Hope Is a Thing with Feathers

What does the word "it" (line 12) refer to?

• the sea, which stands for strangeness

• the land, which provides food

• a cookie, which crumbles easily

• the bird, which represents hope

Answer explanation

Remember Hope=bird=feathers=Hope

Which of the following best describes a central theme of the poem?

• Love and family help people get through tough times.

• Nature is the natural opponent of people.

• Overcoming obstacles requires great hope, strength, and resilience.

• One can always rely on hope to help overcome obstacles.

Answer explanation

Gale=strong winds. Bird=Hope overcomes the storm.

Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to question 4?

• "Hope" is the Thing with Feathers (Line 1)

• "That perches in the soul--/...And never stops--at all" (lines 2-4)

• "sore must be the storm--/ That could abash" (Lines 6-7)

• " I've heard it in the chilliest land--/ And on the strangest Sea--" (Lines 9-10)

Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to question 6: What does the storm most likely represent?

• "Hope" is the Thing with Feathers (Line 1)

• "sings the tune without the words" (Line 3)

• "abash the little Bird" (Line 7)

• "the strangest Sea" (Line 10)

Answer explanation

Seas are vast and hard to cross, especially during a storm.

What does the last stanza suggest about the speaker's point of view regarding hope?

• The speaker, having experienced difficulty, regards hope in a positive light, as it never asked anything of him/her.

• The speaker has experienced some troubled times but is now in a much better place

• The speaker thinks hope is helpful, but only to a certain point.

• The speaker thinks of hope as the only source of comfort in his/her life, even more than food (i.e. the "crumb").

Answer explanation

"Yet--never--in Extremity,

It asked a crumb --of Me." Meaning even in the extreme hardship hope never asked anything of him/her. It was there to help and provide comfort.

The figurative language in lines 6-7 shows--

• how strong the storm must be in order to disturb the bird.

• that if the bird flies into a storm, the storm will be sore.

• that the bird becomes angry when it encounters a storm.

• a storm must destroy any bird it comes into contact with.

Answer explanation

Gale=strong winds

What does the storm most likely represent?

• Hardship

• Death

• Sadness

• Danger

Answer explanation

Gale=Strong winds (Storm). The bird flies through and survives. However, it was a struggle (hardship)

What does the poet describe as the thing with feathers?

• life

• hope

• song

• soul

The poet says that hope "sings the tune without the words." Why might the poet have written that the tune has no words?

• To emphasize that hope does not need to be put into words to be felt

• to point out that it is very difficult for people to express whether they feel hopeful or not

• To suggest that people are usually unable to understand the feeling of hope

• To indicate that people who are always hopeful are also often forgetful

What is the theme of this poem?

• People need to work hard in order to maintain hope at all times.

• Hope is able to keep people warm even in the coldest, stormiest lands.

• Hope can survive through even the toughest times.

• Without hope, people would be much more sensible and realistic.