AnswersLVA-English Language Arts 12 -SPRINGCreating a Museum Exhibit

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.

A
cold, curt, cuts
B
potato, mould, follow
C
peat, edge, living
D
edge, head, them
2
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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.
3

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.
4

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
5

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.
6

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
7

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.
8

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.
9

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
10

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.

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