33 pages • 1 hour read
Introduction to Poetry
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Reading Comprehension Answers
1. B. Using the contextual clues of the poem, it becomes clear that the speaker is a teacher or professor speaking to a classroom full of students.
2. A. Like the first question, a comprehensive understanding of what is taking place in the poem reveals the speaker’s profession.
3. D. The many lively metaphors throughout the poem suggest that this teacher sees poetry as something to be experienced and enjoyed, not as something meant to be torturous and dull.
4. D. Ironically, the title is boring and unimaginative—exactly what the poem is not! It prepares the reader to settle in for a conventional presentation on the fundamentals of poetry: rhyme scheme, form, poetic devices, etc. Collins taps into a rather universal dread of poetry, setting up the reader to behave just like the students in the poem.
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By Billy Collins
