1 From whose perspective is the poem told? First-person perspective of a woman gathering water from a burst municipal pipe Someone recounting the scene of a burst water pipe in an impoverished community afflicted with drought. First-person perspective of an adult recounting the instance of a burst municipal pipe when they were a child First-person perspective from the perspective of someone living in poverty 2 Describe the poem's stanzas. Five stanzas of varying length Three quatrains Four stanzas of varying length Four quatrains 3 Which of the following is NOT a metaphor or simile? "silver crashes to the ground" "the voice of a kindly god" "The skin cracks like a pod" "the small splash" 4 What is a metaphor? The repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession Metaphor is a description of one thing as a different, unrelated thing Metaphor is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated using the words "like" or "as" A person, object, place, event, or action that suggests more than its literal meaning 5 Finish this quote: "The skin cracks like _" a seed the ground a pipe a pod 6 Define "pod" as used in the poem. a flowering plant's unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant an elongated seed vessel of a leguminous plant such as the pea, splitting open on both sides when ripe the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers. a detachable or self-contained unit on an aircraft, spacecraft, vehicle, or vessel, having a particular function 7 Which is the shortest stanza? The second The third The fourth The first 8 What is the effect of the shortest stanza? There is no effect To convey the severity of drought To show an outpouring of water To demonstrate a bursting pipe 9 What is the poem's meter? Iambic tetrameter Iambic trimeter Free verse Iambic pentameter 10 Which is an example of onomatopoeia? echo fortune mug drip 11 What is onomatopoeia? The repetition of vowel sounds without repeating consonants The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated using the words "like" or "as" The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words 12 Where has Dharker specified as the setting of "Blessing"? Bhalsw in Delhi Daravi in Bombay Rajendra Nagar in Bangalore Dharavi in Mumbai 13 Is the exact setting (name of the community) specified in the poem? Yes—Daravi in Bombay Yes—Dharavi in Mumbai No Yes—Rajendra Nagar in Bangalore 14 Which of the following is not a symbol in the poem? Light The municipal Pipe Water Pots 15 What is the poem's tone? Critical, Hopeful Joyful, Celebratory Pensive, Happy Bitter, Bleak 16 What word is NOT used to describe water? Blessing Silver Flow Gold 17 What does the blessing do at the end of the poem? Sing over the small bones of the children Sing to the people gathering Roar out from the pipe Flow towards the river 18 Which of the following best alludes to how densely populated the neighborhood is? and naked children screaming in the liquid sun with pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plastic buckets There never is enough water. every man woman child for streets around butts in 19 Which sense does Dharker particularly engage with in this poem? Gustatory Tactile Auditory Olfactory 20 Which is a synecdoche? and naked children screaming in the liquid sun, frantic hands the sudden rush The skin cracks like a pod. 21 What is synecdoche? A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated. A person, object, place, event, or action that suggests more than its literal meaning. A word, name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated 22 In the poem, water is personified as a: A fellow community member A child A lover Deity 23 Which of the following is NOT an explicit theme in the poem? The importance of water The active struggle between the community and the government Drought The presence of children 24 What does water transform into when the pipe bursts? A form of currency and a blessing A form of currency that causes strife An angry god A killing force 25 What do the children reveal as being necessary to life? Gratitude, solemnity, and prayer Resilience, street smarts, and enjoyment Prayer, presence, and obedience Enjoyment, gratitude, and play