Mini-Assessment on Poetry
In the following passage, William Wordsworth looks at the city of London in England and records what he sees and what he feels.
Composed Upon Westminster Bridge
1 Earth has not anything to show more fair;
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
3 A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
5 The beauty of the morning: silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theaters, and temples lie
7 Open unto the fields, and to the sky:
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air,
9 Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill:
11 Never saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
13 Dear God! The very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
1. Which is the poet’s purpose:
A. to tell the reader how he felt about London
B. to tell the reader that London was very old
C. to warn the reader against visiting London
D. to explain how large London is
2. The simile in lines 4 and 5 emphasizes which idea?
A. that the poet is growing tired of London
B. that the poet is growing old
C. that the poet enjoys taking trips outside of London
D. that the poet think London is a wonderful sight
3. The poet’s description of his reaction to London in line 11 suggests which of the following about his personality?
A. He is shy.
B. He feels deeply.
C. He is often bored.
D. He is full of fear.
4. At what time of day does the poet see London?
A. after lunch
B. during midday
C. at dusk
D. early in the morning
5. What does Wordsworth mean when he writes “The very houses seem asleep” in line 13?
A. London is quiet.
B. London is dangerous
C. The houses seem small.
D. People are busy at work.
The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler; long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
5 To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other; as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
10 Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads to way,
15 I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
20 And that has made all the difference.
6. Which of the following best describes the tone of the selection?
A. humorous
B. sorrowful
C. nostalgic
D. joyous
7. What does the poet suggest by using the title “The Road Not Taken”?
A. He thinks about what his life might have been.
B. He made the right choice.
C. He wishes he did not have to choose one path.
D. Both paths would have been good choices.
8. Which of the following quotations best expresses the theme of the poem?
A. “Two roads diverges in the yellow wood,/ And sorry I could not travel both”
B. “Because it was grassy and wanted wear”
C. “Yet knowing how way leads on to way,/ I doubted if I should ever come back.”
D. “I took the one less traveled by,/ And that has made all the difference.”
9. What effect does the author achieve with the imagery used in lines 11-12?
A. creating a visual image of the paths in the woods
B. offering the reader a choice
C. appealing to the reader’s sympathy
D. showing that neither path is better
10. What does the poet mean when he writes, “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence” in line 16?
A. He will forget why he chose his path.
B. He will reflect on this when he is older.
C. He would rather forget the choice that he made.
D. He will be frustrated with the path his life has taken.
11. The repetition of the word one in the first stanza emphasizes which of the following?
A. the way the poet feels about his choice
B. the fact that the poet could take only one of the paths
C. the appearance of the two paths
D. that this could only happen to the poet.
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
By Langston Hughes
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow
of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went
down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn
all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like rivers.
12. In the poem “the Negro Speaks of Rivers,” who is the speaker?
A. an African American who has visited the world’s major rivers
B. the spirit of African Americans in general through time
C. a very old African American who has traveled widely
D. a spiritual African American who loves rivers
13. In the poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” what literary device is the poet using when he writes, “My soul has grown deep like rivers”?
A. irony
B. personification
C. simile
D. metaphor
14. What does the poet of “the Negro Speaks of Rivers” mean when he writes, “I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it”?
A. Ancestors of African Americans built the Egyptian pyramids.
B. The speaker raised the pyramids to look over the Nile River.
C. The rulers of Egypt wanted to view the Nile from the pyramids.
D. The people who built the pyramids were very powerful.
15. What is the main idea of the Poem “the Negro Speaks of Rivers”?
A. Rivers have existed throughout many civilizations.
B. Africans Americans have long appreciated rivers.
C. African Americans have lived all over the world.
D. The history of African Americans is rich and deep.
16. Which word best describes the tone of “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”?
A. sorrowful
B. resigned
C. reflective
D. angry
Key for Mini-Assessment on Poetry
1. A
2. D
3. B
4. D
5. A
6. C
7. A
8. D
9. D
10. B
11. B
12. B
13. C
14. A
15. D
16. C