8th grade The message of a poem, line by line worksheet

The message of a poem, line by line

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Credit Line (original poem)

   Stanza 1
   [1] I made the poster for the science fair.
   [2] I had the vision; I decided on blue.
   [3] Kira held the tape, which is not hard,
   [4] and Noah drew the border, though I chose the shade.

   Stanza 2
   [5] The title was my idea. Pia did the lettering,
   [6] since mine looked rushed, and Ren found the facts
   [7] I'd said I would. I put them in a font
   [8] I picked myself, which matters more than people think.

   Stanza 3
   [9] The judges stopped. “Who made this?” one of them asked.
   [10] “I did,” I said. Then, quieter, “Mostly.”
   [11] Four people looked at me, and then at the poster,
   [12] and the blue seemed paler than the blue I'd picked.

   Stanza 4
   [13] Nobody argued. That was the strange part.
   [14] I stood there holding all of the credit
   [15] like a poster board too wide to fit through a doorway,
   [16] and found the only way through was to set some down.
   Annotations: stanza 1 = the credit; stanza 2 = more credit; stanza 3 = the question; stanza 4 = the weight.

2. 1.

   Ari reads past what the speaker says. Which theme keeps both the speaker's real work and the helpers' work in view?

   • The speaker did the most important work on the poster, so claiming the credit was fair and the helpers' parts were small.
   • Taking all the credit for shared work does not hold up, though the speaker's own part in the poster was real.
   • A person who takes credit at a science fair will be caught and lose the respect of the judges and classmates.
   • Shared work needs many hands, so the speaker's choices of blue and a font were not part of the poster's success.
3. 2.

   Bo writes a summary of the whole poem. Which sentence is an objective summary, with the events in order and no opinions?

   • Carrying more credit than a person earned is too heavy, so honest sharing is the way to move forward.
   • The speaker greedily takes the credit for a poster four classmates built, then wisely gives some of it up after a judge asks.
   • The speaker describes making a fair poster with help from four classmates, tells a judge it was mostly the speaker's work, and ends by setting some credit down.
   • The speaker describes making a fair poster with help from four classmates, tells a judge it was mostly the speaker's work, and then four people look on.
4. 3.

   Esme looks at how the speaker answers the judge. All four lines are true. Which line proves this most strongly: “The speaker claims the work and then softens the claim”?

   • [8] I picked myself, which matters more than people think.
   • [11] Four people looked at me, and then at the poster,
   • [10] “I did,” I said. Then, quieter, “Mostly.”
   • [9] The judges stopped. “Who made this?” one of them asked.
5. 4.

   Milo writes another summary of the whole poem. Which sentence is an objective summary, with the events in order and no opinions?

   • The speaker explains how the poster was made, answers a judge's question, notices four classmates looking on, and then sets some of the credit down.
   • The speaker proudly explains how the poster was made, nervously answers a judge, and finally sets down credit that was not deserved.
   • A person who takes more credit than the work earned will feel the weight of it, so sharing credit is the honest choice.
   • The speaker sets some of the credit down, answers a judge's question, notices four classmates looking on, and explains how the poster was made for the science fair.
6. 5.

   Zee looks at the end of the poem. All four lines are true. Which line proves this most strongly: “Sharing the credit solves the problem of carrying it”?

   • [15] like a poster board too wide to fit through a doorway,
   • [14] I stood there holding all of the credit
   • [16] and found the only way through was to set some down.
   • [13] Nobody argued. That was the strange part.

7. Boxes (original poem)

   Stanza 1
   [1] The walls look taller now that nothing's on them.
   [2] A rectangle of lighter paint shows where
   [3] the bookshelf stood for nine years. I tape boxes
   [4] and label them in marker: BOOKS, BOOKS, SHOES.

   Stanza 2
   [5] Outside, the truck is open like a mouth,
   [6] and Milo, from next door, comes over with a plant
   [7] and a phone number on a folded note.
   [8] I say thank you wrong; the words come out too quiet.

   Stanza 3
   [9] I've seen the new place once: a yellow house,
   [10] a sloping yard, a school whose mascot I can't like.
   [11] I try the phrase “my new room” out loud.
   [12] It fits like someone else's borrowed shirt.

   Stanza 4
   [13] The truck pulls out. I watch the old house shrink,
   [14] and part of me is hoping for the hill
   [15] where everything is new, and part stays on the porch,
   [16] and neither part is wrong, and neither wins.
   Annotations: stanza 1 = the empty room; stanza 2 = the goodbye; stanza 3 = the new place; stanza 4 = the drive.

8. 6.

   Noah writes a summary of the whole poem. Which sentence is an objective summary, with the events in order and no opinions?

   • The speaker packs the last boxes, thanks a neighbor who brings a plant and a note, tries out the words my new room, and watches the old house shrink.
   • The speaker packs the last boxes, thanks a neighbor who brings a plant and a note, and tries out the words my new room.
   • The speaker sadly packs the last boxes, awkwardly thanks a neighbor, tries out the words my new room and bravely watches the old house shrink.
   • Moving mixes sadness and hope, and a person can feel both for the old home and the new one at once.
9. 7.

   Pia looks at the moment of leaving. All four lines are true. Which line proves this most strongly: “One part of the speaker looks ahead while another stays behind”?

   • [14] and part of me is hoping for the hill
   • [15] where everything is new, and part stays on the porch,
   • [16] and neither part is wrong, and neither wins.
   • [13] The truck pulls out. I watch the old house shrink,
10. 8.

    Ren reads the quiet thank-you in stanza 2 and the borrowed shirt in stanza 3. Which theme keeps both the kindness and the strangeness?

    • Moving is hard because the new place feels borrowed, so the speaker's feelings about the old house are the true ones.
    • Belonging takes time at both ends of a move, so goodbyes and new rooms can feel awkward even when people are kind.
    • The speaker thanks a neighbor too quietly and then tries out the phrase my new room, which fits like a borrowed shirt.
    • Kind neighbors can fix the sadness of a move, so a plant and a note are enough to make a person feel at home.
11. 9.

    Luz writes another summary of the whole poem. Which sentence is an objective summary, with the events in order and no opinions?

    • A person who leaves a home may find hope and sadness arriving together, so neither feeling has to be argued away.
    • The speaker tapes boxes in a room with bare walls, receives a neighbor's plant and note, tries out the words my new room, and watches the old house shrink.
    • The speaker tapes boxes in a room with bare walls, tries out the words my new room, receives a neighbor's plant and note, and watches the old house shrink.
    • The speaker neatly tapes boxes in a room with bare walls, gratefully takes a neighbor's plant, and bravely watches a beloved house shrink.
12. 10.

    Tala looks at the goodbye in stanza 2. All four lines are true. Which line proves this most strongly: “The speaker feels grateful to the neighbor but cannot show it well”?

    • [7] and a phone number on a folded note.
    • [5] Outside, the truck is open like a mouth,
    • [8] I say thank you wrong; the words come out too quiet.
    • [6] and Milo, from next door, comes over with a plant