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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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
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.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.
3

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.
4

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
5

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.
6

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.
7

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.
8

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.
9

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
10

Read the excerpt from "Digging."The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft Against the inside knee was levered firmly.He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deepTo scatter new potatoes that we picked,Loving their cool hardness in our hands.Read the haiku by Bashō. Early fall—the sea and the rice fields all one green.Which sentence best explains the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging” and the haiku?

A
Both are concerned with the topic of writing.
B
Both are concerned with the topic of seasons.
C
Both are concerned with the topic of farming.
D
Both are concerned with the topic of working.

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