The Sky Is Falling!

Read the following haiku by Baiko:



Plum petals falling
I look up...the sky,
a clear crisp moon.


This haiku is primarily about:


a. global warming
b. death
c. autumn
d. love










Scroll down for the answer.






















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b. is the correct answer. Why? Because of archetypes. Archetypes are symbols that stay the same in all cultures. Here we have leaves falling to the ground, which puts us in autumn time. Autumn is typically associated with death since the trees begin to die (or at least look like they are dying). Also the sky is crisp. The sky only has a crisp look when it gets cold outside, another indication of autumn or winter. Add to that the moon, which tells us that it is nighttime (yes, I know you can see the moon during the day, but typically it is associated with night). Night is, you guessed it, symbolic of death. So everything symbolically points to death, which is what this poem is about. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Baiko, the author. Oh, wait a minute, you can’t – he’s DEAD!

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Xenophobia!

Read the following excerpt from Memories by Marya Zaturensky:

From “Spinners”


Here in this alien crowd I walk apart
Clasping remembered beauty to my heart!


What is the meaning of the phrase “clasping remembered beauty”?

A. imagining future events
B. recalling past event
C. creating current events
D. forgetting past events








Scroll down for the answer.

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The answer is B. The idea that she is “clasping” something she remembers show a sentimental or nostalgic tone. She clearly holds these memories dear and doesn’t want to let them go or forget them. The word remembered clarifies that this is a thing of the past.

Thanks to Mrs. Cooper's second block class for this great question.  I am sure that you guys are Mrs. Cooper's favorite class by far.  Much better than those first block kids who are always causing her problems!

H2O

 "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge is an excellent poem about some freaky things that happen to this guy while on a boat on the ocean.  Currently, he and his crew are thirsting to death.

Read the following excerpt:

“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”

What is the above an example of?

a. hyperbole

b. imagery

c. situational irony

d. unreliable narrator

Scroll down for the answer.

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a. is incorrect.  While it might seem like he is exaggerating, he really does have water everywhere as he is floating on the ocean.

b. is incorrect.  You can make an argument that there is some description that is going on with the boards a shrink and all, but it is not the best answer here.

c. is correct.  You would think that if you were floating on an ocean that lack of water would be the least of your worries (you've got 99 worries and water ain't one), but since you can't drink the salt water, lack of water is very much indeed a problem (O.K., you've got 100 problems).

d. is incorrect.  We do not have enough to go on to determine if this narrator is reliable or not.

Look Closely

Look at the following logo:

This is an example of:

a. archetype
b. hyperbole
c. allusion
d. alliteration








Scroll down for the answer.








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c. is correct.  The winged foot in the middle is a reference to Hermes, Greek god of messengers.  He is really, really fast and so it Goodyear.

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The Stars and Stripes

Read the first stanza from "The Star Spangled Banner."

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

According to this stanza, where is the flag?

a. flying proudly over the fort
b. flying proudly over the land of the free and the home of the brave
c. destroyed by a bomb that burst in mid air
d. the author doesn't know where the flag is




















Scroll down for the answer.




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See that question mark at the end of the stanza?  The author is asking if the flag is still up.  Therefore the correct answer is d.


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Freebie - Ace the State Test

 Hello teachers!  Never fear, your daily question is just a downwards scroll away, but I wanted to give you a chance to grab the Last Minute EOC Tips presentation.  You can get it by going to https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Extreme-English-Teacher and grabbing the Free Download (should see it at the top right, but if not, just scroll the products until you see it).  I hope it helps!  If it does, please consider leaving a review.

A Sad Love Story

Read the passage below:

She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but she had to break it off.

This is an example of a(n):

a. alliteration             
b.  pun        

c. hyperbole
d. personification 










Scroll down for the answer
























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a. is incorrect - alliteration means repeating the same sounds at the beginning of words

b. is correct - a pun is a play on words.  Here, break it off has a double meaning that makes you think she may have needed to break his wooden leg, rather than break off the dating relationship

c. is incorrect - a hyperbole is an exaggeration used to make your point

d. is incorrect - personification gives something not human some human-like qualities ("The moon looks sad tonight," is an example.  The moon cannot look sad, it is a big hunk of green cheese floating in space)

By the way, if you like that pun, try reading the short story, "Good Country People."