Determining the Theme of a Poem

Which of the following choices BEST describes what a theme is?

• A theme is a life lesson that the reader can take away from a story or poem.
• A theme is where and when a story or poem takes place.
• A theme is an issue that a character has throughout a story or poem.
• A theme is how a character solves a problem and what they do.

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CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

How is the theme of the poem "The House by the Side of the Road" shared through the speaker's words?

• The speaker believes that hope gives all people a reason to live.
• The speaker believes it's all good to offer criticism to help people improve.
• The speaker believes that he should only sit and observe what people do and say.
• The speaker believes that people should be accepted as they are.

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CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.5

Choose a line from the poem "The House by the Side of the Road" that best supports this theme: "People should be accepted as they are".

• "But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears..."
• "Let me live in a house 
• "Both parts of an infinite plan..."
• "Let me live in a house by the side of the road..."

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CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Choose a line from the poem "The House by the Side of the Road" that best supports this theme: "People should be accepted as they are".

• "Let me live in a house by the side of a road..."
• "I see from my house by the side of the road..."
• "And be a friend to man..."
• "By the side of the highway of life..."

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CCSS.RL.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

Choose a line from the poem "The House by the Side of the Road" that best supports this theme: "People should be accepted as they are".

• "Both parts of an infinite plan..."
• "I would not sit in the scorner's seat, Nor hurl the cynic's ban..."
• "Let me live in a house by the side of the road..."
• "Where the race of men go by..."

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CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.4.5

CCSS.RL.5.5

Which of the following details in the poem "The House by the Side of the Road" shows what the poem is MOSTLY about? 

• Sitting in a scorner's seat.
• Being a friend to everyone that passes by their house by the side of the road.
• Sitting on a highway with cars.
• Having a race against other men.

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CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.5

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.5

What does the poet mean when they say, "Let me live in a house by the side of the road, and be a friend to man."

• The poet means they are actually sitting on a porch and talking to people in real life.
• The poet means they are living in a house and watching other people walking down the road.
• The poet means that they want to be respectful and accept everyone they meet.
• The poet means they want to be friends with everyone, even if they don't like them.

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CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.4.5

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.5

What does the poet mean when they write about their feelings that other people are "as good and as bad as I"?

• The poet means that the other people have done horrible things.
• The poet means that they don't judge other people and they are kind to others.
• The poet means that other people do good things. 
• The poet means that they live in a house with good and bad people.

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CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.4.5

CCSS.RL.5.4

What details from the second stanza of the poem "The House by the Side of the Road" describe the people that the speaker sees from his house?

• The speaker sees people who are "faint with the strife".
• The speaker sees people who are walking on a "highway of life".
• The speaker sees people that are a "friend to man". 
• The speaker sees people that are in a "race of man".

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CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.4.5

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.5

What do you think are the two parts of the  "infinite plan" that the speaker refers to in the second stanza of the poem?

• Both parts of the infinite plan is that people are traveling the highway and living in a house.
• Both parts of the infinite plan is that it is never-ending and hard.
• Both parts of the infinite plan include the good times--smiles--and the bad times--tears.

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CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.3.5

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.4.5

CCSS.RL.5.4