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 coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against the inside knee was levered firmly.

A
It directs the reader’s attention back to the squat pen.
B
It suggests that the spade is too heavy for the father.
C
It emphasizes the speaker’s distaste for hard work.
D
It shows that the father works with skill and control.
2
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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.
3

Which lines from the poem "Digging” use assonance? Check all that apply.The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:Bends low, comes up twenty years awayBy God, the old man could handle a spade.Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods

A
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.
B
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
C
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
D
By God, the old man could handle a spade.
E
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
4

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
It emphasizes that working in fields is difficult and strenuous.
B
It draws attention to the speaker’s connection to the field.
C
It suggests that the father does not want to plant new potatoes.
D
It reveals that potatoes were the main crop of Ireland.
5

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.

A
The alliteration makes the poem sound disjointed and choppy.
B
The alliteration disconnects the speaker from the earth.
C
The alliteration creates pleasing and interesting sounds.
D
The alliteration shows that the speaker is a poet.
6

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 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
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.Read the haiku by Bashō. On the way to the outhouse—the white of the moonflower by torchlight.How does the structure of these poems differ?

A
“Digging” attempts to capture a moment in the distant past, while Bashō's haiku speculates about the future.
B
“Digging” jumps from the present time to the past, while Bashō's haiku captures a single moment in time.
C
“Digging” describes a moment in the present time, while Bashō's haiku jumps back in time.
D
“Digging” speculates about the future, while Bashō's haiku commemorates a time from the distant past.

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