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

"Distance"

"Mother, May I"

"Mother"
2 What collection does this poem come from?
Zoom!

Book of Matches

The Owl and the Nightingale

Seeing Stars
3 When was the collection published?
1993

1986

2002

2003
4 Finish this line: "Mother, any distance greater___"
than a certain span

than a single span

than five acres

longer than my hand
5 In the poem, the word "hands" is a ___?
Simile

Metonym

Synecdoche

Metaphor
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

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

A figure of speech in which a related term is substituted for the word itself
7 Define synecdoche.
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

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
8 What does the speaker's mother help him do?
Write a poem.

Measure the floors, walls, and fixtures in a house.

Save his grade.

Build a house.
9 Fill in the missing words: "the ___ of the walls, the ___ of the floors."
smoothness...wetness

acres...prairies

prairies...acres

miles...desert
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 third 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 first 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

Anger

Love

Years
12 What is the poem's meter?
Common meter

Blank verse

Iambic pentameter

Free verse
13 What two objects are used to describe the speaker's relationship with his mother?
An anchor and a kite

An umbilical cord and a string

A measuring tape and a rope

A safety tether and a chain
14 Which is an example of alliteration?
single span

space-walk

feeding out, unreeling

reporting metres
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

When two or more words in a line or verse of a poem start with the same letter or sound

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

The repetition of the vowel sound across words within the lines of the poem creating internal rhymes
16 What poetic form is this poem in conversation with?
Ode

Villanelle

Sestina

Sonnet
17 Which of the following adds a layer of complexity to the speaker's relationship with his mother?
The way the floors are described as prairies

The way the speaker measures windows

Describing the way the mother pinches the last one-hundredth of an inch of tape

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

Iamb: stressed syllable followed by unstressed

Dactyl: stressed syllable followed by two unstressed

Iamb: unstressed syllable followed by stressed
19 What is a pelmet?
A measuring device

A weapon

A hard or padded protective hat

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

One must have a lot of experience to use them

They involve a connection via a string, rope, tether, or chain

They all are toys
21 When the speaker climbs the ladder to the loft, what happens?
He reaches the breaking point in his relationship with his mother

He decides to walk back downstairs

He expresses gratitude to his mother

He finishes all his measurements
22 Which is an example of alliteration?
towards a hatch

Anchor. Kite.

I reach

to fall or fly.
23 Which is not a theme in this poem?
Taking Care of the Elderly

Coming of Age

Love and Distance

Relationship to Mother
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 flies a kite

He smokes a cigarette
25 What does the sky represent?
The endless possibilities for success and failure that come with being an adult

The speaker's relationship with his mother

A childhood sense of adventure

The known and comfortable

Mother, any distance greater than a single span Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Mother, any distance greater than a single span is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for Mother, any distance greater than a single span

Mother, any distance greater than a single span study guide contains a biography of Simon Armitage, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for Mother, any distance greater than a single span…