Name: ______
Poetry Ingredients Quiz
Match the literary terms below with their definitions.
- Rhyme ______A. a comparison between two things using “like” or “as.”
- Rhythm ______B. a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
- Alliteration ______C. a comparison between a non-human and a human.
- Onomatopoeia ______D. a word that sounds like what it means
- Imagery ______E. repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of two
or more words
- Simile ______F. the repetition of the ending sounds of words
- Metaphor ______G. a comparison between two things that does not use
the words “like” or “as.”
- Personification ______H. vivid descriptions of things seen, heard, smelled,
touched, or tasted
Mark the rhyme scheme for each of the following poems. The first line of each is labeled for you.
- Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
- Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children’s faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.
*** Extra Credit: 1. Who is the author of the poem “We Real Cool”?
2. Instead of rhyme, very early poems in English used ______.
Turn the page over … there’s more poetry fun on the back!
- Circle the poem below that has a regular pattern of rhythm (also called a meter).
“The Termite,” by Ogden Nash
Some primal termite knocked on wood
And tasted it, and found it good!
And that is why your cousin May
Fell through the parlor floor today.
“Spectacular,” by Lilian Moore
Listen,
a bird is singing.
Look,
up there!
He’s on the rooftop
clinging
to the TV aerial
singing
on prime time –
and no sponsor!
Match the literary terms to the examples.
- Alliteration ______A. “My skin is like a canvas tent”
- Onomatopoeia ______B. “Gray cat winter prowls the farm”
- Imagery ______C. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”
- Simile ______D. “the South Wind is a baker”
- Metaphor ______E. “the bathroom sink drip-drips, drip-drips”
- Personification ______F. “the golden sunlight flashing”
Read this poem. Then, underline examples of three different poetry ingredients (rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, personification) and label them in the space next to the poem.
“Balloons,” by Deborah Chandra
Such swollen creatures
Holding their breath
While they swim
Dreamily from
Room to room.
Swaying slightly,
They wander the air-wisps,
Bumping and rubbing along the walls
Until they feel their fat backs
Bob against the ceiling.
Wanting nothing,
They drift and sleep –
Bald as babies,
Smooth moons of blue and red,
Nodding drowsy, spellbound heads.