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Reading Test #2

The document is a reading comprehension test about the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem describes the feelings of a caged bird longing to be free. It uses imagery of nature to contrast the caged bird's inability to enjoy the spring while confined. The test asks students to answer multiple choice and short answer questions about the poem's themes, tone, imagery, and the speaker's expressed sympathy for the caged bird.

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Aina Marielle De Jesus
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364 views2 pages

Reading Test #2

The document is a reading comprehension test about the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem describes the feelings of a caged bird longing to be free. It uses imagery of nature to contrast the caged bird's inability to enjoy the spring while confined. The test asks students to answer multiple choice and short answer questions about the poem's themes, tone, imagery, and the speaker's expressed sympathy for the caged bird.

Uploaded by

Aina Marielle De Jesus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading Test #2

Name:__________________________________________ Gr. & Sec.: _______________ Date:____________ Score:___


Paul Laurence Dunbar was an African American poet who wrote in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His poem “Sympathy”
speaks of the feelings of a bird in a cage. Read the poem and answer the questions that follow.

SYMPATHY
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
5 When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
10 For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!
15 I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
20 But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!
—Paul Laurence Dunbar

1 opes — opens 2 chalice — a cup or goblet 3 fain — gladly 4 bough — branch

Answer the following questions. Write the letter of your answer in the space provided.
______1. Which of the following words best describes the feeling created by the description in line 3?
A. peaceful B. surprised C. impatient D. suspenseful
______2. In line 4, the phrase “like a stream of glass” suggests the water is
A. cold. B. deep. C. dirty. D. smooth.
______3. In line 5, what do the “first bird” and the “first bud” most likely represent?
A. the cage B. the springtime C. the bud’s beauty D. the bird’s ancestor
______4. How is the first stanza most different from the rest of the poem?
A. The stanza suggests the bird is bored with his life.
B. The stanza describes how the bird looks, rather than how he acts.
C. The stanza suggests the bird is unwise for wanting his life to change.
D. The stanza describes what the bird likely desires, rather than what he experiences.
______5. Which of the following words best describes the tone of the poem?
A. fearful B. apologetic C. passionate D. wondering
______6. Which meaning of the word faint is used in line 6?
A. exhausted B. whispered C. lacking courage D. barely noticeable
7. Based on the poem, explain why the speaker feels sympathy for the bird. Support your answer with relevant and
specific details from the poem.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Answer Key:
1. A
2. D
3. B
4. D
5. C
6. D
7. Answer may vary

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