How the shape of a poem adds to its meaning

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Epic of the Last Slice (original poem)

   Stanza 1
   [1] Sing, Muse, of the hunger that fell on the third-period lunchroom,
   [2] of Ren the swift-handed and Pia the sharp-eyed, and the last slice of pizza,
   [3] cooling and gleaming alone on the great steel tray like a moon over water.
   [4] Sing how two heroes, both starving, rose from their benches at once.

   Stanza 2
   [5] Swift-handed Ren swept over the tiles as a wave sweeps in toward the shoreline,
   [6] and sharp-eyed Pia, by a shortcut behind the milk coolers, came flanking the line.
   [7] Chairs scraped; the lunch aides watched; a bold sixth grader dropped a tray,
   [8] and the whole room held its breath as the heroes drew near to the prize.

   Stanza 3
   [9] Both hands reached down together. The slice, in the midst, slid sideways,
   [10] and each hero, gripping an edge, felt the cheese stretch long between them.
   [11] Neither would yield; then Pia, mighty in wisdom, spoke: “Let us divide it.”
   [12] And Ren the swift-handed, to the surprise of the ages, agreed.

   Stanza 4
   [13] So the slice was halved, and the halves were enjoyed in a peace that the poets will remember,
   [14] and the lunch aides nodded, and the great bell rang for the end of third period;
   [15] and the tale of the last slice goes on being told, in the hall and at the lockers,
   [16] wherever hungry heroes share what is left.
   Annotations: stanza 1 = the call to the Muse; stanza 2 = the race; stanza 3 = the standoff; stanza 4 = the ending.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the opening and the long lines. Which choice names the form and the clue that shows it?

   • Mock epic: the poem is about lunch, has four stanzas, and ends with the heroes sharing a slice.
   • Limerick: five-line stanzas that rhyme AABBA, with a joke in the last line of each stanza.
   • Mock epic: it opens by calling on the Muse and gives a lunchroom squabble the grand style of a hero's tale.
   • Mock epic: it begins with a rhymed couplet and keeps a steady rhyme scheme through the sixteen lines of the poem.
3. 2.

   Bo circles swift-handed and sharp-eyed beside the names Ren and Pia. Which choice names the device and what it adds?

   • Epithet: a describing phrase attached to each name, which makes two hungry students sound like heroes in an old tale.
   • Epithet: a describing phrase attached to each name, which makes the two students sound small and ordinary.
   • Epithet: swift-handed and sharp-eyed are describing phrases attached to the names Ren and Pia in the poem.
   • Onomatopoeia: the phrases sound like the actions they name, which makes the lunchroom sound crowded and loud.
4. 3.

   Esme circles the comparison in line 5, as a wave sweeps in toward the shoreline. What does the long comparison add to the poem?

   • It lifts a walk across a lunchroom into a grand, sweeping action, which is the joke in a mock epic.
   • It compares Ren's walk to a wave, and the comparison takes up most of the line.
   • It shows that Ren is afraid of the sea, so the walk across the lunchroom feels dangerous.
   • It shrinks the walk into something tiny, so the reader sees how little the race matters.
5. 4.

   Jun wants one clue that shows this is a mock epic. All four statements are true. Which clue proves the form best?

   • A call to the Muse and hero-sized language are used for a small event, a standoff over the last slice of pizza.
   • Ren and Pia are given describing phrases, swift-handed and sharp-eyed, in lines 2, 5 and 6, as heroes in old tales are.
   • The poem compares the slice to a moon over water in line 3 and Ren's rush to a wave in line 5.
   • The poem has four stanzas, and each stanza holds four long lines about a lunchroom and a slice of pizza.
6. 5.

   Kira looks for repeated sounds that make the movement feel fast. All four lines are true. Which line shows it most strongly?

   • [3] cooling and gleaming alone on the great steel tray like a moon over water.
   • [6] and sharp-eyed Pia, by a shortcut behind the milk coolers, came flanking the line.
   • [5] Swift-handed Ren swept over the tiles as a wave sweeps in toward the shoreline,
   • [7] Chairs scraped; the lunch aides watched; a bold sixth grader dropped a tray,
7. 6.

   Luz notices line 11 ends with a very plain request inside a very grand sentence. What does that plain request add?

   • It turns the poem into a true battle story, so the reader is meant to fear for Pia.
   • It drops the grand tone into an everyday request, which supplies the joke by contrast.
   • It is the sole line with spoken words in it, and the words come at the end of the line.
   • It makes the tone grander still, so the request sounds as mighty as the Muse's opening.

8. Last Bus (original poem)

   Stanza 1
   [1] The streetlight clicks on, and I wait.
   [2] My shadow stretches long and thin.
   [3] The practice field has emptied out,
   [4] and the dark is slowly closing in.

   Stanza 2
   [5] The streetlight clicks on, and I wait.
   [6] A paper cup rolls down the street.
   [7] I count the cars that do not stop
   [8] and tap a rhythm with my feet.

   Stanza 3
   [9] Then headlights climb the hill, and slow,
   [10] and the doors fold open with a sigh.
   [11] “Long wait?” the driver asks, and I
   [12] say, “Not so long,” a small white lie.

   Stanza 4
   [13] The streetlight clicks on, and I ride.
   [14] It shrinks behind us, small and thin.
   [15] The wait that felt so long out there
   [16] is something I can tell with a grin.
   Annotations: stanza 1 = the wait begins; stanza 2 = the wait goes on; stanza 3 = the bus; stanza 4 = the ride.

9. 7.

   Pia compares line 13 with lines 1 and 5. What does changing wait to ride add?

   • It changes one word in the returning line, and the line still ends with a verb.
   • It shows that the streetlight has stopped working, so the speaker rides home in the dark.
   • It shows that the speaker is still waiting, so the evening has not changed for the speaker.
   • It shows the same moment now meaning something new, because the speaker has gone from waiting to riding.
10. 8.

    Ren wants one clue that shows the opening line works as a refrain. All four statements are true. Which clue proves it best?

    • The poem is about waiting for a bus, and the bus does arrive in stanza 3 with a sigh from its doors.
    • Line 1 comes back word for word in line 5, and in line 13 it comes back with one word changed.
    • Lines 1 and 5 both mention the streetlight and the speaker waiting, and each one opens a stanza.
    • The poem uses sound words such as clicks and sigh, along with the repeated word thin.
11. 9.

    Tala looks for a sound that tells the reader the bus has arrived. All four lines are true. Which line shows it most strongly?

    • [7] I count the cars that do not stop
    • [10] and the doors fold open with a sigh.
    • [9] Then headlights climb the hill, and slow,
    • [8] and tap a rhythm with my feet.
12. 10.

    Zee notices line 11 ends with the words and I, and the sentence runs on into line 12. What does the line break add?

    • It shows the speaker is out of breath from running, so the answer comes out in pieces.
    • It splits the sentence across two lines, so the speaker's words begin at the start of line 12.
    • It rushes the answer out at once, so the speaker replies before the driver has finished asking.
    • It holds back what the speaker says for a moment, so the small white lie lands after a pause.