
• quick-footed

Why does the speaker use the metaphor "miniature thunder" to describe the sound of the colt's fleeing in "The Runaway"?

• It is raining outside.
• The colt is afraid of lightning.
• The colt's hooves on the ground as he runs sound like thunder.
• The snow muffles the noise of the colt's fleeing.

When the speaker says that the colt in "The Runaway" isn't "winter-broken" he means that 

• no one has put a saddle on the colt this winter.
• the colt can still run through the snow quickly.
• the colt isn't accustomed to winter yet.
• the colt was born in the spring.

Why does the speaker use the simile "like a shadow against the curtain of falling flakes" to describe how the colt looks in "The Runaway"?

• The colt is moving so quickly you can barely see him.
• The snow makes it nearly impossible to see the colt.
• The colt is playing a game with the speaker.
• The colt looks dim and gray against a white background.

In the last three lines of "The Runaway", what is the speaker's tone toward the colt's owners?

• disapproving
• disappointed
• friendly
• neighborly

The speaker uses personification in "The Runaway" to tell us what the colt's mother might have told him.  What lesson might this mother have taught her colt?

• Keep out of the field in this kind of weather.
• The snow won't hurt you; you'll get used to it.
• The thunder makes a loud noise, but it is nothing to be frightened of.
• The men are there to protect you; trust them.

How does the poet feel that the colt in "The Runaway" would respond to his mother's lesson?

• He would calm down.
• He would think she was angry at him.
• He wouldn't believe her.
• He would run away from her.

If you think of the colt in "The Runaway" as a symbol for young people, what might the poet be telling us?

• Young people need to learn about life for themselves.
• People are like horses.
• Adults always know better.
• Don't be scared of the weather.

Which of the following choices is an example of slant rhyme in "The Runaway"?

• fall/wall
• eyes/flies
• straight/late
• flakes/play