Mother, any distance greater than a single span Quizzes

Mother, any distance greater than a single span Quiz

1 What is the official title of this poem?
The poem is untitled and so the first line is used to refer to the poem

"Mother"

"Distance"

"Mother, May I"
2 What collection does this poem come from?
Seeing Stars

Zoom!

The Owl and the Nightingale

Book of Matches
3 When was the collection published?
1986

2002

1993

2003
4 Finish this line: "Mother, any distance greater___"
longer than my hand

than a single span

than a certain span

than five acres
5 In the poem, the word "hands" is a ___?
Metonym

Simile

Metaphor

Synecdoche
6 What is a metaphor?
Poetic device where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object

A figure of speech in which a related term is substituted for the word itself

When the subject of the poem is described by comparing it to another object or subject, using 'as' or 'like'

The repetition of syllables, typically at the end of a verse line
7 Define synecdoche.
A literary device where a word for a small component of something can stand in rhetorically for the larger whole

A figure of speech in which a related term is substituted for the word itself

Poetic device where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
8 What does the speaker's mother help him do?
Build a house.

Write a poem.

Save his grade.

Measure the floors, walls, and fixtures in a house.
9 Fill in the missing words: "the ___ of the walls, the ___ of the floors."
miles...desert

prairies...acres

acres...prairies

smoothness...wetness
10 Where is the mother situated as they measure?
The mother stands at the "zero-end," or the base of the measuring tape on the first floor of the house.

The mother accompanies the speaker through the house.

The mother stands at the "zero-end," or the base of the measuring tape on the third floor of the house.

The mother wanders upstairs after the speaker takes too long to report back measurements.
11 What does the line "[unreel]" between the speaker and his mother?
Measurements

Years

Love

Anger
12 What is the poem's meter?
Blank verse

Free verse

Common meter

Iambic pentameter
13 What two objects are used to describe the speaker's relationship with his mother?
An umbilical cord and a string

A measuring tape and a rope

An anchor and a kite

A safety tether and a chain
14 Which is an example of alliteration?
reporting metres

feeding out, unreeling

space-walk

single span
15 What is alliteration?
Poetic device where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object

The repetition of the vowel sound across words within the lines of the poem creating internal rhymes

A figure of speech in which a related term is substituted for the word itself

When two or more words in a line or verse of a poem start with the same letter or sound
16 What poetic form is this poem in conversation with?
Sestina

Ode

Villanelle

Sonnet
17 Which of the following adds a layer of complexity to the speaker's relationship with his mother?
Describing the way the mother pinches the last one-hundredth of an inch of tape

The way the floors are described as prairies

The way the speaker measures windows

The way the mother stands at the zero-end
18 Describe the syllabic classification of the word "mother."
Dactyl: stressed syllable followed by two unstressed

Iamb: stressed syllable followed by unstressed

Iamb: unstressed syllable followed by stressed

Trochee: stressed syllable followed by unstressed
19 What is a pelmet?
A hard or padded protective hat

A measuring device

A weapon

A narrow border of cloth or wood, fitted across the top of a door or window to conceal the curtain fittings.
20 What do anchors, kites, and astronauts have in common?
They all are dangerous

They all are toys

One must have a lot of experience to use them

They involve a connection via a string, rope, tether, or chain
21 When the speaker climbs the ladder to the loft, what happens?
He finishes all his measurements

He expresses gratitude to his mother

He decides to walk back downstairs

He reaches the breaking point in his relationship with his mother
22 Which is an example of alliteration?
I reach

Anchor. Kite.

to fall or fly.

towards a hatch
23 Which is not a theme in this poem?
Coming of Age

Taking Care of the Elderly

Relationship to Mother

Love and Distance
24 What does the speaker do when he gets to the loft of the house?
He reaches towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky

He climbs onto the roof

He smokes a cigarette

He flies a kite
25 What does the sky represent?
The known and comfortable

The speaker's relationship with his mother

A childhood sense of adventure

The endless possibilities for success and failure that come with being an adult

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