"A Blessing" - Assessment

1.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

At what time of day do the events in "A Blessing" take place?

sunrise

midday

twilight

midnight

2.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

In "A Blessing," what have the ponies come "out for the willows" to do?

greet visitors

watch cars go by

graze in the woods

leap over the fence

3.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

In "A Blessing," which of the following represents the separation between people and animals?

the highway

the pasture

the woods

the fence

4.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

In "A Blessing," what is most likely the "blessing"?

the spring grasses that grow in the pasture

the light breeze that moves over the landscape

the relationship between the speaker and his friend

the feeling of closeness between humans and animals

5.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Where are you most likely to find a blossom?

in the sky

in a garden

inside a gymnasium

on top of concrete wall

6.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Which is the most likely meaning of shyly in the following sentence?

On her first day at her new school, Layla shyly asked her teacher where the water fountain was.

loudly

timidly

rudely

clearly

7.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

In which of the following situations is the person most likely to feel loneliness?

All of Jacob's friends attended his birthday party

Max helped his younger sister with her homework

With her brothers gone, Ingrid enjoyed reading alone in the quiet house

On her first day of camp, Rose sat alone, missing her parents and friends

8.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Read these lines from "A Blessing.":

And the eyes of those two Indian ponies

Darken with kindness

They have come gladly out of the willows...

Which words in these lines make the horses seem human?

eyes, ponies

ponies, kindness

kindness, gladly

gladly, willows

9.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

In "A Blessing," what effect do the ponies have on the speaker?

They make him feel sad

They bring up old memories

They make him feel alive

They cause him to be careful

10.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Which passage from "A Blessing" most clearly supports the effect the ponies have on the speaker?

We step over the barbed wire into the pasture / Where they have been grazing all day, alone

They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other. / There is no loneliness like theirs.

I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms, / For she has walked over to me...

Suddenly I realize / That if I stepped out of my body I would break / Into blossom

11.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

In "A Blessing," the speaker says the horses have been "grazing all day, alone". What does he mean by this?

The horses have been grazing far from the city

The horses have been grazing apart from each other

The horses have been grazing without commpany

The horses have been grazing one at a time, taking turns

12.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

With which statement would the speaker in "A Blessing" most likely agree?

Moments of silent communication between people and animals are a gift

People who believe they are communicating with animals are mistaken

Friends can communicate best when they are surrounded by nature

People with rare and special gifts are able to communicate with animals

13.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Which passage from "A Blessing" contains alliteration?

And the eyes of those two Indian ponies / Darken with kindness

They love each other. / There is no loneliness like theirs

They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness

For she has walked over to me / And nuzled my left hand

14.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

What is the effect of the phrases identified in the alliteration

It compares the horse to a human

It gives hints about the time of day

It shows the relationship of the friends

It presents a connection between the horses

15.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

In which line from "A Blessing" is a simile used?

They have come gladly out of the willows...

We step over the barbed wire...

They bow shyly as wet swans

I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms

16.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

What is the effect for the simile?

It gives the speaker the qualities of a hose

It suggests that the horses are prickly and tense

It gives the horses' movements a graceful quality

It suggests that the speaker visits the pasture daily

17.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Read these lines from "A Blessing"

Suddenly I realize

That if I stepped out of my body I would break

Into blossom

What makes the image in this line a metaphor?

The "b" sound is repeated.

The word break is at the end of a line.

The speaker imagines that he is a blossom.

The speaker uses the word "I" to refer to himself.

18.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Which word best describes the tone of "A Blessing"?

sorrowful

playful

suspenseful

peaceful

19.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Read the following sentence.

The horse enjoys it when you stroke its neck.

Which of the following sentences uses the multiple-meaning word stroke in the same way as the example?

My mother used to gently stroke my forehead when I was sick

She recovered after her mild stroke

The brush stroke made a beautiful line on the paper

His favorite swim stroke is the butterfly

20.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

One meaning of the word fair is "beautiful." Which sentence uses fair with this meaning?

The child's fair skin sunburns easily

In the folktale, the fair princess is chosen to be the queen

A judge must be fair and allow both sides to make a case

Every summer, I love going to the country fair and riding the Ferris wheel

21.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Which word in the sentence is NOT an action verb

The squirrel seemed to pause and think before it leaped onto the trunk of the tree

pause

think

leaped

seemed

22.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

Which word in this sentence is a linking verb?

Before she learned to train horses, Maria was afraid of large animals

was

she

train

afraid

23.

Multiple Choice

30 sec

1 pt

How would this sentence be correctly rewritten to show simple future tense?

The ponies grazed among the grasses along the fence

The ponies gaze among the grasses along the fence

The ponies did graze among the grasses along the fence

The ponies will have grazed among the grasses along the fence

The ponies will graze among the grasses along the fence

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