Poetry Unit Test

The speaker in “My Papa’s Waltz” conveys the impression that

• His parents agree on how to raise a child

• Dancing with his father feels out of control

• His father is too careful with him

• Having fun with his father is rare

In “My Papa’s Waltz,” the speaker’s mother expresses her displeasure by

• Making noise in the kitchen

• Holding tightly to the speaker

• Sending the speaker off to bed

• Frowning at the dancing

Reread lines 13-14 of “My Papa’s Waltz.” What inference can you make about the speaker’s father?

• Rhythm is important to him

• Dancing is his favorite hobby

• He probably works with his hands

• He expects the speaker to dance well

You can make the inference that the women in “I Ask My Mother to Sing” are singing about

• What it is like to be a young girl

• The Speaker’s father and his accordion

• Places and events unknown to the speaker

• Various events that occur in nature

In the lyric poem “I Ask My Mother to Sing,” how does the speaker feel about the singing?

• Enthusiastic to hear the women’s stories

• Mystified by the description of water lilies

• Lonesome for the Summer Palace

• Regretful that the father cannot hear it

Reread lines 10-12 of “I Ask My Mother to Sing.” What idea does the imagery evoke?

• A sense of balance exists in nature

• Spending a day in the rain is enjoyable

• Childhood memories are important

• Surviving in bad weather takes effort

Which quote helps you infer the speaker’s age during the events recalled in “Grape Sherbet”?

• “The recipe’s a secret and he fights a smile, his cap turned up”

• “That morning we galloped through the grassed-over mounds and named each stone”

• Each dollop of sherbet, later, is a miracle, like salt on a melon that makes it sweeter.”

• “Everyone agrees- it’s wonderful. It’s just how we imagined lavender would taste.”

What does the speaker in “Grape Sherbet” mean by the statement “each dollop of sherbet, later, is a miracle, like salt on a melon that makes it sweeter” in lines 12-15?

• The sherbet would taste sweeter if it had salt on it

• The sherbet has made an enjoyable day even better

• The speaker recalls the sherbet as sweeter than it was

• It is a miracle that grape sherbet can taste so delicious

The speaker in “Grape Sherbet” says “I’ve been trying to remember the taste, but it doesn’t exist” in lines 25-27. Why might the speaker have a difficult time remembering the taste of the sherbet?

• The speaker never tasted the sherbet

• Too many years have passed

• The father never shared the recipe

• Taste is a difficult memory to recreate

The poems “My Papa’s Waltz,” “I Ask My Mother to Sing,” and “Grape Sherbet” describe

• Family memories

• Holiday traditions

• People dancing

• Song lyrics