Reading English II

In which lines does the poet use personification to create a somber mood?

• Lines 3 through 5

• Lines 9 and 10

• Lines 17 through 19

• Lines 28 and 29

20 And you never know why (I was lying before when I said I knew). You never know the force that drives you wild to paint that sky, that bird flying, and is never satisfied today

Lines 20 and 21 suggest that the speaker —

• wants to be honest about how little he understands the creative impulse

• does not want to mislead his daughter into believing that she has special talent

• is now willing to risk hurting his daughter’s self-esteem by telling her the truth about her work

• wants to admit his confusion about the sometimes-stifling life choices that creative people make

Read lines 26 and 27 from the poem.

This image can best be interpreted as meaning that —

• a child sees the sky as a magical ocean full of mysterious creatures

• the speaker hopes to save his daughter from a terrible future

• artists experience a sea of wild and unpredictable emotions

• there is a danger that artists may get lost in their own creations

30 (while the birds change from green to blue to brown).

The final line of the poem suggests that —

• the daughter will develop an interest in more practical pursuits as she matures

• the speaker expects his daughter’s art to transform as she grows older

• the daughter’s paintings will become more whimsical as she develops her technical skills

• the speaker believes that his daughter will one day be a successful professional artist

Which sentence describes a shift in the poem’s focus?

• In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s creative struggles, while in stanza 2, he imagines her eventual success as an artist.

• In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s paintings, while in stanza 2, he describes his own artwork.

• In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s art as an expression of childhood, while in stanza 2, he considers her future as a mature artist.

• In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s early artistic success, while in stanza 2, he questions whether she should pursue a career as a painter.

Read paragraph 15.

In this paragraph, the author uses imagery to —

• show the son’s fear of being touched by his father

• imply that the father may not really be dying after all

• emphasize how aged and decrepit the father appears to his son

• suggest that the son has little respect for his father

What does paragraph 16 reveal about the son?

• He blames himself for his father’s long absences.

• He thinks his father never gave them the opportunity to be close.

• He is too willing to forgive his father for lying.

• He is unwilling to share what he knows with his father

Which line of dialogue provides the best evidence that the father is questioning his priorities?

• “Now all that seems so unimportant, you know?”

• “Remembering a man’s stories makes him immortal, did you know that?”

• “I had dinner with a prime minister once, William.”

• “I wasn’t going to tell you about the two-headed lady, Mr. Smarty-pants,” he says.

3 “Let me guess,” I say. “He planted them and a huge vine grew up into the clouds, and at the top of the clouds was a castle, where a giant lived.” 4 “How did you know?” 5 “And a two-headed woman who served him tea, no doubt.”

In paragraphs 3 through 5, the phrases “Let me guess” and “no doubt” give the son’s dialogue a tone that is —

• naive

• hypercritical

• indignant

• sarcastic

17 “I’ll tell you what the problem was,” he says, lifting his hand from my knee and motioning for me to come closer. And I do. I want to hear. The next word could be his last.

Paragraph 17 suggests that the son is motivated to listen to his father because —

• he values his father’s advice

• he regrets not paying attention to his father in the past

• he believes his father is dying

• he believes his father will tell him a secret