Question 3 • DRHS American Literature and Composition
Read the poem “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay. If we must die—let it not be like hogsHunted and penned in an inglorious spot,While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,Making their mock at our accursed lot.If we must die—oh, let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shedIn vain; then even the monsters we defyShall be constrained to honor us though dead!Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;Though far outnumbered, let us still be brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!What though before us lies the open grave?Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,Pressed to the wall, dying, but—fighting back!Which best describes the speaker in this poem?
Answer
A
a manager who designs and carries out war plans
B
an officer who teaches soldiers how to win wars
C
an activist who persuades politicians to end a war
D
a motivator who encourages readers to fight oppression
Explanation
The speaker urges his “Kinsmen” to be brave and resist a shared enemy, even though they are outnumbered and may die. Lines such as “let us still be brave” and “dying, but—fighting back!” show that he is encouraging people to resist oppression, not planning or teaching military strategy. The best choice is “a motivator who encourages readers to fight oppression.”
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