Slam, Dunk, & Hook Figurative Language Review

In the line "Muscles were a bright motor" (line 21), what does the metaphor "bright motor" suggest about the players' muscles?

• They were weak and unreliable.

• They are powerful and energetic.

• They are clumsy and inefficient.

• They are smooth and quiet.

What is emphasized by the use of the simile "Swish of strings like silk" (line 5)?

• The sound of the ball hitting the net is harsh and jarring.

• The movement of the players is rough and uncoordinated.

• The sound of the ball going through the net is smooth and soft.

• The game is being played in a fancy setting.

In the lines "A high note hung there / A long second" (lines 11-12), what does the personification of the "high note" suggest?

• The note was played on a musical instrument.

• The moment was suspended and drawn out.

• The players were singing during the game.

• The note was very loud and clear.

Which of the following lines most vividly creates an image of the players' physical exertion?

• "Fast breaks. Lay ups." (line 1)

• "We outmaneuvered the footwork/ of bad angels. " (lines 3-4)

• "Glistening with sweat" (line 21)

• "We had moves we didn't know/ We had." (lines 35-36)

What does the metaphor "roundhouse Labyrinth our bodies / Created" (lines 6-8) suggest about the basketball court?

• It was circular and confusing.

• It was a simple straightforward space.

• It was a dangerous and frightening space.

• It was a place of isolation and loneliness.

The simile "glide like a sparrow hawk" (line 33) compares a player's movement to a bird. What does this suggest about the player's movement?

• It is clumsy and awkward.

• It is swift and graceful.

• It is aggressive and forceful.

•  It is slow and hesitant.

What is the effect of the personification in the line "Trouble / Was there slapping a blackjack / Against an open palm" (lines 29-31)?

• It makes "trouble" seem distant and unreal.

• It makes "trouble" seem playful and harmless.

•  It makes "trouble" seem present and threatening

• It makes "trouble" seem confused and uncertain

Which of these lines creates the strongest image of the intensity and force of the players' actions?

•  "With Mercury's / Insignia on our sneakers" (lines 2-3)

• "We were metaphysical when girls / Cheered on the sidelines." (lines 18-19)

•  "Our backboard splintered." (line 26)

• "We had moves we didn't know / We had." (lines 35-36)

In the line, "lyric slipknot / Of joy" (lines 38-39), the phrase "lyric slipknot" is a metaphor. What does it suggest about the players' experience of joy?

• The joy was fragile and easily broken.

• The joy was complex and tightly bound.

• The joy was simple and straightforward.

• The joy was deceptive and dangerous.

Read the following lines from the poem:

"In the roundhouse

Labyrinth our bodies

Created, we could almost

Last forever, poised in midair

Like storybook sea monsters." (lines 7-10)

What does the simile "like storybook sea monsters" suggest about the players?

• They are graceful and majestic in their movements.

  
  

• They are clumsy and awkward.

• They are frightening and intimidating.

• They are mythical and unreal.