Answers26-27 Ignite English 12 NG KY-English Language Arts 12Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging”

Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging” Answers

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1
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Read the excerpt from "Digging"The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.Between my finger and my thumbThe squat pen rests.I’ll dig with it.Read the haiku by Bashō. When the winter chrysanthemums go,there’s nothing to write about but radishes.What common concern do these poems share?

A
Both poems recognize the passing of seasons.
B
Both poems find a link between farming and the act of writing.
C
Both poems put a higher value on farming than writing.
D
Both poems lament the dying of flowers and other vegetation.
2
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Read the excerpt from "Digging."The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

A
cold, curt, cuts
B
potato, mould, follow
C
peat, edge, living
D
edge, head, them
3

Read the excerpt from "Digging."The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

A
leisure time
B
city life
C
writing poems
D
hard work
4

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests...

A
The assonance connects the thumb and finger to the act of farming.
B
The assonance adds emphasis to the speaker’s past as a farmer.
C
The assonance creates a pleasing and interesting sound.
D
The assonance emphasizes that the speaker is writing about his father.
5

Which phrases contain an example of assonance? Check all that apply.a cup of coffeethe stars in the darkgloves and a globelike the lightride along the riverthumb through the numbers

A
a cup of coffee
B
the stars in the dark
C
gloves and a globe
D
like the light
E
ride along the river
F
thumb through the numbers
6

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.Under my window, a clean rasping soundWhen the spade sinks into gravelly ground:My father, digging. I look downTill his straining rump among the flowerbedsBends low, comes up twenty years awayStooping in rhythm through potato drillsWhere he was digging.Read the haiku by Bashō. A crowhas settled on a bare branch— autumn evening.How does the structure of these poems differ?

A
“Digging” is a one-stanza poem with many lines, while Bashō's haiku has multiple stanzas with few lines.
B
“Digging” is a long poem with no sound devices, while Bashō's haiku is a short poem with many sound devices.
C
“Digging” has many stanzas of equal length, while Bashō's haiku has many stanzas of varying lengths.
D
“Digging” has multiple stanzas of varying length, while Bashō's haiku has only one stanza of three lines.
7

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Under my window, a clean rasping soundWhen the spade sinks into gravelly ground:My father, digging. I look downRead the haiku by Bashō. Clear water—a tiny crab crawling up my leg.Which statement best describes the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging” and the haiku?

A
Both use alliteration to connect ideas and create interesting sounds.
B
Both are disjointed by the sound devices used by the poets.
C
Both explore the topic of farming.
D
Both shift from the present time to the past.
8

Which of these words has a negative connotation?

A
respect
B
delight
C
jealousy
D
sympathy
9

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

A
The positive connotation of the word does not clarify whether the writer enjoys holding his pen.
B
The negative connotation of the word highlights the idea that writing is a difficult profession.
C
The positive connotation of the word emphasizes how comfortable the speaker is holding his pen.
D
The negative connotation of the word shows how unpleasant the speaker finds the pen.
10

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Till his straining rump among the flowerbedsBends low, comes up twenty years awayStooping in rhythm through potato drillsWhere he was digging.

A
that the work in the flowerbeds is quick and easy
B
that the father is working very hard in the flowerbeds
C
that the father passed away 20 years ago
D
that the father finds the digging enjoyable

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