PART A: Which statement best identifies a theme of the poem?
A. Small comforts can lessen the pain caused by tragedy.
B. A single tragedy can make you sensitive to the possibility of future tragedies.
C. While tragedies may occur infrequently, that doesn’t lessen the pain.
D. It is important to stay strong in the face of tragedy.
2. PART B: Which quote best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “There is no infant / this time, / only my own life swaddled” (Lines 1-3)
B. “to hold to my bruised breasts / and promise / to cherish.” (Lines 8-10)
C. “The smell of cut / flowers encloses this room, / insistent as anesthetic.” (Lines
11-13)
D. “and a dozen new accidents / turn over in their sleep, / waiting to happen.”
(Lines 18-20)
3. PART A: What impact does the phrase “insistent as anesthetic” have on the passage’s
meaning (Line 13)?
A. It reveals that the woman has recently come out of surgery.
B. It shows how overpowering the smell of the flowers is in the hospital.
C. It emphasizes how the mother’s loss has numbed and isolated her.
D. It portrays the hospital as a cold and unwelcoming place.
4. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “to hold to my bruised breasts / and promise / to cherish.” (Lines 8-10)
B. “The smell of cut / flowers encloses this room” (Lines 11-12)
C. “Outside the hospital window / the first leaves have opened” (Lines 15-16)
D. “and a dozen new accidents / turn over in their sleep” (Lines 18-19)
5. How does the poem’s focus shift between stanza 1 and stanza 2 to further explore
the mother’s experience with loss?vPART A: Which statement best identifies a theme of the poem?
A. Small comforts can lessen the pain caused by tragedy.
B. A single tragedy can make you sensitive to the possibility of future tragedies.
C. While tragedies may occur infrequently, that doesn’t lessen the pain.
D. It is important to stay strong in the face of tragedy.
2. PART B: Which quote best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “There is no infant / this time, / only my own life swaddled” (Lines 1-3)
B. “to hold to my bruised breasts / and promise / to cherish.” (Lines 8-10)
C. “The smell of cut / flowers encloses this room, / insistent as anesthetic.” (Lines
11-13)
D. “and a dozen new accidents / turn over in their sleep, / waiting to happen.”
(Lines 18-20)
3. PART A: What impact does the phrase “insistent as anesthetic” have on the passage’s
meaning (Line 13)?
A. It reveals that the woman has recently come out of surgery.
B. It shows how overpowering the smell of the flowers is in the hospital.
C. It emphasizes how the mother’s loss has numbed and isolated her.
D. It portrays the hospital as a cold and unwelcoming place.
4. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “to hold to my bruised breasts / and promise / to cherish.” (Lines 8-10)
B. “The smell of cut / flowers encloses this room” (Lines 11-12)
C. “Outside the hospital window / the first leaves have opened” (Lines 15-16)
D. “and a dozen new accidents / turn over in their sleep” (Lines 18-19)
5. How does the poem’s focus shift between stanza 1 and stanza 2 to further explore
the mother’s experience with loss?PART A: Which statement best identifies a theme of the poem?
A. Small comforts can lessen the pain caused by tragedy.
B. A single tragedy can make you sensitive to the possibility of future tragedies.
C. While tragedies may occur infrequently, that doesn’t lessen the pain.
D. It is important to stay strong in the face of tragedy.
2. PART B: Which quote best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “There is no infant / this time, / only my own life swaddled” (Lines 1-3)
B. “to hold to my bruised breasts / and promise / to cherish.” (Lines 8-10)
C. “The smell of cut / flowers encloses this room, / insistent as anesthetic.” (Lines
11-13)
D. “and a dozen new accidents / turn over in their sleep, / waiting to happen.”
(Lines 18-20)