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Poetry is a type of writing that creates meaning in a small amount of words and lines using:
So… what are the parts of a poem – by understanding them better we can watch out for reading comprehension questions that relate to them.
Given this, the main types of questions in reading comprehension that occur in poetry is:
Let's talk about the 'what' _and 'how'_ for the following 2 poems:
The Eagle
by Alfred Lord Tennyson
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
Sea Fever
by John Masefield
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking,
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
Let's look at these types of questions in the illustrated example below.
We'll also put into practice the approach to answering questions too.
Mrs Swipe Speaks Out
So I said to her I said
I'm not one to complain
I said as you know only too well
I said but if you think I'm going to
put up with this nonsense indefinitely
you've got another thing coming oh yes I said
please don't think you can come the bounce
on me I said because I've had just about
enough thank you very much I said
and the fact of the matter is I said
you can walk the whole length and breadth
of Varicose Street I said and you won't find
a more long-suffering and charitable
person than yours truly I said but
like the Good Book says every worm
must have its day and mine is
just around the corner I said so you needn't
stand there looking four-eyed and fish-faced
as if Meadow-Lea wouldn't melt in your mouth
since I have not the slightest intention of
prolonging this conversation any further live
and let live I said even though it seems
to me there's some as would be hard-pressed
to justify their miserable
existence naming no names of course
and I dropped the paper parcel of prawn-shells
over her side of the fence I believe
these are yours madam I said and although
it was a horrible cold day the look on _its _face
as I walked away kept me warm as toast
for the rest of the morning!
Bruce Dawe
1 The repetition of the expression "I said" suggest that the character was
A harsh and defensive.
B careless and intuitive.
C sophisticated and glamorous.
D hesitant and thoughtless.
2 In lines 12-14 the character uses a
A displeased tone.
B pleasant tone.
C condescending tone.
D sarcastic tone.
3 The word "worm" as used in line 15 refers to
A an insect.
B an animal.
C a person.
D an object.
4 The character uses the expression "live and let live" (lines 21-22) because he suggests that
A other people are responsible for making our lives pleasant.
B a person should let others live the way they want to live.
D we can have influence in other people lives.
C people should not judge others.
Key Rules to remember:
Now it's time to do your assignment.