Question 1

In line 24, why does the speaker say that he found “sweetness and pride” in the first tomato?

Accepted Answer

He has worked hard to grow the tomatoes.

Answer

He has planted a very sweet-tasting variety of tomato.

Answer

Tomatoes are his favorite food to eat.

Answer

He knows the next tomato will not taste as good.

Question 2

Stanza 4 is important to the poem because it shows —

Accepted Answer

the speaker’s commitment to his garden

Answer

the speaker’s lack of experience with gardening

Answer

the way the speaker feels about his brothers

Answer

the changes the speaker notices in his plants

Question 3

Read these lines from the poem. The poet uses these lines to show that the speaker feels —

Accepted Answer

defeated by the storm

Answer

burdened by the amount of work required to manage a garden

Answer

confused by the effect the rain had on the garden

Answer

concerned that the storm has not ended

Question 4

The poet organizes the poem by —

Accepted Answer

presenting the order of events in the speaker’s experience

Answer

listing the growing phases of the speaker’s tomato plants

Answer

noting the frequent changes in the speaker’s emotions

Answer

explaining the reasons for each of the speaker’s actions

Question 5

Which line from the poem presents a problem that the speaker cannot control?

Accepted Answer

One night it rained so fiercely that

Answer

To keep away the birds that hoped to eat

Answer

Of pests for whom green leaves mean lunch.

Answer

Tomatoes in the strip of clay

Question 6

Which line from the poem suggests that people in covered wagons experienced the conditions of the land?

Accepted Answer

They knew the ruts and the rocks.

Answer

we’re going as far

Answer

Their biscuits were tough.

Answer

mountains of froth and foam.

Question 7

The poet organizes the poem as she does in order to —

Accepted Answer

show how travel today differs from travel in the past

Answer

detail the changes in travel throughout history

Answer

explain why people travel in planes

Answer

highlight the reasons people traveled in covered wagons

Question 8

Why does the poet include stanzas 3 and 4?

Accepted Answer

To suggest that travel by wagon had both advantages and disadvantages

Answer

To explain why pioneers wanted to cross the prairie by wagon

Answer

To prove that traveling by wagon was more fun than air travel

Answer

To describe what a covered wagon could carry

Question 9

The poet suggests that pioneers had to —

Accepted Answer

carry only a few necessities

Answer

travel mostly at night

Answer

rely on strangers for help

Answer

grow their own food

Question 10

The poet includes the pilot’s statement in stanza 1 in order to —

Accepted Answer

give passengers an idea of how fast modern air travel is

Answer

tell the passengers where they are going

Answer

describe how pioneers traveled

Answer

explain the disadvantages of covered wagons

Question 11

What does the poet suggest about the tree in lines 24 through 30?

Accepted Answer

It has witnessed many events through the years.

Answer

It is nearing the end of its life.

Answer

It has many descriptions of events carved into its wood.

Answer

It was in danger one year during a particularly rainy season.

Question 12

Which lines from the poem suggest that the tree deserves respect?

Accepted Answer

Her face looks out to the world, A grandmother to us all.

Answer

Smelled the dew on summer dawns, And felt the moist soil at her feet.

Answer

And she changes her clothes each season: A dress of pink blossoms in the spring,

Answer

She has scarred wood, With intricate designs carved into her face.

Question 13

Which word best describes the speaker’s attitude toward the tree?

Accepted Answer

Appreciative

Answer

Cheerful

Answer

Envious

Answer

Sorrowful

Question 14

Why are the first and third lines of the poem echoed in the last stanza?

Accepted Answer

To highlight that the age of the tree makes it special

Answer

To remind the reader of the importance of the environment

Answer

To explain what the speaker enjoys most about the tree’s appearance

Answer

To show how large the tree has grown

Question 15

Read lines 5 through 10 from the poem. The poet uses personification in these lines most likely to show that the tree —

Accepted Answer

has become stronger as it has matured

Answer

prevents smaller plants from having room to grow

Answer

protects the other trees

Answer

provides a warning about approaching danger

Question 16

The poet begins the last three stanzas with the word “I” in order to —

Accepted Answer

emphasize how the speaker connects with the desk

Answer

show that the speaker spends most of his free time in his room

Answer

suggest that the speaker does not like people coming into his room

Answer

develop the idea that the speaker’s desk has a special purpose

Question 17

Which line from the poem best suggests that the speaker feels a sense of happiness about having the desk?

Accepted Answer

rub my hands over the surface,

Answer

painted bright orange

Answer

and a few pencils inside.

Answer

bigger and deeper

Question 18

The poet uses the last line of the poem to —

Accepted Answer

emphasize that the speaker thinks that the desk has dramatically changed his room

Answer

show that the desk drawer is large enough to hold the speaker’s maps and stamps

Answer

explain that the speaker likes to collect maps and stamps

Answer

suggest that the only place the speaker would like to be is in his room

Question 19

Read lines 6 and 7 from the poem. The poet uses the simile in these lines to describe —

Accepted Answer

the quickness and fullness of the butterfly’s spreading wings

Answer

the damage the wind has done to the butterfly’s wings

Answer

the size of the butterfly’s wings compared to a ship’s sails

Answer

the colors of the butterfly’s new wings

Question 20

The poet includes stanzas 1 through 3 most likely to —

Accepted Answer

describe the actions of the butterfly as a beautiful event

Answer

show that the speaker is watching more than one butterfly

Answer

emphasize the effect the butterfly has on its surroundings

Answer

highlight the speaker’s memories of observing the butterfly

Question 21

Which lines from the poem best express the speaker’s anticipation of a future event?

Accepted Answer

But someday I will meet your kin That will bring beauty back to my tree,

Answer

You leave behind your chrysalis husk That kept you safely wrapped in a bundle

Answer

They shimmer brightly in a new world; White dots and black stripes on rust.

Answer

Cracking the capsule of crystal that captures Your beautiful body and budding wings.

Question 22

Why does the poet include a simile in line 22?

Accepted Answer

To express the idea that the area will be less beautiful without the butterflies

Answer

To identify another animal that inhabits the area

Answer

To emphasize the delicateness of the butterflies

Answer

To describe how the butterflies become less attractive over time

Related quizzes

Related quizzes