Day 1 English Homework

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

The following are themes evident in the poem except?

I. Kindness
II. Indifference
III. Humanity
IV. Suffering

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

The role of the thieves in the poem is to

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

Stanza 2 mentions how the man’s face has “a changeless grin.” What does this picture tell you?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What does the second stanza say about how the passersby treated the man?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

How does the last stanza, where the speaker is carrying the man through a million billion trillion stars, contribute to the overall message and theme of the poem?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

How did the mood of the poem shift from beginning to end?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

Which of the following best summarises what the entire poem is all about?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow. 

A Man Who Had Fallen Among Thieves by E. E. Cummings

a man who had fallen among thieves

lay by the roadside on his back

dressed in fifteenthrate ideas

wearing a round jeer for a hat

fate per a somewhat more than less 5

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause 10

then fired by hypercivic zeal 

sought newer pastures or because

swaddled with a frozen brook

of pinkest vomit out of eyes

which noticed nobody he looked 15

as if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vest

its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt

while the mute trouserfly 

confessed a button solemnly inert. 20

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke

i put him all into my arms

and staggered banged with terror through

a million billion trillion stars.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

You come across a homeless person lying on the side of the road, barely conscious. How would the lesson of the poem apply in this situation?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What tone is set in the poem?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

In the first stanza, the speaker describes the grass as soft and white. What does this mean?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

The second line described the street to be near the “beginning.” On the eighth, in contrast, the street is now described as “winding and bending.” What does the latter signify?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What is the significance of the word “winds” in line 8?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What is the poem trying to depict about one’s world as an adult?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

In line six, the wind is described as “peppermint.” What does it contribute to the poem?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What distinguishes the second stanza of the poem from the first?

Read the poems below then answer the questions that follow.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 5

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow,

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 10

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 15

The place where the sidewalk ends.

Betweenwhiles, but she sees herself not Him.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

Mandy is feeling overwhelmed by the demands of her grown-up lifestyle and is longing for a moment of escape from the pressures of it. What action should she take to experience the same sense of freedom and joy as in her girlhood?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What is the rhyme scheme of the second stanza?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What is the poem all about?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What does line 4 mean by a “self-denying deed”?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

Why does the first stanza consider a day well spent if there is “one word that eased the heart of him who heard”?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

How does the poem view a day where one has “cheered no heart” in the second stanza?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What is the purpose of counting one’s actions at the end of the day?

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

In which circumstances can one apply the lesson learned from the poem?

I. Helping a classmate with school work.
II. Sharing toys with a younger sibling.
III. Saying sorry to a friend they hurt.
IV. Standing up to bullying in the playground. 

Count that Day Lost by George Eliot

If you sit down at set of sun

And count the acts that you have done,

And, counting, find

One self-denying deed, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard, 5

One glance most kind

That fell like sunshine where it went–

Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,

You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay– 10

If, through it all,

You’ve nothing done that you can trace

That brought the sunshine to one face–

No act most small

That helped some soul and nothing cost– 15

Then count that day as worse than lost.

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What is not a theme of the poem?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What rhyme scheme is used in the poem?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

Which of the following lines from the poem employs alliteration?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What is the significance of the boy in the poem?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

In the first two lines, it has been established that the little dog wags his tail as he “knows no other joy.” How does the speaker feel about this based on the first stanza?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

In terms of behaviour, what is the difference between the dog and the boy and the cat and the mouse?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

Which of the following best summarises the third stanza of the poem?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

Who is the speaker reminded of in the last stanza?

A Little Dog That Wags His Tail by Emily Dickinson

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

Who gambols all the living Day 5

Without an earthly cause

Because he is a little Boy

I honestly suppose —

The Cat that in the Corner dwells

Her martial Day forgot 10

The Mouse but a Tradition now

Of her desireless Lot

Another class remind me

Who neither please nor play

But not to make a “bit of noise” 15

Beseech each little Boy —

Answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer.

What does the poem suggest about the concept of joy?